No one likes getting a bad deal, which is why choosing the right real estate agent is important whether you’re buying or selling your home. However, there are many different real estate agents in the Okanagan, so how do you know how to hire a Kelowna real estate agent that will help you best?
Below, we break down some simple steps on how to choose a real estate agent that you’ll work well with.
1. How to Hire a Kelowna Real Estate Agent: Find Out How Much of a Mortgage You Can Get
Before you even start looking for a real estate agent you need to know how much of a mortgage you can get. Why? Because knowing how much you can afford for buying a home will greatly help a real estate agent know what price range to look at homes for and ensure you stay on-budget.
For people selling, the first thing you should do is look online at the major real estate sites like remax.ca for what kinds of prices homes in your area and similar to yours are selling for. This will help give you a general idea of the current state of the market.
2. Get Referrals from People You Know and Trust
The best source of good real estate agents will be the people you already trust: friends and family. Ask them about their experience with their real estate agents, how easy they were to communicate with, and how responsive they were to messages and questions.
Take into account each person’s in your network’s situation though. If you’re a first-time home-buyer, you’ll want recommendations for agents that are talented in handling that type of purchase.
3. Research Agents You’re Interested in Online
Now is the time to look up any real estate agents online, either for new additions to people you’re considering or verifying the recommendations you received from friends and family.
Check out their online reviews, but don’t be thrown off by a couple of negative ones. However, do look for trends and keywords in what people are saying in reviews like “trustworthy”, “responsive”, and “easy to talk to.”
4. Interview the Agents from Your Shortlist
Now you need to set up a call or video chat (or a socially-distant face-to-face) to actually chat with your shortlist of real estate candidates you’ve come up with.
You should discuss with them how many years of experience they have, how well they know the area, and identify how they’re taking your budget into account. This is also the time to ask any other questions about how they’ll be working with you going forward.
Plus, the interview with them is a great opportunity to find out if they’re flexible in their means of communication with you like texting, calling, or emailing to better contact them.
5. Get and Check References
Once you’re done with your interviews, make sure to ask for references for clients who they’ve either helped sell their homes or buy them. Talk to those clients and ask them about their experience to make sure it lines up with what your prospective real estate agent has said.
Finally, go with your gut. You should have a clear understanding of which real estate agent is right for you based on all the previous steps.