| Not all agents work the same way. The most important attribute of an agent is that he is well connected in the real estate industry. He should know the market and provide information on past sales, current listings, general marketing strategy, and at least three references. In addition, it's important to look for an agent who is honest, smart and best understands sellers' needs.
Many sellers have been led to believe that using a local agent is best. In the real estate business today, finding that local agent is difficult and, frankly, unnecessary. With the advancement of computers and the Internet into real estate marketing, many real estate practitioners "telecommute," even those agents at independent, smalltown firms. Such an agent will affiliate with a firm in a particular location that offers the best services and compensation, but will conduct most or all of his or her work from an office at home. That home could be in the seller's local town, but as often as not will be in the next town or the next county.
And with the Internet today, it doesn't take a "local boy" to know the real estate market in the seller's town or neighborhood. It takes a bright, skilled researcher. Today's market is so fast-paced that even a local agent won't have enough market knowledge if he's not tech-savvy and doesn't know what resources to consult for information.
To put this in context, when a person looks for a surgeon or an attorney, does he usually concern himself more with where that professional's office is or more with how skilled the professional is? Does the person worry more about how much specialized knowledge his surgeon has or more about what ZIP Code his office is in? Of course, most people will look for the professional with an excellent track record, who has the most knowledge and experience. The location of that professional's home or office is only relevant in so far as the client is able to find a way to get to it.
The same is true for a real estate professional. The best practitioners are those who are smart market researchers, who know what to look for in the market, and who keep abreast of trends in buyer taste, changes in the law, available financing options, competing inventory, and more. |
