Ever Considered Agent Ratings?

Don’t go it alone, look to the people you trust to help guide you to those that you can entrust the largest purchase of your life. No matter where you are in the world, ask a real estate professional you know anywhere, and they can help you find the right person to work with.

Not really but I got your attention.

Yesterday I wrote about the value of the RE.net connections in building a solid referral network of well qualified real estate professionals. This is important to remember, because all of the following examples are tales of people who didn’t avail themselves of real estate professionals they know when they had needs in areas that agent did not serve. Pay attention fair consumer, your time is valuable, my friends and I know understand that and respect it, and offer service you deserve – if you ask for help.

It is often a joke amongst the public that real estate agents are always asking for your business, most of us do because we truly love what we do and take pride in it, especially those who are most active in the social spaces. Sometimes we forget that we need to remind our friends and family of what we do and how we can help. When we usually remember it is after we have heard that Cousin Tiffany just bought a new house in Anytown, KS and didn’t ask us for help.

So I remind you – ASK an agent for a referral, and save yourself some pain.

“She Didn’t Know My Area”
Not so long ago a person I respect and admire told me she was planning to relocate her family quite a distance from their current home. I did have a difficult time finding an agent for her at the new location, but she ended up in what seems to be very good hands, but to sell her home I asked a good friend of mine if she serviced that area. My friend said indeed she did, so I put them in touch with each other. Fast forward a few months and I am hearing tales of the sale of her home – few showings, agent pushing for price reduction, she is resistant and wants to wait a while. I ask – did you use my friend I referred you to? “No, she didn’t know my area”.

When that occurred my friend should have let me know so I could have checked on that information and perhaps found an even better choice for her. She did not, and was very unhappy with her agent but stuck it out, her home sold and she moved but not without a lot of unnecessary bother and worry, and a lot of work she wouldn’t need to do with a qualified agent.

“I am doing all the work!”
Another friend of mine was involved in a job relocation. Their home sold very quickly, not because of the agent they used but because they were very smart with pricing and preparation. On the buy side of the relocation my friend seemed to be under-represented. I am always happy to field questions from my friends, and honored when people ask for my advice or guidance, that is the best moment for me. So helping my friend is fun, but what my friend was telling was that their agent wasn’t really doing anything.

My friend was the one suggesting they review public documents to verify information contained in the listing sheet for the house, my friend was doing far too much legwork. What astounded me was that at the commission the agent would end up making, they should have been polishing my friend’s shoes. I will say I treat every buyer and seller equally regardless of the purchase price or potential commission, it is how we all should practice, to me that $100,000 buyer deserves the same attention as a $1,000,000 buyer, and they both get equal treatment in my experience.

When it came time to put an offer on a property there were mistakes and omissions on the documents. As my friend told me those things I reminded them that they had a relationship with the broker, not the agent, that if they were not happy they had a responsibility to ask for a new agent. A broker can’t offer better service if they don’t know they have a problem.

But you know how all that could have been avoided? By asking a real estate agent for a referral rather than picking a name out of a hat or leaving it to the Broker. The additional benefit of asking for a referral – if you don’t like the agent you end up with (sometimes personalities just don’t mesh), your referring agent can be the bad-guy and handle the “reassignment” for you.

Referrals Save You Time
By asking a real estate agent you know for a referral, you are saving your own time, and time is money is it not? Being sure that an agent has the experience you require, as well as the desired level of expertise – you end up attaining your goal of finding a new home much faster. This is even more important when you are relocating to a new place, you really need to make sure that you pick the right agent who will serve your needs and take the time you need to discover your new city.

Referrals can work both ways though, if you had a wonderful agent and hear that someone is looking to buy or sell a house, speak out and tell them about your real estate agent. So many people end up working with agents that they meet by calling on a sign, with no prior knowledge of who that agent is, or what their experience level may be.

Don’t go it alone, look to the people you trust to help guide you to those that you can entrust the largest purchase of your life. No matter where you are in the world, ask a real estate professional you know anywhere, and they can help you find the right person to work with. Don’t know anyone? Then ask me. I bet one of my RE.net friends will be just perfect for you.

I love referrals, of all kinds.

Check Out Agent Ratings Technology

Several vendors have considered the problem many agents face when their family, friend or past clients relocate and ask for a refferal. There are now several online networks/portals that allow past clientel to rate real estate agents' professionalism.  As agents, it is worth your while to point your clients to one of these technology services and start building up your online reputation, making it easier for agents to steer their moving clients to a more reputable agent. Check out some of those products at RETechnology.com.

If you would like to check out agent rating products, please click here.

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