Matching Your Goals with Your Florida Real Estate Agent
Obviously, Florida is a large, populous state, and it continues to be one of the primary places to relocate in the United States. With so many real estate agents in Florida to choose from, where should you start? First, you need to know how to spot the characteristics of a “good” real estate agent.
Picking a Real Estate Agent
Your agent should be a trusted advisor and a great listener, because only by listening will they be able to help you achieve your goals. Further, your agent should be skilled at negotiating so that they can obtain the best possible terms in your transaction. Your real estate agent also needs to be a good facilitator. This may be most important as it involves paying attention to detail during the entire loan process.
Despite having defined a good agent, choosing one may still prove difficult. After all, you can’t really tell how knowledgeable an agent is until you’ve spent some time with them or at least had a lengthy conversation. Here are a few specific things to pay attention to:
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Observe how quickly they call you back.
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Talk to them about your goals and see if they were listening.
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Ask them about their experience.
However, having many years of experience with Florida Home Sales doesn’t mean they’ve grown professionally over those years. An agent with 10 years in the business may really only have 1 not-so-good year repeated 10 times. While on the subject of experience, what about agents who are new to the business? Are they a good choice? New real estate agents in Florida don’t necessarily lacks the skills of an experienced agent. The new agent may be much more enthusiastic and more service oriented. The choice depends on your goals and whether you require specialized knowledge that might only be found with an experienced agent.
Signing an Agency Agreement
Once you have selected a real estate agent to work with, you will still be faced with other decisions. If you are selling your home, then your agent will require you to sign a listing agreement. These agreements usually provide exclusivity to the agent’s company. But if you are buying a home, you normally will not sign any agreement.
Real estate agents in Florida have often complained that their buyers frequently enter into transactions without using their services. For that reason, real estate agents in Florida have developed a Buyer Agency Agreement. This agreement locks the buyer to the agency, much like the selling agreement previously mentioned, which may require the buyer to pay the agent’s commission.
Normally, if the buyer purchases a listed home through the services of an agent, then the seller will pick up the agreed commission (or a portion of it). But in this case, if the buyers don’t use the agent’s services they would still be required to pay the commission. As a buyer, you are not required to sign one of these. If you’ve chosen your agent well and have had candid conversations about your goals, then the agreement should not be necessary.
Keep reading to learn about Florida Home Sales within your reach.
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