BY: NURUL ASMUI MD AZMI
asmui@propwall.com

Buying your dream abode or selling your current house is not a small matter. Thus, finding the right agent is definitely crucial to ensure that you get the right deal. Picking the wrong agent can botch your transaction, leaving you with no place to call home, or could leave you hanging without any news.

Keep in mind that a good real estate agent will offer you beneficial insights while helping you focus on what really matters. You should also lookup on recent news and articles on property real estate agent to keep you away from an impostor.

As published in StarProperty.my, the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents Malaysia (BOVAEA) said that the public should be aware of con artists posing as real estate negotiators. They are advised to ask for the Real Estate Negotiator (REN) numbers, which all negotiators should have.

There are things that you have to pay extra attention to and ask when first time meeting an agent. So whether you are the buyer or the seller, here are nine ways to help you find out more about an agent before you decide to hire.

1. Knowledge is key

You will want to deal with a knowledgable agent that is willing to keep you updated with latest topics in the local real estate market, and effectively get you the best deal possible so you don’t end up losing your transaction.

Do your own research on the latest property news so you know what kind of property-related questions to ask when you meet the agent. A knowledgeable agent must be able to familiarised him or herself with the ups and down of the property market, and should be able to be honest about it.

2.  Duration in property business

Find an agent that has sealed many successful deals as more deals means more experience. An agent with a good years of experience will be capable to find the ideal house that conform to your request, or manage the customers that are looking to buy your house.

A good agent does not only sell their well personality to you, but will also make sure that your needs come before theirs at all times. If you find an agent that is willing to open up with you about their past experiences and is really helpful towards accommodating to your needs, then you might not have to look any further.

3. Specialisation is essential

Several specialists obtained from propwall.my.

Some real estate agents have diversified specialities so you can try find an agent who specialises in what you want to sell or buy to ease the process. If you are looking to buy or sell in a certain area, you can search for the area specialist. For instance, if you use propwall.my to search for a property, you will be able to see the agent that specialises in that specific area.

Bear in mind the type of property you are buying or selling when you are searching for an agent. If you wanted to buy or sell a condominium, find an agent that generally deals with condominiums.

4. Constructive references

One thing that you can do to make sure that the agent you’re appointing is sincere and ethical is to ask for a list of contact information of the agent’s previous clients. Besides calling the past clients for references, you can also get the list of what the agent has listed and successfully dealt with in the recent year.

If the agent is reliable and sincere, then he or she will be eager to share the list of information to prove their good reputation, and how satisfied their past clients have been with their service.

5. A strong rapport

The ability to build a strong rapport is very much important for a good real estate agent to establish a good connection with you. It doesn’t matter who you are meeting as an agent, be it a family member or a close friend, you just have to make sure that you can feel the good chemistry when dealing with the agent.

Several questions that you can ask yourself when meeting an agent: Does the agent look interested in doing business with you? Do you feel comfortable sharing and discussing about your personal and financial information? Is it worth to be spending most of your time dealing about property with the agent? If your answer is yes, yes, and yes, then you might have found your trusted agent.

You have to go with your gut on this.

6. A great listener

A good agent will try to understand your circumstances and will to try to fulfil your requests so do not hesitate to tell the agent about what you are expecting from the deal, and how to work around your schedule.

You’ll know that you professionally taken care off when you are able to express your concerns freely to the agent.

7. Diligent and dedicated

Dealing with a hardworking agent is definitely great news. Nonetheless, you have to make sure that the agent is not busy serving too many clients at one time so you will get the attention that you need.

If your agent starts passing you to an assistant because he or she has got no time to entertain you, then it might be the right time for you to move on to another agent.

8.  Express interest in property

Do you feel like the agent is really interested in helping you out with your property, or does it seems like the agent is only using your property to pad his or her list?

One way to know if the agent has a genuine interest in property industry is by conversing with them. If the agent shows a clear interest in houses and architecture, then you know that the agent really cares about the industry.

9. Productive marketing

If you are selling your house, then you should be asking the agent about how he or she will be marketing your home. Will there be flyers going around to potential buyers? Will there be a  site visit? Will they assist with organising your house for a site tour?

This is when you should ask all the essential questions to examine how the agent will do his marketing. The agent you are meeting could be the one if you are confident that the agent can develop creative listings to showcase your house to serious buyers.

At the end of the day, you have to put your needs and requirements before anything else so that you are able to choose the right agent to ease the process of buying or selling your house.

Appointing a stranger to deal with such extremely important task is not easy. You have to make sure that you hire an agent that you can truly trust.