A Real Estate Agent Near Me

Home prices peaked in summer 2022, but sales prices are still very high right across the US.

There is a grand opportunity, if you make good choices to get close to your imagined selling price.  Although the  government is pushing the economy into recession, it will take some time. You need to act soon.

With higher mortgage rates and tougher loan qualification, we’re safe to say the markets in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and other major cities are going to finally tumble in 2023.

Yes, the projections of a housing crash or downturn have been around for years and it never happened. Without big Fed stimulus, the housing market is returning to the way it should have been — with normal demand. As homeowners realize what’s happening, and some can’t make their mortgage payments, new listings will climb.

It’s important to get out ahead out of this house dumping transition and sell your house now. You’re looking for inspiration, optimism, confidence, strategy and great outcomes. Approach it wisely, and you’ll come out well. Learn a respect for great marketing, and you won’t be disappointed. Marketing builds demand and you never know, you could create a bidding war. They’re still happening.

You’ll have to make the decision right now whether to put your own house up for sale.

There are things that could happen (mid term elections of new senate and house) that could instantly turn the market around.  The Fed could give up on raising rates. They won’t.  There is still big weight on the side of recession. We’re in it, and the worst part is on its way in 2023.

It’s not a bad idea to connect with a good Realtor near you to help you get your bearings about selling. There are a lot of Real estate agents in the US and Canada, and you need time to find a competent one you can work with.

2 Million Real Estate Sales Professionals

Close to 2 million people are involved in selling and buying real estate in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Sacramento, or San Jose, and the rest of the US and Canada.  And that number continues to grow. Most are licensed through state licensing authorities and work with one of the big brokerages: AgencyRE, Keller Williams, Coldwell Banker, Sothebys, etc.

A license is a standard to protect home sellers and buyers.  It provides some reassurance, and they have malpractice insurance of some kind. It’s more limited in scope than you’d imagine, so the onus to protect your wealth and get the best selling price always comes back to you.

Don’t rely on the system, because as you’ll learn, there are sharks in the waters.  A real estate license doesn’t indicate how sharp and capable they are in bringing your home to the real estate housing market. It doesn’t show you how successful and powerful their marketing strategy is. Many Realtors don’t do marketing, which means your home will only be presented to a few buyers.

That could bring disappointing results. If you can find your Realtor via Google, then it’s likely they are sincere in their intent to conduct their marketing at a professional and honest level.

If they can draw a lot of buyers, then you’re likely to get tens of thousands more on your sale, which would cover the agent’s commission. So, you’re getting a free real estate agent. Their effort pays for itself.

Hopefully, the agent you choose will be experienced, have sound professional processes, are good communicators, and will be selling in your best interests. Days on market is growing fast, so a good Realtor might save you from a long drawn-out sales process that will leave you exhausted and deflated.

Choosing a Good Realtor?

You have to find a pool of them first. Don’t just take the agent the real estate brokerage assigns to you. They will do that and match you with the wrong sales person. Instead, consider taking the matter into your own hands, and searching for an agent with the skills, energy and professionalism you need.

You’ve got time to check him or her out thoroughly and create a conversation with good questions (see below) and thoughts that help you see whether they’ve got the right selling stuff.

Personality aside, it’s usually character, skill, experience, good judgement, communication, and intent that are the key traits you should be looking for. There are talented agents who are professionals and have your best interests at heart. You just have to find them.

Before you choose an agent from Remax, Century21, Coldwell Banker, Sothebys, AgencyRE, Keller Williams, Homelife, Sutton Group, and the other big brokerages, continue searching on Google as you’re going to get an idea of who is available and what their strengths are. If they don’t tell you on their website, then there’s not much reason to hire them — their value proposition should be as clear as it can be.

Search on Google for A Worthy Realtor

Type in: [homes for sale + your city name + neighborhood], to see who is at the top of the rankings in your city or residential area. This is what buyers will do when they’re hunting for a home.

The point is that realtors who try to get top rankings put in a big effort because it’s difficult to rank at the top. They’re proving to you that they are serious about marketing.

A high ranking realtor has to work very hard to get that top ranking — so Google’s telling you something.

Chris Cortazzo Realtor

Look for those who the needed skills in the specific housing market you’re looking to buy in and that they demonstrate good negotiating skills.

Real estate agents in the US are licensed by their state and provincial realtor associations which are in turn associated with NAR and CREA.  These organizations own the MLS (multiple listing service) listings which are managed locally by MLS associations such as CAR, TREB, SDAR, SFAR, GVREB, ARA, GBAR, PAR, and others throughout the US and Canada.

How to Choose a Good Real Estate Agent

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Is the “Sold Over Asking” tagline obscuring the rest of the realtor’s value proposition to you?

Unfortunately, there are incompetent, lazy, ineffective, agents who may have little integrity and it would be unfortunate for you to get matched up with them. If you’re a senior who needs help with selling your family home to buy a condo, there are realtors who may bilk you and could trick you into a bad contract.

This happened to one of my friend’s mother, a brilliant woman in her day, but the realtor was successful in getting her to sign a horrible locked in contract at 6% commission.

She said she thought the Realtor looked trustworthy and sounded very professional. The Realtor knew she was elderly and they should have been careful with any negotiations and given her time to consider.

Relying on brokerage brand reputation or the agent’s appearance isn’t a reliable method of choosing the best real estate agent for you. A cordial, flawless presentation could mean they’re practiced in misleading as the Realtor in the above story highlights.

How To Choose the Right Real Estate Agent

Their awards, accreditation, references, testimonials, and nice photograph are enticing, but you’d better have a checklist of items and questions to go through such as these:

  1. do you know them and have you had previous conversations with them?
  2. do you feel trust and confidence in them?
  3. do they show that they’ll take care with you and lead you through the whole process patiently?
  4. do they have a strong presence online?
  5. do they rank on Google for common searches such as homes for sale, condos for sale, real estate in [your city]?
  6. how long have they been a licensed practicing realtor?
  7. what does their Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter accounts say about them?
  8. ask them if they’ve sold any homes in your neighborhood and ask for the names of the people involved in that sale and then phone them.
  9. do their references sound like they’ve been coached?
  10. realtors have busy hectic schedules with multiple projects going but are they calm enough to pay attention to your needs and wants?
  11. ask them how many clients they are selling with right now
  12. do a name search on Google and learn more about them
  13. do you like them and how would you describe their personality?
  14. how does their energy level look and are they persistent?
  15. ask for a property evaluation and ask the realtor to justify the selling or bid price
  16. does the agent work well with other agents?
  17. does the agent specialize in properties and price range like yours?
  18. ask them what their strengths and weaknesses are
  19. ask them if they double end or if they’ve bought their client’s house for any reason?
  20. ask them to describe their negotiation style
  21. ask them to describe their marketing strategy in full, including all online and local media
  22. ask them about the most complicated transaction they did
  23. ask them how many career transactions they’ve done
  24. ask them why they want to represent you
  25. ask them what legal, insurance and financial backing they possess
  26. ask them how they will market and sell your property

This realtor discusses technical and other key skills that you may want to ascertain in the real estate agent you choose.

And what is the day of a successful, busy real estate agent like?

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