Choosing a Realtor

They’re out there, your friend is one, your friend’s friend is one, your parents have one, or your barber does it part-time when they aren’t busy cutting hair. Realtors, running around Chicago buying and selling houses. A lot of them are new, a few of them are in it for life, and some come and go as quickly as the newest social media app.

It’s no secret that realtors are important to the home buying process, they help guide you through the big decisions of purchasing a home. But not all realtors are created equal, and that’s because not all home buyers are the same. So how do you know which realtor is right for you?

You start looking around and start asking friends, family, and your next-door neighbor who just bought a house and is getting ready to move who they used and if they would refer them. You talk a little bit about the process and the person they worked with getting a couple of names and business cards. Before you know it the thought of buying a house is heavier on your mind now so the next best thing to do is to start attending some open houses. And what do you know, at these open houses are realtors. And at this time you stop and think to yourself “I just might find the realtor I’ve been looking for at one of these open houses!” I mean why not? This is the perfect opportunity to get some face-to-face contact with no pressure and meet some prospective realtors!

So you’ve been out and met a couple of realtors, you’ve received some recommendations from friends and family and you know that you’re finally ready to start looking for a new house to buy. So next thing you know you reach out to the realtors that made the cut (so far) and decide to have a quick sit-down with them. Something on your way to work or during a lunch or coffee break. It’s time to sit down and get serious. You have a little back and forth, they ask what you’re looking for. You tell them a 2 bed 2 bath in River North or West Loop for under $500,000, they ask why you’re moving, you tell them what you want in a new home, they ask what is most important to you. And the conversation goes on.

Interviewing comes with questions, not just for them to ask you but for you to ask them. Do they have some experience? This is important but don't let that be the guiding factor. Does it seem like they are to type to have the answers, and if they don’t have them are they willing to go the extra mile and get them?

Now, you’ve talked in-depth with 3 of your top realtors and it’s time to decide. What do you want from your realtor, which determines who you want for your realtor. You decide to go with the one that just “got you.” The conversation was easy, you noticed that they get back to you in a timely manner, you felt like they were out to get you the best price possible and make the house you buy the home that you live in, they’re not out to just get the quickest sale under their belt.

You feel good and finally at ease, not only because you know buying a home is going to be somewhat of a long and sometimes stressful process but you now know that the stress part is going to be less now. Why? Because you got YOUR REALTOR! When you talked about what you were looking for the conversation was geared more towards the type of life you want not what type of house you want. You talked about not just wanting more space for your office but a room to breathe and not be so crowded for you and your significant other. You don't want the second or third bedroom just for the sake of having another bedroom, you want it for your family to grow into. What makes you feel best about all of this is your realtor knows this because they were the only ones to ask, and they are the one who is going to guide you through the entire process.

Now go and find your home! In case that all seemed to easy we went one step further and broke that whole process down into steps for you:

1. See what your friends and family have to say

Sometimes the best and easiest way to find a realtor is to ask your friends and family if they have someone they would recommend. Referrals drive the real estate community and for good reason. Word of mouth is better than any yelp review because you can ask your family member why they did or did not like their realtor.

2. Attend open houses

If you’re just starting out a lot of home buyers will attend open houses and at these open houses are the realtors hosting the event. This is a sneaky little way of getting to have a “meeting” with potential realtors to get a feel for them.

3. Meet more than 1 agent

There’s nothing wrong with meeting multiple realtors and setting aside time to discuss your future together. After all, you will end up spending a lot of time with this person so you should make sure you like where this is going. Schedule a meet and greet with 2-3 real estate agents and interview them for the job.

4. Ask the questions that are important to you

When interviewing agents you should open the floor to them to see what they have to say along with narrowing topics to what is important to you. You want to clarify your motivation and know that what is important to you is also important to them. During this meet and greet is where you find the agent that has your best interest at heart.

5. Choose the person, not the experience

There are a lot of personalities out there so you need to choose one that you can work best with. Experience is obviously important, but the person you deal with may even be more so. Your realtor should be knowledgeable in what they are doing and should be able to answer your questions, and if they can’t answer your questions they should be able to do the next best thing, get the answer for you. Experience comes in all shapes and sizes and the personality behind that experience is what drives it.

6. What do they do while you’re on tours?

It’s a great question that never gets asked. What does the realtor do while you’re on tour? Sure you’re looking around and seeing if your furniture will fit but what should they be doing? The answer is checking out the age of the appliances in the kitchen, asking if there are any projects anticipated in the near future that you should be aware of, inquiring if the furnace has had its standard maintenance or any repairs, and other similar types of inquires. They not only should be concerned about how much you like/love/hate a place, but also what the place is about on the inside where people aren’t looking.

7. Suggesting the right people

You don’t have to work with everyone your realtor suggests, but they should still be able to suggest people. 2-3 of each as a matter of fact. There are a lot of moving parts to purchase a home and they include different types of professionals. From lawyers, lenders, and home inspectors, these are referrals that will likely need to be made, and sometimes you need the best advice to help get the best results.

8. Some questions to ask

• What is the home buying process like? (if you are a first time home buyer)

• Do you work full-time or part-time?

• What other professionals will we need to be in contact with? (i.e. inspector, attorney, lender, etc)

• What happens if there is something wrong with the home?

• What if we don't find out what is wrong until after we have made our offer?

• Do you have a target area or market that you work within?

• Will I be working with you individually or with a team?

• How do you help buyers compete in this market?

• How does your commission work? (Who pays you??)

• How much should we anticipate for closing costs?

• What is a CMA (comparative market analysis) and how do I get one?

• What is the best way to contact you?

We hope this helped, we did our best to make this short, sweet, and straight to the point. There are a lot of realtors out there and every single one would love your business, so find the one that is more interested in actually helping you and not just selling you. That’s the one you’re looking for.