The decision to buy or sell your home is one of the most significant financial events in your lifetime. Just as you would never go into court without a good attorney or get an operation without an excellent surgeon, don’t face this complex process without the aide of a qualified expert. By following a few simple steps provided by the Eddie Stanfield Team of Century 21 Hometown, you’ll know how to choose a Realtor from the Central Coast that will best represent your interests.

The first step in how to choose a Realtor^® is to gather a list of real estate agents to choose from. Consider asking friends and family members for referrals of Realtors they’ve worked with in the past. You will likely get a handful of good recommendations as well as a few warnings of who to stay away from. We can also provide you with names of experienced agents. Century 21 Hometown Realty has over 150 agents throughout offices on Central Coast, so we have many choices. Once you get two or three names, send an inquiry via email or call their direct number. Above all, ask specifically for real estate agents who are Realtors. Realtors are members of the National Association of Realtors, abide by a strict code of ethics and have access to a wider variety of listings.

The next step in how to choose a Realtor is to speak directly with the top choices on your list. You’ll want to ask them a variety of questions to better determine how they will fit with your needs.

• Ask the Realtor if they handle homes in your price range. Some agents specialize in homes of a certain range, such as fixer-uppers, condos or million-dollar estates.
• Ask the Realtor about their schedule. Make sure they are available to look at properties when you are. If you can only go after work and the Realtor quits at 4:00 p.m., it won’t be a good fit.
• If you are planning to sell a property, ask the Realtor about their specific plans to market it. Finding out about the strategies they’ll use to sell your home gives you lots of insight into how hard they’ll work for you.
• Ask the Realtor about their background. Find out how long they’ve been in the business and hone in on those that have several years of experience. See if they can tell you how many homes they’ve listed in the last 6 to 12 months and of any challenging sells that they’ve had and how they tackled it.
• Ask the Realtor for a list of client references. They should provide you with names and numbers of at least three clients from the past year. Call the references and get their opinions on the quality of service they received from the Realtor.
• Ask the Realtor why you should select them. This gives the Realtor a chance to sell themselves to you by pointing out their strengths, why their agency differs from the competition and how they’ll treat you during the process.

Finally, when you’ve finished these important steps on how to choose a Realtor, check with the local real estate association and your state’s licensing office to see if there have been any complaints made against the Realtor of your choice. We can provide you with the phone numbers for these offices when you send us an inquiry.

Finding a good Realtor is such an important step. The Century 21 Hometown Team wants to help you find one who will really listen to what you have to say, take the time to explain complex procedures and paperwork and advise you about every step in the process.