There is no thumb rule that people should purchase homes through a real estate agent, but hiring them will save a lot of time and effort throughout the process. Opting for a professional experienced in selling and buying properties – both residential and commercial – will help considerably in making your deal a satisfying one. A knowledgeable and experienced realtor, besides possessing outstanding negotiation skills, also brings loads to the table in terms of contacts, knowledge, selling skills, experience, etc.
Then, if you are an Arabic speaking individual residing in the United States, how can you pick out the best from thousands of agents out there? Well, to get your answers, you need to read this article.
1. Spend Time Scrutinizing Customer Testimonials
To begin with, you need to understand whether the agent is reliable or not. The best way to do this is by examining customer testimonials. So, it’s prudent to spend some time looking for a credible person than recruiting an unprofessional who would mess up with the entire process of home buying, wasting your time and money. Make sure you find out the following:
- Whether the realtor has requisite certifications
- Whether he/she is a licensed professional as approved by the local authority
You can also check on the credibility by asking friends and acquaintances (who had a pleasant home buying experience with any particular agent) to recommend names.
2. Familiarity with the Local Market
There is nothing like a good exposure in the local market, particularly in the neighborhood where you are planning to buy your property. Such an individual will have a good idea of the plush localities, the best streets, affordable areas, housing communities, and also those areas where you should not think of buying.
3. Experience
When you have decided to invest in a new home of your own, the experience of the realtor will go a long way in making you happy. Now, do not get carried away by loud and self-bragging terms or phrases like ‘great track record’, or ‘huge experience’. These are nothing but hard marketing lingos. If you visit a website and find the word ‘experience’, try to find what kind of experience they have and how happy the customers are with that experience.
At least, there should be an experience of 10 years, more the better to have a fair understanding of the market dynamics. It’s good to rely on agents who helped customers buy homes during:
- Real estate booms
- Economic slumps or market crash downs and have survived the tide
Other factors to consider include:
- The number of homes the person has been able to sell in the past years. Again, someone with 15 years of experience just selling 5 properties is of no value.
- Number of satisfied customers
4. Connections
The real estate sector is huge, and accomplished professionals are those who have a good network with property owners, as well as connections with fellow agents. With good connections, it’s possible to get instant information pertaining to saleable properties before they appear in the open market. It’s all about what connections you have, who you know, and not simply what you know.
5. Knows the Language You Understand
Besides knowing English, it’s also important that he should know the language you speak or comfortable with. If you are an Arab American, make sure you consult an Arabic speaking real estate agent near you. This is essential as language can be a great barrier if both the parties are unable to understand and communicate in an effective way.
Hope the above discussion helps you in your property buying endeavor.
