Apr. 7, 2009 - Pick the Right Agent
Did you know that in the state of Illinois, you’ll need 1500 classroom hours in order to earn your cosmetologist license and 350 hours to earn a nail technician license? Candidates spend months if not years to fulfill this requirement, yet to earn a real estate salesperson’s license you only need 45 classroom hours. A requirement usually met by passing a 6-8 week class held a few evenings a week in the local real estate broker’s office.
My point is that just having a real estate license isn’t enough, especially these days. Things to keep in mind when choosing an agent are:
· Is the agent a salesperson or a broker? Do they have any designations? More education is required to obtain a broker’s license and designations show the agent’s willingness to learn and grow within the industry.
· Who does the agent work with? Not necessarily the company they work for but what kind of support system do they have available to them. Many large brokerages treat their agents like numbers and some smaller brokerages don’t have the resources necessary. An office or group that has a friendly, team environment is usually a great indicator.
· Does the agent have a basic understanding of home features and maintenance issues? I’ve seen agents who thought a dishwasher was not working when the safety switch under the sink was simply turned off. This was the same agent who couldn’t operate the kitchen sink faucet. I’m not sure how that eluded them but it ultimately held up the closing of the property.
With the slowing of real estate sales over the last year or so my hope was that a natural selection of sorts would occur within the real estate agent community. I have seen quite a few lackluster agents give up their license, but unfortunately, I have also seen some very competent and well qualified agents leave the business as well. Hopefully as buyers and sellers come back into the market, they’ll be more thorough in their selection of who they choose to represent them.
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