It’s important to choose an agent you feel comfortable working with – one who is competent and prepared to be with you throughout each step of the home buying or selling process.
What is the difference between a REALTOR® and a Real Estate Agent?
All REALTORS® and Real Estate Agents are required to be licensed by the state to represent buyers and sellers in property transfers.
A REALTOR® is a real estate agent who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®, which means that he or she must uphold the standards of the association and its code of ethics.
Find an agent who is familiar with your community or ask for referrals from family or friends. The following are a few questions you might ask a potential real estate agent partner:
- Do you deal mostly with home buyers or with home sellers?
- Are you fully automated with a computer, smart phone, email, voice mail, text, etc.?
- Are you a member of the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS)?
- Are you able to provide local real estate market trends, values, and statistics?
Keep in mind:
- The seller is represented by the listing agent.
- The buyer is represented by the selling agent.
- The selling agent is also referred to as the buyer’s agent.
- Real estate commissions are usually paid by the seller.
After you have chosen a real estate professional to assist you in the home buying or selling process, please ask them to choose AmeriTitle to serve your title and escrow needs. Our team is focused on providing caring and competent service during a very important time in your life.
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Wow, I had no idea that there was even a difference between real estate agents and realtors. For the past few days, I’ve been looking around for a real estate agent to help me sell my house, but I wasn’t even paying attention to whether or not they were also realtors. It would be really nice to have someone who is shown to uphold a code of ethics, so I’ll be sure to narrow down my search to just realtors. Hopefully that will help me find the right person for the job!
Thanks for reading and thanks for the note. All our best to you on your home sale.
My friend is trying to find a house to buy, and they are considering hiring a real estate agent. I think it’s a great idea to ask them if they mostly work with buyers or sellers. That way you can find someone that is specialized in buying homes to get the best service.
Thanks for reading and for the comment, Gregory. Many times there are agents who specialize in working with buyers or sellers.
My dad is looking into selling his current house. I dod not know that real estate agents set up so many things to get your home ready to sell. They set up home inspections and appraisals. I feel like I have a little better understanding of what real estate agents do now.
This post is very useful for new new real estate agents.
Thanks for providing such a great list of questions to ask when meeting with a potential real estate agent! I never know what questions would be helpful in knowing if they would be a good fit, so it’s wonderful that you’ve compiled a set of focused questions. It would be especially helpful to know if they are automated with all forms of communication because communication is such a vital aspect when trying to sell a house.
I appreciate your tips for finding a good real estate agent. I hadn’t ever thought to ask if the agent deals mostly with home sellers or buyers, but that makes sense. I wouldn’t want to sell my home with someone who has only ever helped people buy homes.
Yea Ridley, the question about sellers and buyers stood out to me, too. I guess there are different disciplines in the real estate world. You want the one that fits you the best.
I really love your thoughts about finding an agent who is familiar with the community. Asking for referrals from family and friends makes sense, and I would imagine it wouldn’t hurt to read some reviews online as well. If you can’t get a referral from someone you know it might not hurt to ask a potential realtor for references of their own to get a feel for the sort of work they’ve done in the past.
Thank you for all this great information about choosing a real estate agent. One thing that really stood out to me is that you say to make sure that they are fully automated with a computer, smartphone, emails, ect. It would be nice to be able to contact them where ever you need to.
I like your idea on asking a realtor if they deal mostly with home buyers or home sellers. I would imagine that you would want a real estate agent who is able to work well with you whether you are buying or selling. My husband and I are looking to buy a home so we’ll have to be sure to find someone who focuses on this.
I agree that you would want to know if a realtor deals with buyers or sellers more. I would imagine that you would want to find someone who is experienced with whatever end of the home buying process you are on. This would probably also tell you about their specialization and experience in the market.
If you want to have the best experience when selling your house, hire a real estate agent.
I really love what you said about making sure that the real estate agent is accessible online, phone, and text. When you are buying a home, it would make sense that you would want the ability to have constant communication. Offers can come and go really fast, and being able to give the go on something can be the difference between getting your dream home or not.
I agree that choosing the right person to deal with your house is very important, whether you are selling or buying. I appreciate the tips and time you put into posting it. I will make sure to keep this in mind as I prepare to put my house on the market.
I think that what you said about finding an agent who is familiar with the community is so important! I’ve heard that the chances for a successful home selling process is greatly increased when the home sellers hire an agent. I’ll have to keep this info in mind as my wife and I consider our options in selling our house.
I didn’t know there was a difference between realtors and real estate agents. I can see how choosing an agent who has a solid understanding of local trends and values can make a difference.
I like the suggestion of choosing an agent you feel comfortable working with. I think that if you aren’t comfortable working with someone then you won’t want to share everything, that they should know, with them. I think that it is important to find a way to get comfortable working with professionals.
That’s a good tip to ask for referrals from friends. That way you can find an agent that is familiar with your area. I’m thinking about looking for my first home so I’ll have to try that. http://fischerhomes.com
I had no idea that there is a difference between a realtor and a real estate agent. I also like that you differentiated a listing agent and a selling agent. I’ve also heard that one of the best ways to find a reliable real estate agent is by using the internet, I’ll have to look more into it though!
Thank you for talking about the importance of finding a real estate agent who is familiar with the neighborhood where you want to buy or sell. It makes sense that this can help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of buying there. I would want to find someone who has good connections and who can advertise properly.
My wife and I have been in the market for a new home. We have been lost because we didn’t know what we were looking for. I didn’t know that real estate agents can deal mostly with sellers or buyers. I’ll definitely look for the right agent that has the experience of purchasing properties.
It makes sense that you would want to ask your family and friends about agents they have used in the past. That way, you can talk to them about how they did, and if they enjoyed the service. You might also want to call the agent and see if they can get you in contact with other clients they have worked with.
Perhaps one of your neighbors is a realtor and you could rely on them to help you sell your house. The article would indicate that it is a good idea to use an agent who is familiar with the area. This is because they have done market research and will know the best asking price to choose. I heard once that this is the most important part of buying a house.
I think it’s smart that you pointed out that you should keep in mind that real estate commissions are usually paid by the seller. To me, this is nice to remember, and I bet that it would be smart to talk to your real estate agent about everything that you are worried about. I’m looking to purchase some property and I’m looking for a Realtor to help me.
Finding a good real estate agent to work with is super important. I liked how you mentioned finding an agent who is familiar with the community you are buying or selling in. Since each community is different, I would want an agent who has worked in my neighborhood.
Asking the agent who they mainly deal with. If I was selling a home I would want to have an agent who has experience in that. It seems like that would make things a lot easier for you.
I know that when moving it is very important to make sure that you use a real estate agent to help make the process go smoothly. It would be very important to make sure that he/she knows what you are looking for in a house. It is also important to make sure that they are familiar with the area so that they can tell you things like school districts. If the realtor knows about the area you are moving into the can help you narrow it down to a few houses that you like and that fit into your budget much easier.
I liked when you talked about finding a real estate agent that knows the market. I can see that doing this can help you find a house that is affordable and meets your needs. I would want to make sure I make a list of features I would like my future house to have, that way it would be easier for an agent to help me.
Hiring a real estate agent is vital when buying or selling. I like how you pointed out that you should find someone who is fully automated with technology. In today’s age, they should definitely have a smart phone, email, and everything else.
In the blog you wrote that you will want to work with an agent that is competent. My brother is looking for an agent to help him find a great home for him and his family. I’ll advise him to interview the agent before he hires him, so that he can get an idea of how competent he is. Thanks for the great advice.
I like your idea on finding out if a realtor works more with buyers or sellers. It would seem important to find a realtor who is similar to what you want because they would understand you better. I’m looking to buy a new home so I’ll have to find a realtor who focuses mostly on home buyers.
My parents are planning on selling their current house and are looking for an agent to help them with the paperwork. It makes sense that taking the time to look for someone that has incorporated technology into the business can help the process be smooth and fast. I can see how taking the time to plan ahead can reduce the stress that comes with the process and help you get the best deal you can.
My brother is currently looking for a home to purchase. It will be his first house, so he’s looking for an experienced professional that can help him throughout the process. I didn’t realize how important it is to choose a real estate service that deals with mostly buyers and has access to the local MLS. I’ll be sure to share these considerations with my brother.
Thanks for the tips for choosing a real estate agent. My wife and I are looking into buying a home this year, and we want the person helping us to be as qualified as possible. I like that you mentioned to ask if the agent is fully automated with current technology. That kind of thing is important in today’s world, so we will keep it in mind.
Thank you so much for talking about the importance of choosing a real estate agent that will stay with you through the entire process. I can’t imagine choosing an agent and having to do this process and its complicated paperwork alone. It makes sense that taking the time to understand what you need can help you compare several realtors that can help you choose the one that is best for you.
I never knew how important it is to determine if a real estate agent deals with mostly sellers or buyers to ensure you get exactly what you need. My brother will be in the market for a new home in the near future. Hopefully, these tips can help him get into a great house. Thanks!
Thanks for the tips for choosing a real estate agent. My wife and I really want to buy a home this year, but we want to make sure that we choose the right agent to make it easy for us. I like that you mentioned to ask if the agent is fully automated and up to date with technology. That could be really helpful in today’s market, so we will ask about it.
Thank you for all this great information about finding the best real estate agent or agency! I really like your point about making sure the agent is familiar with the community, that they communicate the way I prefer, and that they’ve been recommended by at least one friend. Those are great tips on where to start to find the best agent in real estate because it’s about their wealth of knowledge and connections that will get our home sold. My husband got a new job, so we are selling our home to move closer to his work. These tips will really help us through the process.
My younger sister and her husband are thinking about starting to look for a house, so I thought I would do some research for them on how to choose a real estate agent to make the process a little easier. I hadn’t thought about asking for a referral from your family and friends, but this does seem like a great way to find someone who is familiar with your community. In my opinion, knowing a lot about someone is really important before you hire them. Thank you for the helpful information!
My parents have been wanting to get some additional real estate as an investment, and I think that being able to work with an agent would be good for them. I’m glad that you talked about some questions to ask a potential real estate agent, including whether they mostly deal with buyers or sellers. I’m going to have to look at some options with my parents for an agent to help them buy some real estate, and hopefully make a good investment!
I like how you mention that you should make sure the real estate service you plan to use has full use of email, call, text, and other forms of communication. My husband and I are looking for the perfect house to raise our future kids in and want to make sure that we can communicate really easily with our realtor throughout the process. So I’ll be sure that the real estate service we choose has full access to computers and smartphones that they can talk to us with often.
I do like that you include a few quick tips to keep in mind when choosing a real estate agent. Of these tips though I am glad that you included the bit about real estate commissions. After all, if you’re buying or selling a home for the first time then it can be a bit tricky to figure out who pays what.
My wife and I have been wanting to upgrade our home, and I think that being able to work with a real estate agent to find a new one would be smart for us. You mentioned that we would want a real estate agent who is also a realtor, which I think would be good to look for. I’m going to have to see if we can find a good agent who is also a realtor so that we know we’re working with a good professional!
My wife and I have started the search for our new home and we aren’t sure where to start looking for a home. I liked that you had mentioned the importance of choosing an agent that you can feel comfortable working with and know that they’ll be there through the whole process. We might have to start looking for a real estate agent because they’ll have a variety of choices and we’ll be making sure we feel comfortable around them.
I like that you mentioned keeping in mind that the seller is represented by the listing agent. My brother is looking to hire a real estate agent and needs tips. I’ll be sure to talk to him about finding a good one since that’s who will be representing him.
I liked that you had mentioned that when it comes to looking for a real estate agent that it can be important to make sure that they’re licensed properly to represent you. My wife and I have been wanting to get into a home because living in an apartment just isn’t fitting for us right now. We’ll have to start researching a few real estate companies, and we’ll be sure to make sure they’re all licensed.
Thanks for your tip to hire a real estate agent that is licensed in the state. I like how you said that they should have experience in the service that you need help with. My husband and I are looking for real estate agents who can help us sell our house and pick a new one in a safe community.
It’s good to know that a real estate agent is required to be state licensed in order to represent me. I’m looking at buying my first house, and I’ve been thinking of hiring an agent to help me out. I’ll definitely inquire about the licenses an agent has before making the decision to hire them to find my new home.
I like where you suggest finding out if they work more with home buyers or home sellers. My husband and I have lived in the same apartment for years and are wanting to move into a new home. I would love to find a realtor to help us find the perfect home.
Choosing a real estate agent that is familiar with your community really can be quite helpful. After all, a big part of selling your house is also convincing people to move into your neighborhood. If the agent knows the community then they can spin this in a way that is appealing to the buyer.