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When you are looking for a real estate agent, you obviously want to choose the best person. But because there are so many of them in the industry, the task of finding the best realtor has become more difficult than you think. Whether you are a seller or a buyer, here are some tips that you can find helpful when looking for a real estate agent: 

1. Ask agents for personal references.

During your interview, ask each agent for a list of what they have sold in the past year with the contact information of their previous clients. Reach out to their former clients to know if they are pleased or disappointed with the service of the applicants. What they say about the quality of service they received from the applicants will give you an idea how they will work for you if you will hire them. 

2. Check their license

Every realtor should be certified by a regulatory board of each state. Take time to communicate with the regulatory body if the applicants have a valid license and if they received complaints about the agents’ behavior. If an agent doesn’t have a license to practice as a realtor and/or has been complaining about any reason, it is a red flag for you not to hire him. 

3. Ask for their awards

Normally, brokerage companies hold awards night on periodic schedules to distinguish the accomplishments of their employees. You can ask the applicants what awards they received from their company. A “Realtor of the Year” award will certainly add color to their resumes. 

4. Choose an agent with the right credentials

Look for their academic credentials first. It helps if they are a degree holder of business-related courses such as business administration, real estates, accountancy, and economics. Also look for their designations as a real estate agent which can be categorized as CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) who specializes in handling residential real estate, ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative) is an expert in representing buyers, and SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) who specializes in representing both the buyers and the sellers in the 50-plus age range. 

5. Research how long they are working as realtor

You can ask the agent how long he has been working in his position. If you want to verify his claim, you can reach out to the state licensing authority. Their experience has a lot to do with how knowledgeable they are about the buying and selling transactions in the real estate industry. 

When looking for a real estate agent, find someone who has the experience selling the same type of property that you have, who is knowledgeable of all the transactions and documents needed and who shows professionalism to work for your best interest. 

The real estate environment thrives in a fast-paced environment which needs to rely heavily on technology for marketing purposes. This is where video plays the part of marketing a property effectively. In this article, we will be discussing how we can use the video to get your property sold in no time. 

Firstly, you need to have the right equipment. If you do not have the right equipment, it is better to just hire a Chicago production company. You will need a DSLR, a wide-angle lens (16-35mml17/40mm), a tripod with a slider, and a good lighting (if you can’t afford a lighting set, take advantage of the natural light!). Take time to learn how to use and adjust your equipment. You need to know how to maximize the potential of each equipment. 

Make sure that the house looks tidy and presentable. Walk around the house and inspect for the things that can possibly turn-off potential clients. Before you shoot, make sure that you hide distractions that are sore to the eyes. Tidying up the house may include decluttering counters and tabletops; making the floors, tiles, and wood furnishings look shiny; smoothing wrinkles on the bed sheets; closing toilet seats; rearranging furniture, and removing weeds in the garden. 

Make a gentle and slow transition of your focused shoots. This makes the footages flow smoothly. Do not spend more time in shooting than what is needed. You can spend 2-3 minutes in each bedroom and bathroom. But for key areas like the kitchen, the living room, and the master’s bedroom, you need to make sure that you have enough footages and camera angles that can present a full picture of these rooms to the viewers. 

Spend a little bit more time focusing on fixtures or amenities that you want to highlight. Let’s say that the pool area has a waterfall, you can focus at least 5-10 seconds on the waterfall to make the pool area looks like a very relaxing and tranquil place to end the day. 

In shooting a video, you need to master the arts of sliding and gliding. Investing in a quality slider will never be wasted. You will always need a slider to help your transitions of movement, speed and angles flow smoothly. On the other hand, gliding brings the scene from front to back with the help of the second tripod. Just make sure that the slider will be hidden from the gliding shoot.  

Creating a quality video does not end in shooting the footages. You also need to be skilled at video editing. A good video editing can make the task easier for you. Or, you can hire a professional video editor just to make sure that you will have a quality finished product. 

The real estate industry is not one that is easy to enter into and attain top dog position. Resting on your laurels would do nothing for you and you would be better off getting a desk job if you do not expect to work hard. To get there and make a success of it, you must be willing to learn all the tricks of the trade. The following are what you should be prepared for as well as expect when trading in the real estate industry:

Information is king

Like most jobs, real estate trading requires you to keep abreast of latest happenings and latest market trends so as to make informed decisions and have knowledgeable insights. If you want to be in the same league as the professionals in commercial real estate, you have to know how to get your hands on information that makes a difference in any trading transaction. For example, you have to be able to differentiate the valuation of commercial property and residential property, make an accurate report on what your potential clients are looking for, how to calculate cash flow with commercial property, which properties are now in trend, what leases are longer than others etc. All these things are bound to come in handy especially when you have a diverse customer base. So be prepared to constantly update yourself on information.

Good Instincts make the difference in a big money deal or a bust

Some real estate agents are blessed with gut feelings that enable them differentiate the money making properties from the money consuming properties and if you plan to get into real estate trading, you must be able to recognize a good deal. The top real estate professionals are able to spot out a good deal but this must have taken several years of practice as well as patience to achieve so do not be in a hurry to achieve this. Although patience is something you require to be able to spot out a good deal, one thing the professionals employ when entering a deal is having an exit strategy.

Have a good understanding of real estate metrics

In real estate trading, your mathematical abilities is something that is constantly put to the test whether onsite or offsite. The market is also one that is ever changing so you might find yourself constantly having to revalue properties to go in line with recent trends. If statistics and maths are not your strong suits, then be prepared to work hard on them as things like Net Operating Income, Cap Rate and Cash on Cash among other things are things you will have to get accustomed to.

Networking is the key to success

No man is an island and the same goes for a business. Every business needs a pillar for support as well as a foundation to build on. In the case of real estate, the foundation is the client while the support is your network of colleagues. Networking provides you with the opportunity to earn favours from professionals as well as chase leads that can turn to potential clients.

There are different paths available when it comes to the prospects of home ownership and they all vary. The different paths traveled are all reliant on different factors such as credit, being able to pay the down payment or getting approved for a mortgage loan.

One thing that is common in the list of factors present on the paths is the fact that they all have to deal with money. For individuals that have issues with getting a home due to things like lack of suitable credit or unapproved mortgage loans.

A good option when seeking a home is to try the lease approach which does not have a lot of hassle. In the case of leasing a home, individuals have a lot of options if a favorable understanding is worked upon in the lease purchase agreement. The lease approach to a home has its pros and cons which are:

Pros

• The lease purchase agreement is favorable to those who do not have credit and savings that are needed for a more conventional purchase arrangement.
• Most times, lease purchase agreement has a clause of renting with the added option of buying later.
• There is usually a long time frame for the payment of the lease agreement.
• The period of the lease purchase can help to boost credit rating.
• Even if the property increases in value during the period of the lease, the landlord is still tied down to the agreement in the contract.
• Some lease agreements are easy to get out of especially if the home in question experiences a drop in its value. This is so because there will be no force used to ensure that the lessee has to exercise the right to buy so at the end of the day, other property options can be looked into.

Cons

• The real estate market and the personality of the homeowner all factor into how much is requested for in the lease agreement. This would be higher than rental payments.
• Leases are usually paid monthly and failure to pay a month’s agreement can lead to a penalty of extra money being paid.
• If the option of buying at the end of the lease period is considered, a mortgage still has to be qualified for to exercise the right.
• The homeowner is usually not required to return the money to you if you don’t exercise your right to buy the property.
• The lease agreement is affected by the housing market trend meaning it fluctuates on a constant basis so being tied onto one is a gamble as the homeowner is likely to want the lease agreement to reflect the current market trend.
• The agreement is binding on both the lessor and lessee so if the home ends up being less than the forecast amount, then one party gains while the other loses.
• Market forces might make it difficult to get a mortgage for the price on the contract.

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