What to Look for When Choosing a Sarasota Real Estate Agent

The housing market does not make it easy to buy or sell a home in Sarasota nowadays. Sure it's a buyers market, but sadly, banks aren't so quick to lend money...at least not how they used to. And, a lot of the homes on the market in Sarasota are "short sales" so buyers might be forced to wait around many months before even receving a response from the bank ...and the response might actually be "no". Just imagine finding your dream home, putting in an offer, having your heart set on purchasing the home only to learn several months later that the bank will not accept your offer. Regrettably, that's the reality when dealing with short sales. On the flip side, selling Sarasota real estate today is no walk in the park either. The simple fact is the supply is just significantly greater than the demand which will still keep prices low for quite a while. Selling your home goes far beyond just placing a "for sale" sign in your yard or placing your home in the classified ads. Therefore, whether you are buying or selling a home in Sarasota, having a Sarasota real estate agent to assist you is essential when looking for a quick and good deal.

However, with so many real estate agents available, how does one choose the right person? Here are 7 points to consider when picking a Sarasota real estate agent.

1. Conduct an Interview

The most effective way to get to know a real estate agent is by talking to them personally. You could discuss what they think about a particular property, discuss their qualifications, ask about their previous transactions, any difficulties they've had with prior deals, and find out if their personality is a good fit with yours. Bear in mind, whether you are buying or selling a home the chances are you will spend a reasonable amount of time with your Realtor so it's better if you get along. You could also inform the agent what type of communication you expect and if he or she will be able to reciprocate that expectation.

2. Qualifications

Make sure to check out the real estate agent's qualifications. Does the individual have enough experience and expertise, particularly in your local area? They could have an outstanding record in other areas, but if they have minimal knowledge in your area they won't be any assistance to you at all.

3. Referrals

Ask your family and friends if they could recommend somebody. Ask them for details about their experience with their Realtor. Keep in mind, nobody knows you better than your family and friends and their is no one you can trust more with their recommendation.

4. Customer Service

A real estate agent ought to be easy to contact and communicate with...particularly with the technology we have today. Additionally, real estate agents should be working weekends. Sure everyone is entitled to their days off and everyone needs to be able to spend time with their family, but the truth is a Realtor's job entails working on the weekends so make certain your Realtor is willing to do so. An agent's customer service represents how professional they are and how seriously they take the job.

5. Familiarity with the Area

This is an essential point when selecting a Sarasota real estate agent. The agent that you should be getting should know the market in the area where you are buying or selling your home. The agent should have first hand knowledge about the competition in the area, the local schools and community, and of course, the price range.

6. Access to Tools and Technology

Today your Sarasota real estate agent has to be able to do more than just put your house in the Mid-Florida MLS. Today's Realtor needs to be able to list your home in all the other real estate sites like Realtor.com, Craigslist, Zillow, Trulia, Oodle and many others. Also, today's Realtor must know about using YouTube and other top video sites as well as social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

7. Willingness to Hold Open Houses

Alright, the simple fact is a home is very seldom ever sold by way of an open house. For this reason, it is not essential for your Realtor to do an open house every Saturday and Sunday on every weekend. However, open houses do remind the neighborhood that your home is for sale so an open house every few weeks is obviously a good thing.