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

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When is the best time to buy NH Waterfront

check out the answer over at our waterfront blog at NHWaterfrontHomesForSale.com

We’ve been building a niche blog all about waterfront for a few months now and I think it’s coming along very nicely. Head on over and check it out…we’d love to hear what you think.

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Solds by Address updated

We have updated our solds by address for a few towns through the end of September. They are Atkinson, Hampstead, Derry, Salem, Chester. We will try and finish the rest of our towns by Friday.

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Monika is “In The House”- WKXL 1450-

This past Monday, Oct 6, I was interviewed live on a local Concord NH radio program called In The House on WKXL1450.

The program was on the air from 1pm to 2pm and the topic was REALTOR® ethics and how they effect the consumer. We ended up running out of time so the second interview will take place Monday Oct 13th and will be broadcast live.

Funny thing is, as a kid I always wanted to be on the radio in fact I used to play act with a brush as my microphone…Think of Tom Cruise in his underwear dancing and singing into a brush in the movie Risky Business LOL.

I was interviewed by Brenda Perkins the host of In The House and she did a great job making me feel relaxed. I felt comfortable talking Ethics and couldn’t believe how quick the hour flew by. If you missed the show, as most of you did, since I told no one I was doing it, I have linked it here on New Hampshire Real Estate Blogs.com for you to enjoy.

Listen to Monika on the radio

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Pending home sales up!!

According to the National Association of REALTORS pending home sales have surged. Due mainly in my opinion, to the incredible low prices we’re seeing throughout the country. Here at home we’ve been seeing multiple offers on properties especially in the bank owned homes.

The National Association of REALTORS says the “Pending Home Sales Index, an indicator based on contracts signed in August, jumped 7.4 percent to 93.4 from an upwardly revised reading of 87.0 in July, and is 8.8 percent higher than August 2007 when it stood at 85.8. The index is at the highest level since June 2007 when it stood at 101.4.”

This is pretty good news for the real estate market in general and all the more reason why buyers should start actively looking and buying. Interest rates dropped, inventory is good and the end of the year is rapidly approaching. Wouldn’t it be nice to be in your own home over the holidays? We’d love to help you do that…give us a call at 603-548-7685!

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Open House…maybe not

I seriously do not like open houses!

Really I don’t! Jay and I held two of our listings open which means we did a lot of sitting and waiting. My sellers prepped the house and it looked lovely but only one customer came through and they were looking for a lease rather than a purchase. Jay didn’t do much better at his. He had some drive bys but no one got out of the car.

Maybe sitting and waiting at an open is a waste of time.

Not a new concept at all. But still we do opens, we disrupt our sellers and blow up balloons, put signs up everywhere, post the open house on line, even do some print ads…all to no avail. I think I’m done doing opens.

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