A real estate agent is one who stands in and represent another person, called clients, in property listing. His job is to ensure that he not only gets to sell or buy the property, as the case may be, but he also ensures that there are no rifts and issues after the listing must have been done.
Buying an apartment or selling a property is a delicate issue that should be done with the utmost care possible. The reason is of course not far-fetched; selling a house you have lived for many years is a hard thing to do or trying to buy a property you are not sure of what went wrong with the former owners or why the property is being listed. Hence, why you should be careful.
Definitely, if a house buying or selling will be possible, you need a real estate agent and you should be sure the agent is one that can help you. To ensure the agent is working in your best interest, there a few questions you should ask. His or her response will let you know what to do.
• Can I contact your most recent clients? When you ask a real estate agent to let you contact his or her recent clients, he will know you want to test his credibility. If he grumbles or reluctantly gives you the contacts without any solid reason for not wanting to give the contact, you can be sure he might not be the best person to represent you. Even if he gives you the contacts willingly, go ahead and reach out to the clients, relate with them and find out how the agent treated them and you can be sure they will let you know what to avoid in dealing with the client.
• How long have you been a real estate agent? Another thing you should find is how long your agent has been helping people sell or buy property. His or her answer to the question will let you know if he has the experience to help you or not. However, note that even the experienced real estate agents were once inexperienced.
• How long will it take to find my apartment or sell my property? Ensure you get a definite answer or at least a reasonable time frame from the agent. That way you will know if the agent worth your time or you should go ahead and look for another agent to help you.
• How much is the basic rent? Most agents tend to shy away from this question, however, ensure you stand your ground in getting a definite answer. Transparency is a virtue, ensure your agent has it.
• Can I see other listings you have? You should also find out if the agent has other listings so you can choose from varieties. If he has, then you can be sure you will get value for your money, if not you might be dealing with someone who isn’t do too well in the market.
