Agents Realtors

For starters, it's important to know that not all real estate agents and brokers are REALTORS®. Even though the name REALTOR® has become synonymous with real estate agent, it actually identifies a real estate professional that is a member of the National Association of REALTORS and has agreed to abide by their code of ethics as well as be governed by the National Association of REALTORS®.

In addition to the incredible arsenal of resources available to REALTORS® to help them serve you that non-REALTORS® simply don't have, you have the protection of the code of ethics as well as a grievance, or complaint process, if your agent doesn't live up to those standards.

Not all REALTORS® are created equal however. When selecting a REALTOR® don't just pick someone because they are a friend, neighbor or relative... treat the process like you would if you were choosing a doctor. If you needed brain surgery would you go to uncle Bob the dermatologist just because he's related? No. Well, REALTORS® have their specialties too; different markets, price ranges, types of property, etc. Select an agent that specializes in, and is experienced in, the type of house, area and price range you are interested in and that has the market data and resources available to them that will help you make an informed decision.

The REALTORS® website is a good place to begin as that will give you an opportunity to learn about their company, get a feel for their "style" and determine if their site makes it easy for you to search for homes, find the market data and info you are looking for or not.

Good things to ask the REALTOR® about would include:

What will your agency relationship be? This varies by state, but in general if you are a buyer you want an agent to represent you as a buyers agent and not as a transaction agent, sellers agent or dual agent. If you are a seller you want the agent working for you as a sellers agent.
Are there any fees that you will be charged other than the commission charged to you if you are a seller? Many companies today have transactions fees charged to buyers and/or sellers from around $200 up to $500 or more.
If they are full-time as well as what their background and experience are. I'm not saying all part-time agents are bad, but when the cost to you is the same, why would you possibly want to settle for "part-time" representation when you can have full-time representation? Also, it's good to know how long they have been in the profession, what their background is, etc. to assure they have the knowledge you and your transaction will require.

There's more, but this is a good start. Finally, when selecting a REALTOR®, you want to make sure your personalities mesh and that you feel you will enjoy working with the person. Buying or selling a home can be stressful enough in itself, the last thing you want is to add more friction to it because of a personality clash with your REALTOR®.

Dennis entered the real estate business straight out of high-school at the age of 18 and has now been in the business for over 33 years. He has been a member of the St. Louis Association of REALTORS® for 27 years, served as President of the St. Louis Association of REALTORS® in 2007, served as a director for the Missouri Association of REALTORS® as well for the National Association of REALTORS®.

Dennis is a frequent contributor to http://stlouisrealestatenews.com/ and has one of the best St Louis real estate sites at http://stlouisrealestatesearch.com/

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