Accessibility & Support

Should your real estate agent be experienced?  The ideal answer is yes; however, we should keep in mind that we were all new at our jobs at some point whether we work as plumbers, computer techs or real estate agents — so the better question to ask is; who is behind your real estate agent providing support? Don’t dismiss a real estate agent simply because of a lack of professional experience.

You should know if your real estate agent works as part of a team, and better yet, how does this team work? You should be aware of everyone on the team that you will be working with; is there an assistant? Is there a team leader or a branch manager or designated broker?  Who can you call at 8 p.m. on a Saturday evening if you need someone on the team to write up a contract or make updates to an existing offer?  Who will answer your questions when you call and how quickly will they get back to you with answers if you have to leave a message? When you are buying or selling you are doing business 24×7 and your representation should have excellent availability to assist you when necessary; be sure you know how accessible your real estate agent really is.

I remember well my first couple of years as an agent sitting at a buyer or seller’s kitchen table with a phone tucked under my chin while my branch manager walked me through the Purchase and Sale contracts item by item to make sure I got everything done right.  My managers were always available from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week!  That is the kind of support you want for the agent and the consumer!

Now as a real estate instructor, I am alarmed when I have agents in my classes who share personal experiences and ask questions and the best advice I can give to them is to discuss the issue with their branch manager or designated broker and these agents tell me they have no idea who that is!

My professional advice after more than 20 years of experience for people looking for a new agent is for them to make sure the agent they find has the appropriate support system because that matters so much more than if the agent has been in business for 10 days or 10 years.  On the flip side of the coin the advice I would offer to real estate agents is to make sure you have a go-to person on your team and FIND OUT who they are!

To Continue Reading PART TWO of this Blog Series — Click HERE