What Makes a Great Estate Agent?
First-time buyers in particular can find dealing with estate agents tricky and intimidating, so we’ve compiled a list of six qualities to look for in a realtor. If they have most or all of these, you’re probably onto a winner.
- Frequent communication
If you find it hard to get hold of your agent you can feel alone and in the dark. The property market moves fast and so you need to stay in touch with your estate agent so you can make decisions as soon as possible. A common complaint from buyers and sellers is that their agent is slow to respond to messages, which can add to stress and – even worse – lose a sale.
- The agent is proactive
Estate agents should always have clients and potential clients in mind, so that when a suitable property comes onto the market, they can get on the phone and alert them. Most of the phoning and emailing should be done by the agent – if clients are doing most of the calling or emailing, this is a sign of a lazy or ineffective agent.
- The agent is a good listener
This feature ties in with point 2 – a good agent asks what the client wants and actually listens. This helps to match up buyers with new properties as soon as possible. If an agent does most of the talking, it’s not a good sign. Lots of questions is a great sign, however.
- The agent puts clients first
It’s a no-brainer – if a client gets a great deal that runs smoothly, so does the agency. Vendors and buyers make the industry – without them, it wouldn’t exist. This is why they should feel supported, listened to and above all, they should feel they’ve been treated fairly and not ripped off or forced into anything.
- The agent is adaptable
Decent agents work out how their clients operate very quickly – some like several text messages a day, some prefer a digested email in the evening and some love to talk. The agent should act accordingly.
- The agent understands deadlines
A key element of a good client relationship is that the agent knows whether there’s a big hurry or not. Obviously most people are in a hurry to sell, as it’s stressful, so the agent needs to do all he or she can to move things along. However, there’s the occasional client who can take their time – whether buying or selling – and these people shouldn’t be rushed just for the sake of a sale.
