Choosing the
RIGHT Real Estate
Agent
WRITTEN BY WALT AND EMILIE DAVIS
charlotte lifestyle july/august
17
BROKER/REALTORS
So you’re thinking about putting your house on the market. The
thought of selling your home and relocating can often be a
challenging, overwhelming and a somewhat daunting proposition.
You have many things to consider in your life during this time and the
selling of your home is just one of the many hurdles you have to overcome.
Investing a little time in making the right decision when choosing an
agent to manage the sale of your home can relieve much of the potential
stress, position you best in the market, and set you off on the right path
with a realistic set of expectations. But where do you start? What do you
need to be aware of when choosing a real estate agent? What expectations
should you have of your agent? What are the right questions to ask?
1Whether you’re a Buyer or a Seller, you will want to choose a fulltime
agent who is actively following the market on a daily basis and
will be available to assist you at any time. Real estate is not the place for
“hobbyists”. Confirm that your agent holds an active license. In addition,
not all real estate agents are Realtors. Realtors belong to the National
Association of Realtors (NAR) and are held to a very stringent Code of
Ethics. You can confirm (NAR) membership at www.nar.realtor.
2 Consider initial response time. If an agent responds to your initial
request for information with a prompt, detailed and informative
response, there is a good chance that this will be the level of service that
you can expect to receive from them throughout your entire transaction.
3We live in a technologically driven world so you will also want an
agent who is “tech-savvy.” Look at their social media presence
and see how they are marketing and sharing their listings online. Their
photography should be top-quality and multi-faceted. Many agents today
/www.nar.realtor