What should I look for in a good real estate agent?

A recent question posed via e-mail asked “What should I look for in a good real estate agent?” and of course my immediate answer was…Look no further you have found me! Then I thought about it and realized that the question deserved a real answer. So, if I was looking to buy a home somewhere where I knew nothing about the area… what would I do or better yet what would I look for in an agent?

# 1- I would look for an agent that is a REALTOR because I know that they would have to abide by a strict code of ethics and I know that not all agents are REALTORS.

# 2- Internet presence. I would Google their name and see what I could find out about them and the firm they worked for.

# 3- I would contact the licensing authority to see if there had been any disciplinary action taken against the agent.

# 4- I would contact the local board of REALTORS to make sure they are indeed a REALTOR in good standing.

# 5- Experience matters. I would want a buyer agent, someone who would represent me in the transaction.

# 6- I don’t care about someone being a Top Producer. I’d rather work with someone who makes me feel important to them. If they are too busy telling me about all the awards they’ve received and how many homes they’ve sold then I know it’s all about them and not really about me or worse yet that I am nothing but a dollar sign to them.

Lastly, there are many agents to choose from, I know this first hand but if you don’t feel right about the agent and if they do not go over an Agency Disclosure with you from the get go…walk away. In New Hampshire a REALTOR must give the consumer an agency disclosure upon first business meeting. You need to know who that agent represents BEFORE you spill your guts to them. There are many good ethical agents out there but there are many bad ones as well. Don’t risk it…

Of course you can save yourself a lot of grief and just call us

Jay and Monika @ 603-548-7685

New Hampshire Home sales… it’s more than statistics

New Hampshire Home sales it’s more than statistics…much more

You can read all the statistics in the press and hear the dire reports on the news. In fact today’s New Hampshire Business Review, business news and analysis, had a headline crying out “NH Home Sales Drop 23 % in August” which talks about the drop in the real estate market in comparison to 2007. Those of us that lived through the infamous real estate year 2007 know that it was a pretty bleak year so you can imagine how 2008 has been for many. REALTOR membership numbers have dropped as well with many agents leaving the business. Those of us that are hanging in are finding it extremely hard but at the same time realize what a great opportunity we have.

I wish I had a crystal ball

The hard thing of course is to predict what will happen in the next year and how is the current financial crisis going to effect the real estate market. For buyers this is a prime picking season, as long as they are able to secure mortgage funds of course. Sellers are getting very creative and realistic if they have to sell. Last night I showed a new listing, it had been on the market one day and already had four above asking price offers in. Read more

Real Estate’s Paradigm Shift

I’ve been thinking about this lately. When I entered the business in the mid eighties all the REALTORS knew each other and everyone worked hard to cooperate with each other. Then the market shifted, prices rose dramatically and everyone and their mother thought it would be cool to sell real estate. One day it all came to a screeching halt. The market changed and for those that were unaware, it felt like an over night change. Those that keenly watched the market knew what was happening and what was coming. It took awhile but the market eventually improved and the up cycle started all over again. Read more