The real estate market is highly profitable. That’s why you’ll find a large number of realtors out there. All of them claim top-of-the-line services and in-depth industry expertise. Yet, you can’t tell who takes pride in offering superior services and who’s merely bluffing.
It’s common to interview real estate agents. You may be drawn to hiring a cousin who has recently started a real estate business or a friend’s friend who just earned their license. These are the pitfalls you may want to avoid.
Ask These Questions
Avoid working with someone you’re close to or can’t have an upfront talk with. Ask these questions from a real estate agent:
1. What Do You Know about the Neighborhood?
Finding the right neighborhood is an essential part of home buying. Your preferences for a neighborhood may vary. Your real estate agent should have in-depth insight into the neighborhood you’re interested in. An experienced agent will tell you about different aspects of the neighborhood, how it has changed over the years, schools, recreational activities, utility stores and even the crime rate.
2. What’s Your Area of Expertise?
Buying a house isn’t like buying a commercial property or a condo. Each type of property has unique challenges attributed to it. You must pick an agent who can help you understand the differences and what’s important. When you’re buying a house, you don’t need the information about the noisiest loft. Similarly, if you’re buying a condo, you wouldn’t want to hear about web basements.
3. What are the Legal Aspects to Worry About?
A professional agent will be honest and upfront. Sure, they help you take care of legalities, but legal issues are likely to arise before closing the deal. A reliable realtor should be well-versed in paperwork, intricacies of representation, disclosures and closing issues. They should inform you about any legal pitfalls to worry about and how they can help overcome them.
4. Can I Talk to Your Previous Clients?
A reliable realtor will be happy to connect you with past clients. Better yet, someone who takes pride in their services will display good reviews. However, reviews are only the tip of the iceberg, and you may want to know the real experience of those buyers. Even if you don’t plan on calling references, this question alone can say a lot about the agent. How do they react to questions, and do they hand it well? That would be your cue.
5. What’s Your Relationship with Other Home Service Professionals?
A professional real estate agent will have strong connections with other professionals. For instance, lawyers, appraisers, lenders, home inspectors and surveyors. While these are important partnerships, a reliable realtor will have connections with electricians, cleaners, handymen and more.
BrightFuture Realty is the expansion of BrightPath Caribbean, a relocation company helping people in the immigration process. At BrightFuture Realty, we utilize the extensive experience of our sister company to help people relocate to St. Maarten. Our goal is to help buyers and sellers find luxury homes for sale in St. Maarten. We go beyond the conventional real estate process to answer your questions about banking, relocation, corporate services and legal residency. Contact us today!
