4 Demands to Make to Your Real Estate Agent

Orange County, CA Real Estate Podcast with Frank Del Rio

To distinguish between average real estate agents and great ones, you should make sure they can accommodate these four demands.

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Are you thinking about buying a home but dreading the challenges that come with the process? If you’re concerned about the unanswered questions surrounding what kind of house you can afford, how to schedule showings, and making sure that the paperwork is done right, I have a solution for you.

Hiring a real estate professional can take away most of the challenges involved in the home buying process. Like a great doctor or great accountant, a great real estate agent is always worth more than the commission that they charge.

Here is the best part: when buying a home, you don’t even pay the agent; you only pay for the loan officer who is getting your loan. I think that this is the reason that we hear more horror stories about buying a home than we do triumphant ones.

A great real estate agent is always worth more than the commission they charge.

If you want to lock down one of the best agents in your market, you must be able to distinguish an average agent from a great agent. According to many studies, an average agent sells just one to two homes per year. Great agents like us sell more than 50 homes every year. The agent you work with matters every single time. Here are the four demands you should make of your real estate agent when deciding which one to hire:

1. Tell the truth about the price. When making an offer on the home you want to buy, make sure that your agent walks you through the entire plan for getting your offer accepted. Too many agents just take the offer that you suggest and then try to work both you and the seller in negotiating phases later. In a competitive market, you need an agent who is going to help you make the best initial offer so that you stand out from the crowd. In today’s market, every house must be sold twice: once to you and once to your bank. If your agent doesn’t discuss this with you at the time of the original offer, this should raise a red flag.
2. Understand the time table that you and your family are dealing with. You’ll be moving yourself and your family into a new home. Whether the move revolves around the start of a new school year or a new job relocation, balancing the move and your life can be very emotionally draining. Demand that your agent appreciates the timetables you’re setting. Your agent cannot pick the exact time for your move, but they should exert any influence they can to make sure it all works out for you and your family.
3. Remove as many challenges as possible for you. It’s imperative that your agent knows how to handle the challenges that will arise in the transaction, and, more importantly, set the right expectations for you so that you’re prepared for them in advance. An agent’s ability to negotiate is critical in this market. Remember, if you have a weak agent who’s negotiating with you on parts of the purchase offer, don’t expect them to turn into a superhero when they’re negotiating with the seller.
4. Find the right house for you. There is a reason that you’re putting yourself and your family through this arduous moving process. You’re moving on with your life for the better in most cases. The reason for moving is important, or you wouldn’t be dealing with all the headaches and challenges that come with buying and moving. Do not allow your agent to forget these motivations. Make sure that they keep you and your family’s real estate goals at the top of their list of priorities. If they discover that something needs to be done in order to obtain your real estate goals, insist they have the courage to inform you about it.

Good agents know how to deliver good news; great agents know how to deliver tough news but get you fantastic results. In today’s market, you need a great agent! If you have any other questions about buying or selling real estate in the Orange or LA County area, give me a call or send me an email. I’d love to help you!