Finding the best agent
When I wrote about blind references, we got advice from Boston Charles.
Boston Charles can zing me at times, but he is worth it. Actually some of you appreciate him best when he zings me, right? I don’t agree with all his advice about choosing an agent. However some of it was spot on.
Charles wrote:
I've never got references from an agent from someone I don't know. I have done so within the real estate community. Yes, this is less useful for the average buyer. 2 easy tests are - how much did you sell last year (or buy, depending) - the good real agents do almost all the deals, as sam mentioned. 2d, ask a buyers agent "whats wrong with this house". Its a great weed out - you'll find many agents simply can't say anything negative and "real". Avoid them - they are poisoned by BS.
For selling, simply put, the agents who sell the most sell the most. Find out who they are and list with them.
What I agree with:
1. The best references are from people you know.
Yes! Where I differ from Charles is to stand by my interview questions. Get names from people you know. Trust but verify. Your friends may be nice, but they may not know what to expect from an agent. Good outcomes are not always the result of good agents.
2. To find a good buyer’s agent, ask the agent to find problems in the house.
Yes, again. A good buyer’s agent will find problems and will also show you how the property doesn’t match what you said you wanted. The ones that are cheerleaders are not good buyer's agents.
What I disagree with is the notion that the top producer is the best seller's agent. The top producer may sell the most, but many don’t sell the best.
Things to be concerned about and to ask the references:
1. Was the agent helpful throughout the transaction, or did he/she leave all the details hanging once the P & S was signed?
2. Did you get the best price possible, or did you feel you got pushed into signing an Offer too fast?
3. Did you work with the agent, or were you passed off to the assistant? If you worked with an assistant, was the assistant well-trained and helpful?
Some of my best purchases have been with top producers on the seller's side. Those top producers had a well organized system and skilled assistants who kept on top of the details.
Some of the worst were with other top producers who disappeared once the ink was dry on the P & S. There are details to be taken care of. With agents like this, it falls on the sellers. I know this because the sellers call me. At which point I ask them what their agent says. They say, “he doesn’t call us back.”
Sellers, did you use a top producer? Did you get the results you wanted?
