The housing market changes and evolves every year. 2022’s housing market is incredibly competitive, with housing prices rising throughout the United States. One city where housing prices are rising exponentially and the market is becoming extremely competitive is Miami. If you want to buy a house there, then you need to pick an incredible agent who can bag you a deal and find you the perfect house (or sell yours there). Finding the perfect estate agent isn’t as straightforward as it sounds, however. There are a lot of things that you need to consider.
Here’s how you can pick the right real estate agent for you:
Technology
The first thing that you need to consider is technological tools. What tools does your prospective agent have at their disposal and how can they be used to help you? MLS ‘multiple listings service’ tools are very effective and should always be something that you look out for because they help agents to develop an encyclopedic knowledge of the property and its surrounding area. You can determine whether or not an estate agent is subscribed to an MLS service by browsing MLS indexes. This top rated MiamiRE IDX displays the city’s two main real estate associations, which are both signed up to MLS listings. You can then research these two associations and get the names of subscribed agents.
Other pieces of technology that the agent you work with should use include online viewing portals, document signing apps, and contract signing platforms. Technology makes your life much easier. Instead of having to go into your agent’s office and sign contracts, they can send them to you by email and you can complete and return them. You no longer have to physically view a property, instead, you can do it all online. Technology makes the leasing or buying process much less stressful for them and you, so do your research and ensure that the agent you work with uses as much quality technology as possible.
Record
Another thing that you need to consider is the agent’s track record, with regard to achieving the asking price of the properties that they list. This is especially important if you are selling a property through a new agent, but also if you are buying a new one. The reason for this is if you are buying a property, you will likely want to negotiate with the agent and try to get the price down. If they have a consistent record of delivering upon their seller’s asking prices, then you won’t stand much of a chance in the way of getting a discount on the property.
If you are selling a property, then you will always want to work with agents that get the best price for the properties that they deal with. The reason for this is, naturally, you will want to maximize the amount of money that you get for your property, so that you can increase your profits. Usually, an agent’s reviews tell you a lot about whether or not they deliver upon property valuations. You may also want to contact the people that have left reviews to find out more about the agent’s quality.
Reasoning
When you are buying a property, it’s always good to be able to hear an agent’s reasoning for why they have listed the property’s price as it is. If an agent can’t tell you why a property is priced the way that it is, then it’s not a good sign. An agent that can’t tell you why a property is priced the way that it is should be avoided because instead of judging the property on its own merits, the agent could be browsing other local housing sales and then listing the property according to those.
While previous property sale prices should always be taken into consideration when a property is being sold, what’s more, important is the property’s own features. A one-bedroom house is never going to sell for as much as a five-bedroom house that’s located next door. Ask the agent that you are working with for a concise breakdown of all of the property’s features and why these features, collectively, have resulted in the property’s price being what it is. If they cannot do this for you, find another agent to work with.
Accreditations
An estate agent’s accreditations are always very important, wherever you are in the world. You should always ask an agent before you agree to work with them what licenses and certificates they have. More often than not this information will be available on the agent’s website. If it isn’t then ask them directly. In the United States, it is a legal requirement in many states to have certain accreditations and certificates. Without these things, agents aren’t legally allowed to operate. If an agent does not have any accreditations then you should report them to the local estate agent authority in your area.
In addition to researching an agent’s accreditations, you should also research their experience and try to determine how qualified they are for the job. The agent that you work with is either going to be finding you your new home or selling the one that you already have. Those are big responsibilities, and therefore require somebody that knows what they are doing. Reviews, as already mentioned, are an effective way of determining whether or not an agent’s worth working with. You can also see if there are any independent reports published about the agent or news articles.
Privacy
Privacy is very important. When you are searching for an estate agent to work with, you must ensure that you find one that handles and processes client data carefully. Data privacy laws are very strict, but unfortunately, many agents are very free with their client’s information. Some agents talk openly in their offices about clients, which is a breach of data privacy laws. While it’s impossible to find out what your agent talks about with their colleagues, it’s still worth checking their website and researching how they handle their client’s data. Most real estate websites have an entire section dedicated to this.
Security
While on the subject of data privacy, it’s also very important to bear security in mind. Do you want to work with an estate agent that doesn’t take their client’s security safely? The information that you provide during the buying/selling process is very sensitive. Your agent will have your financial information, as well as your new address, and your personal information. If this information were to fall into the hands of a thief or hacker, then they would be able to sell it online for a lot of money. Data of this nature are sold to fraud gangs, who then use it to impersonate people and commit acts of fraud.
When you are interviewing your new agent, ask them what safeguarding measures they have in place to ensure that nobody steals their client’s data. Additionally, find out whether or not they use antiquated storage methods, like hardware storage. The Cloud is the safest place for an agent to store your data. If they do use antiquated storage methods, find out how they protect them. With that said, it’s usually best to avoid an agent that uses antiquated storage, because it means they take shortcuts and go with the cheapest option. If they will take shortcuts with their client’s data, what else will they take shortcuts with?
Tactics
It’s also worth learning about an agent’s tactics before you work with them. One of the best ways to do this is to read their online reviews. Buyers and sellers that have worked with them in the past will publish reviews related to this, especially if the agent’s tactics resulted in a favorable outcome for them. When you know an agent’s tactics, it will be easier to work with them and get what you want. Tactics are more relevant to buyers than to sellers. The reason for this is that they will use their tactics to drive up the property’s price and get as much money out of you as possible.
By learning about the agent’s tactics, you will be able to counter them and have an answer for everything that they say. If there aren’t any other buyers interested in the property that you are interested in and you do successfully counter the agent’s selling tactics, you will hopefully be able to drive the price down and get a good price. Driving down the price should be your main priority.
Investment
How much does your agent care about their firm? How much have they invested into it? An estate agency firm that has the latest software and technology, in addition to quality marketing and a desirable office location, has invested a lot of money and therefore takes itself very seriously. The amount of money that your prospective agent has invested in their firm will tell you a lot about them. The more money, the more quality they are. It’s very rare for poor-quality estate agencies to invest a lot of money into the service that they provide.
Going back to software and technology for a moment, the best way to determine whether or not an agent’s quality is to look at the tech they are using. If they are using quality technology that’s well-reviewed, then it’s very likely that they are doing so not because they want to cut corners, but because they want to offer their customers a more enjoyable and seamless experience. This is an indication that they care about their service and want to build a reputation as reliable and easy to work with estate agents. This is definitely something that you should bear in mind when you are searching for an agent.
Automation
How many tasks does your agent automate? It’s very common for estate agents to automate complex administrative tasks nowadays. This is perfectly fine and can actually make the process of working with an estate agent a lot easier and a lot less stressful. With that said, however, there are certain processes that your agent should never automate. For example, it’s essential that physical agents always conduct viewings – even if these viewings take place on virtual viewing platforms. The same is also true for the contract signing, which is done remotely. The agent should handle the distribution of contracts personally, even if it is being done online.
Most agents will video call you when you are having a virtual viewing. The same is also true when you are signing contracts. This is so that you can ask them any questions or voice any concerns that you have. The automation of tasks is perfectly fine as long as they aren’t tasks that will have an impact on you in some way. If a viewing is automated you might not be able to ask important questions. This is also the case for contracts, that need to be carefully studied and any concerns raised.
Marketing
Finally, research the agent’s marketing strategies. This is only necessary if you are selling a property with an agent. By researching their marketing strategies, you will be able to determine whether or not they are worth working with. The marketing strategies that they employ will ultimately determine whether or not your property gains exposure. The most common marketing methods for estate agents are online listing platforms and social media listings. Research the agent’s social media page and take a look at how many people follow them and how much interest their posts tend to get.
You should also research the platform that they use to list properties. If the platform isn’t very well known, then you should ask the agent to put the property elsewhere. When you are selling a house, you want to get as much interest in the listing as possible so that you can receive multiple offers. When you have multiple offers being made at once, you can force buyers to bid for your property. This drives the price up higher and higher. Proper marketing is absolutely essential. If an agent doesn’t offer quality marketing services, then they should be avoided.
If you are trying to tackle the 2022 property market, then you need an estate agent’s help. If you haven’t got any prior experience in real estate, then there’s absolutely no chance that you will be able to do it yourself. An estate agent will be able to use their experience and tools to deliver a fantastic experience and quality results.
