Bunch of Agents that all look alike…
How do you choose a real estate agent from ALL the agents out there? The Toronto Real Estate Board has a lot of registered agents and some how you have to pick ONE to help you through the process of buying a home. Many people ask family and friends to recommend someone. Others might get a lawyer to make a suggestion but many people just go out and look at OPEN HOUSES to meet an agent and then decide if they want to use them. Some just make a call to find out the details about a home and to view the home and then use that agent because they think they will get a better deal if they use the salesperson that has the house listed….IS this a good strategy.
So what do you look for?
- an expensive car that must mean they are successful OR could be they like to impress people and have a large monthly debt load to carry
- a well dressed agent definitely means they have good expensive taste and that must mean they sell a lot of real estate OR they could be a part time agent who has another full time job that supports their look
- flashy feature sheets and business card anyone can buy those and LOOK professional
What to ask an agent when you meet them?
- do you specialize in this neighbourhood
- have you seen the other homes in this neighbourhood
- do you have other listings that you an show me that meet my criteria
- how long have you been selling real estate
- if I wanted references can you give me contacts that you have sold homes to THIS YEAR
- who do you work for and how long have you been with them
- who does your web site design and your advertising
- do you have a TEAM of specialists that I can access when I work with you like lawyers, inspectors, roofers, electricians, plumbers, pest control, movers)
- will I be working exclusively with YOU or a Team of salespeople….I want personal service and attention to detail….do you have a plan for working with me
- did you have any deals that did not close this year and why
Why SHOULD I ask these questions?
You should ask questions about the person that is going to help you with the largest monetary investment of your life. THAT’s WHY. In today’s real estate market YOU are hiring and under contract with a Realtor as a Buyer and the relationship is for an extended amount of time. IF you sign a BRA (Buyer Representation Agreement) you are obligated to use that Brokerage to purchase a home and can not get out of the contract until the expiry date. YES choosing the right agent IS IMPORTANT. So having said that YOU need to screen agents before you sign anything and you need to read it over carefully for the expiry date.
A Broker is the owner of the company that allows the salesperson the opportunity to deal in real estate.
RECO is the Real Estate Council of Ontario that ALL agents are registered under.
Each Brokerage has different screening processes for hiring a salesperson…some just want as many agents as they can hire….some want new agents to train and groom them to the companies expectations….some hire only seasoned professionals with great track records of customer service and success in their business of real estate. Having said that another question you might ask of a salesperson is how many offices does your company have? How many sales people work at your company?
What should a salesperson do for you?
You should get information a home but also they are a source of information throughout the process of looking at homes. They can tell you about the physical things to look at when you view a home but give you things to think about as well. Is the home close to transit, shopping, parks, schools, recreation centres or travel routes and times for traffic and highways. They also should know if things are about to change in an area. An example of this could be a home that backs onto a road might be widen in the next year and that could add to the amount of traffic noise in your back yard if you bought that home. You might be OK with it but that could be a negotiating point when putting in an offer on a home. Many times IF you get a home for less money because of something like a road being widened that will mean that in a few years when you go to sell the home you too might get less for the home than a neighbour with the same house that does not back onto a busy road.
If you want to buy a condo apartment in a high rise the agent should be able to tell you about the reputation of the building, the history of the market value, the amenities in the building or the surrounding influences of that building. The other day while we showed a Buyer a main floor condo unit that faced the entrance to the parking lot and garage. This was not an issue in the daytime but we told the story of an owner who had to keep the blinds closed to keep the headlights from shining in their living room and onto their television. During the day as people walked past the unit to the entrance of the building they could look in to the unit so again the lady kept the blinds closed. Buildings that have only ONE elevator can be an issue if YOU can’t manage stairs. It is not to say that the elevator might break down a lot BUT what happens when it needs to be replaced while you live there. Hmmmm it is not a ONE DAY job. Did you know that condo buildings have large maintenance issues over the life of the complex. Large expenses such as an elevator if an older building, replacing water pipes that supply water to the sprinkler systems, garbage shute issues, air conditioners that need regular cleaning and maintenance so that the air quality pumped into the building is clean and has less particulants in the air, or hall carpeting that needs to be replaced and the list goes on. You as a condo owner should be part of the meetings of your building as the Condo Board in each building makes the decisions on these items and they impact on the budget and monthly condo fess that you pay as an owner.
Well the choice is yours…so NOW just call THE WILDING TEAM and interview US. We would love to chat with you and tell you about our business, our services and customer care, our list of contractors and TEAM players and our Step by Step Buyer/Seller Plans. We will work hard to earn your trust before you sign any contract. You decide…the choice is yours to call us today.