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Don't cut corners when you're searching for a real estate agent 11/05/07 Finding a real estate agent is no different than hiring a plumber or a painter. Ask around for recommendations and don't settle for just anyone. "The biggest mistake people make in hiring anybody, Realtors included, is dealing with the first person they meet," said Ron Rosen, a Choice Realty Co. agent who works in Palm Beach and Broward counties. "Interview at least three people before making a decision." As the housing market continues to sputter, many agents are leaving the real estate ranks in search of more stable careers. Membership in Realtor associations across South Florida is declining, and some industry observers say that makes it easier to find reputable and helpful agents. Still, buyers and sellers shouldn't cut corners in searching for the right one, experts say. Picking a real estate agent Here are questions home buyers and sellers should ask: How long have you been in the business? Ever worked in a market this soft? What's your commission and is it negotiable? In what cities do you specialize? Do you have a Web site? Can I speak to previous clients? Do you mind making lowball offers? How would you market my home? Source: Sun-Sentinel research During the interview process, find out how much experience the agents have and whether they've worked in a housing market this soft before. Buyers will want to know how a potential agent feels about making lowball offers, and sellers should ask how an agent might market a house. "Besides their knowledge and experience, you have to feel comfortable with them," said Eli Lawrence, an agent in Boca Raton. "It's almost like a marriage." When Semore and Barbara Borker decided to sell their three-bedroom house in a gated community west of Boynton Beach, they turned to real estate agents Bob and Vicki Melzer of Prudential Florida WCI Realty. "They've sold quite a number of homes in this development, and no one that I spoke to had any bad words about them," said Semore Borker, 80. "They're very, very professional and extremely knowledgeable." The home attracted little interest at the original list price of $395,000. So Bob Melzer persuaded the Borkers to lower the price to $379,900; he did it by showing them what comparable homes in the areas had sold for recently. "I proved it to them with facts and figures," Bob Melzer said. "A good Realtor can prove the value of your house to you." In this depressed market, many real estate agents won't accept listings unless the clients are realistic in their asking prices. Sellers should demand the same thing from agents, said Rosen of Choice Realty. "You definitely want someone who understands the value of any offer that comes in," he said. "You can't have the attitude that sellers had in the seller's market. If a buyer comes in with a lowball offer, the agent should sit down with the client and make sure they know this may be the only offer they get." One of Rosen's clients, David Bath, recently received a $435,000 offer on his Pompano Beach house with a water view, even though an appraisal came in $65,000 higher. Bath accepted, in part because Rosen told him that it might be the best offer he'll get in this market. "Other Realtors give you pie-in-the-sky dream prices, but Ron is a little bit more realistic," said Bath, 61, a semi-retired investor. Another factor to consider in hiring an agent: the geographic area of expertise. A buyer or seller who lives in Boca Raton, for instance, won't want an agent who works primarily in Fort Lauderdale. "Real estate is local," said John Perrone of Legacy Realty Services in Coral Springs. "You want someone with a lot of local knowledge." Bob Kirkland of Illustrated Properties in Delray Beach said prospective clients often pop into his downtown office, eager to interview him. But he also takes the opportunity to evaluate the clients, asking them what they want to accomplish and how they plan to go about it. "Before we do anything, we want to listen as opposed to make a sale," Kirkland said. "That will come naturally if the service precedes it." *** |