The Yahoo! site on the Internet includes a popular feature called “Yahoo! Answers” where a member can ask a question and, he or she hopes, gets a sampling of answers from throughout the Yahoo! nation.
We ran across one last month that’s an obvious one for Realty/Builder Connection:
What qualities do you look for in a Realtor/Real Estate Agent?
The answers they have received so far are below and there’s also another set of answers — these from members of the North Florida real estate community who are part of the Realty/Builder Connection family.
What our readers say
“Honesty.”
— Denise Patricolo, Morrison Homes
“I would look for a Realtor that I could trust.”
— Colette Horne, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
“I would like them to have the ability to listen to what I want, not what the Realtor wants to show me. Since I will be looking for a new home in 2008, this will be what I will be looking for in my Realtor.”
— Carolyn McMoran, National City Mortgage
“Honesty. I would want to know the truth in all circumstances. Like going to a doctor. I would not want him to tell me I was fine if I had a broken arm.”
— Jason Rue, Prudential Network Realty
“Trustworthiness. I would want to be sure the Realtor had my best interests at heart because sometimes not selling, waiting, or even renting for a year may be in my best interests, and that would endear them to me for the future.”
— Joan Reynolds, Realty Executives of Jacksonville
“I would like my agent to be 100 percent honest with me even if I didn’t like what they were going to say.”
— Rosie Hetman, Watson Realty
“I look for knowledge and professionalism.”
— Mary Ann Bongiorno, Watson Realty
“Breadth of knowledge. I would try to determine if my agent has kept up with innovative Internet marketing techniques as well as whether he/she understands defaulted mortgages and other financial market factors that drive the current housing industry.”
— Ann Dunsford, Exit Realty Experts
“The one quality I would look for in a real estate agent would be a good listener — someone who pays attention to me and my needs.”
— Pat Troxel, Coldwell Banker Jasinsky & Associates
“Someone who was aggressive in all aspects of selling my property!”
— Jim Biby, Showhomes of Florida
“Honesty.”
— Lydia Keohane, Team Village Realty
“The quality that I would look for most in an agent is their personal ability to establish a relationship with me as opposed to just being focused on commission.”
— LaVerne Mitchell, Future Realty Group LLC
“I would look for someone who knows the areas, home sales and general information. They would have to be honest in answers about concerns of the area without crossing the code of ethics line.”
— Judi Seay, Re/Max Professional Group
“The one quality that I would look for if I were looking for a real estate agent is a good listener — someone who hears me and understands what I want and who makes me feel as though I am an integral part of the process. It is my strong opinion that real estate is not just about ‘houses,’ but about building a relationship and letting customers know that at the end of the day my goal is that they are satisfied with not only the home they chose, but that the entire process has been a pleasant experience for them. That can only happen through communication and making a connection. Customers tell me all the time that they could really sense that I cared about them and how much they appreciated it. When I hear those words I know mission accomplished and if I stay in touch I have probably gained a customer for life.”
— Sharon D. Mills, Watson Realty
“Like most of us that have bought and sold houses before getting into this business, I was the customer. So, to answer your question; qualities I look for in an agent is someone that is informative, insightful, and uses integrity when conducting business. This is what my customers can expect from me!”
— Tina Belazeros, Delta Title and Escrow, Inc.
“I would look for a Realtor that works both with buyers and sellers. It seems like Realtors today will tell you that either they are a listing agent or seller’s agent, never both. I feel as a Realtor you should do both.”
— Patrice Yancy, First Mortgage Group
“I would look for a professional that returns messages in a timely manner. It makes me nuts to leave a message (email or voicemail) and not hear anything back for almost a week. What do these folks do with customer inquiries?”
— CJ Wright, ERA Dan Jones and Associates
“A real estate agent that is in it for me. What I could afford, what most suited my needs and most of all, what I liked. Not an agent that was just in it for the commission.”
— Della Masters, Keystone Title
What Yahoo! writers say
Writer No. 1
• I look for agents that work in a farm area and specialize working in that one area.
• I look for an agent that sells houses and not just lists them.
• I look for agents that are people oriented and know how to solve problems.
• I look for an agent that works well with other professionals that he/she need to in order to accomplish the desired goals of the client or clients.
• I look for an agent that specializes in selling houses. I mean they are not notaries, loan consultants, insurance agents and work at Wal-Mart part time.
• I look for an agent that is honest, fair, have and use common sense.
• I look for an agent that is not afraid to step out of the box to make a transaction close.
• I am not looking for a crook, but someone that knows the rules, when and how they can be bent to benefit the transaction, but keep everyone on the line and within the legal limits of the law.
No. 2
• The ability to tell the truth.
• The ability to shut up when they have not been asked a question.
Both are very rare attributes.
No. 3
• Be straight. I remember when I was house shopping a couple years ago, it used to irritate me to no end because it seemed like the agents would constantly kiss my butt and agree with every thing I said, even when I would intentionally contradict myself just to see if they would catch it.
No. 4
• They need to know the area or market.
• They should work within a larger firm to increase advertising budget for your home.
• They need to be brutally honest. You don’t want someone who can’t be or you could get in over your head, or miss opportunities.
No. 5
• You want one that is honest and professional with an extensive knowledge of your real estate market. It’s hard to ‘see’ a person’s qualities if you meet them once at an open house or walk in to an office and talk to the agent on the ‘floor’.
• Find someone you like and work with them, but always put a cancellation clause in your contract... just in case you find they don’t live up to your expectations.
No. 6
• Don’t think that because I wear old sandals to work, I can’t pay cash. If I walk out of your office and I feel a bit like I was just ushered out of somewhere I clearly didn’t belong, don’t call us, we’ll call you.
• Keep it REAL! you are a kind of ambassador for your district.
No. 7
• I look for someone who is honest, trustworthy, a good listener, creative, experienced, part of a team, accessible, knowledgeable about the area, and assertive.