How to choose a realistic and best real estate agent in Toronto
Getting our hands on the ultimate house of our dreams is one of the biggest achievements. That being said, it is undoubtedly not just a complex but a big financial decision too. Canada’s real estate market has been booming over the years, and finding the best real estate agent in Toronto is not something to be taken lightly, due to the competitiveness there. Be it if it is your first time buying/selling a home or more than once, is always an exciting decision. This excitement comes with many crucial decisions that will determine if you will indeed get your dream house or sell your house at the best price possible.
Therefore, when you are choosing a real estate agent to represent you, you should make this decision with the utmost care as this will impact your home buying/selling experience to a large extent. Your real estate agent is the person you will be spending most of your time with, and you have to find someone you can click with and have a great chemistry with. This will impact your decision making for the house. There are tons of top agents in Toronto, but how do you know who is the best one for you and has their best interest in your wants and needs? This is where we come in! We will be sharing with you some tips on how you can find the most realistic and best real estate agent in Toronto, you can thank us later!
1. Know When And What You Want In A House And Your Finances
Not just Toronto realtors but real estate agents all over the world expect their clients to know what they want in a house and when do they want it by. If you have yet to think about this, it is high time that you do. First and foremost, you need to have a mortgage and you should aim to get one pre-approved. This will greatly impact your finances, because the amount of money lent to you by your lender, will allow you to determine how much are you able to spend on a house. Next, you should already have an image in your mind and a list of things you want the house to have. What are you looking for? A condo, landed property, lake house? You need to figure this out before you reach out to any real estate agent.
According to a survey, clients who are fully aware of their needs and wants for a house, are more likely to work well with their real estate agents as their agents will not have to second guess anything. Confidence is the key to this. Once you have decided all the above, you need to explain all of this in detail to your agent, so that they have a fair idea of your expectations and are able to look for potential houses that fit your description. There are agents who know which neighbourhood suits your wants and needs, and who have expertise in these places, they will do justice to you only if you yourself know what you are looking for. The hunt for the best real estate agent starts with ourselves, because when we know what we want, only then are we capable of being an equal partner with our realtor.
2. Ask Referrals For Real Estate Agents And Research
By now, you should have made the decision that you are ready to buy/sell a house and what you want and need in your new house. Which makes now the right time to ask your friends, family and colleagues for real estate agent referrals. Ask them about their best real estate agent experience, and the pros and cons on working with them because let’s face it, you will not like every little thing about your realtor, so it is best to know them beforehand. Your network is more than capable to help you find the best real estate agent. However, you should also consider doing your own research.
If you already have a neighborhood is mind, try to head down there and ask the people there as to which real estate agent knows the best about this neighbourhood and has the expertise in it. Moreover, you can even conduct your research online. Search for realtors in that particular neighbourhood and see their reviews, on how positive or negative remarks are. You need to have an agent who does not only have the experience in helping people get their dream homes in that specific area, but who is also knowledgeable and knows both the ins and outs of the entire neighbourhood.
3. Try Speaking With Potential Real Estate Agent’s Previous Clients
This is purely optional but we suggest that your try to do this if possible. Because if you want to be one hundred percent sure that you are picking the right real estate agent, you should be able to ask them to share three to four references of their past clients, their names and contact information. Past clients are more than likely to either vouch for their real estate agents or tell you to not hire them. Speaking with people who have worked alongside your potential real estate agent in the past, will allow you to hear firsthand about their experience of working with the agent.
This will help you figure out if you should indeed be employing this particular real estate agent to represent you. Moreover, this will also give you a better insight of not just the potential agent but their team as well. Were they able to work as a team? Are there things you should be aware of? How is their working style? You should be asking these questions to the previous clients as this will help you in determining how capable the potential real estate agent is and if they will be anle to meet your expectations.
4. Pick An Agent Who Is Reachable
This is more important than you think. You real estate agent must answer your calls, text messages and emails. Of course, you should not have the expectation that they have to answer them at all times, no matter what the time is because that is not right. Because let’s be real, they have families and other priorities too. However, despite that being said, timeliness is very important in the real estate world, because it is just a matter of time when something changes and if you are not aware of it, you would be losing out.
Therefore your agent has to communicate with you on a regular basis and provide you with all the information you need and when you need it. So even if they are caught up somewhere else, should get back to you within a couple of hours or at least drop you a text saying that will get back to you as soon as possible. That just proves how committed your real estate agent os with your concerns. Moreover, they also need to have good communication skills because they will be communication with professional during the home buying/selling process.
5. Tech-Savvy
Let’s face it, it is the internet and technological era! Everyone is making use of technology, be it using your smartphones or laptops, you need to be tech-savvy to survive today. And in the real estate world, this is a huge advantage. Real estate agents who not only have expertise in their field of work, but know how to work around technology, are the best bet for you! In order to know this, you need to get on the internet and conduct your own research. Check out your agent’s current listings and see if they are indeed attractive. I mean would you be interested in checking the particular house out?
Moreover, does your potential real estate agent have an online presence? How are their marketing skills? Has the agent offered a number of ways you can reach out to them? Do they have programs that come along with an electronic signature? These are some things you should look out for during your internet research. Both buyers and sellers are likely to have schedules that clash, so doing this will help you make the entire process much simpler. Being tech-savvy does not only create a sense of efficiency but also proves how engaged your potential agent is with this industry and how adaptable they are.
These are some tips that can turn out to be very useful in helping you to decide which realtors in Toronto is most suitable for you. But one thing we would like to emphasize is that, always trust your gut feeling. Even if all your research turn out positive but you still have doubts, do not rush into hiring the agent and later regretting your decision. Do a more thorough research, and research on other real estate agents too!
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