Whenever you’re interviewing someone, the goal is to really find out two things, who the person is and how they can help you. The same goes for whenever you are hiring a realtor. Whether you are planning to sell your home or are looking to buy one, you need the help of an experienced and qualified realtor. The people who take on this challenge know their stuff and they can navigate theri clients through a potential minefield of mistakes and options to get the best possible outcome.
What do you do when the person who offers to buy your house needs to sell their house first in order to have the ability to get the loan for your property? What do you do when you are trying to buy a house and it needs work but the seller wants you to offer more? Realtors know these answers because they have seen this unfold countless times and they also know what you need to do to get the result you want.
Questions For Interviewing A Realtor
Working with the right realtor is the best advantage you can give yourself during a real estate transaction. However, finding the right realtor for you can be even more challenging. That’s why the best way to start is by knowing what questions to ask, especially if you are new to the process:
- What type of properties do you specialize in? A simple but important question because there are realtors who only specailize in one area. Most people break this down between commercial and residential properties. However, of late, some realtors now prefer to specialize in condos or single family homes. This is why knowing what they have experience in is important. Do not expect anyone to say they are not the right fit for you. Instead, you need to be aware of what to ask them to determine if they are the right fit for you.
- What areas do you usually work? Regardless of whether you are buying or selling, you want a realtor who is familiar with the area you need attention in. The reason is because they can understand the value of the homes in that area, what the neighborhood is like, what other buyers in the area are looking for and so forth. This information helps, especially during negotiations as you want to see who is serious and who is just trying to get a great deal.
- Do you work with lenders? While it’s never difficult to find your own lenders, it’s also never a bad idea to go with someone you know or can be referred to. Many realtors have experience working with lenders and if you need someone to work with you on your financing, it’s always good to have a few inside tips.
- Do you have professionals you can contact? Whenever you are selling a house, there may be things that need to be fixed around the property, especially in order to get the property to sell. This is where knowing someone who can recommend pest control teams, handymen, electricians, plumbers and so forth can save you time and ensure you have quality workers on the job.
- What do you see as my options? Once you have explained your situation, maybe gone over your finances or shown them your home, the next question is simple, what do they think your options are? You have to decide which way to move forward and that means understanding your options. An experienced realtor, equipped with your information and sitautuon, should be able to provide you with options that will help you find a solution quickly that benefits you.
- Where do you think the market is right now? A fair and important question is about the state of the current market, especially local. Just because the news is that the market is moving one way throughout the nation, does not mean that the market is moving the same way around you. Based on the current local trends, what are your options and how should you best move forward?
- Advantages of the current market for me? There are pro’s and con’s to each type of market. If you are looking to buy, one advantage right now is that you have less competition because of higher interest rates and that you can be more selective on the house you want. If you are selling, right now you have the advantage of home values staying up, meaning you can still get high value for your property even if the market has cooled a little.
- Disadvantages of the current market for me? It’s important to also know what is working against you. If you are selling right now, the interest rates may make it harder for people to afford the financing necessary to buy your home which means you may have to work with them or someone offering a lower price. If you are buying, you may have to deal with a smaller selection as inventory is low and that means not every house you look at will fit your expectations but may fit your budget.
- What can I do to improve my situation? A good question to always ask a realtor is what you can do about your current situation, especially to improve it. For sellers, this means improvements to the property, knowing how to stage the home and so forth. For buyers, the ways they can make improvements include getting their income up, lowering debt and trying to improve their credit rating.
- What else can you do for me? It’s never a bad idea to see what else a realtor can offer you. Some of them have special tricks they can offer that will improve your situation wether it’s knowing how to advertise your property more effectively or simply knowing about a great house outside of the area you are looking at but fits all your requests and is within budget.
Realtors are amazing professionals who know how to get the job done and protect your interests as well. They can walk you through the process step by stem and literally handle the bulk of the work, saving you time and potentially a lot of money as well.
