Hiring a real estate agent in Baton Rouge can be frustrating. So what are the steps on how to find a good real estate agent in Baton Rouge?
Most people have a friend or relative who is an agent. While that sometimes can work, if your house has been on the market for six months and you have to fire them, it could be awkward for your relationship. We recommend using one of the top agents in your local market. But how do you know who that is? Is it the person who advertises the most? Many brokers spend thousands of dollars a month to have the most visible agents between online advertising, mailers, giant billboards, and sponsoring things. Unfortunately, just because they spend a lot of money doesn’t mean they are the best. We will walk you through how to find the best.
[NOTE: If you need to sell your Baton Rouge house fast and can’t wait the 2-6 months+ it is taking to sell a home on the local market… we may be able to help by buying your house from you. We can make you an all-cash offer within 24 hours on your house in as-is condition. ]
How To Find A Good Real Estate Agent In Baton Rouge – Get Reviews… Real Reviews
Online reviews for real estate agents can be manipulated with incentives, basically making them the same as paid advertisements. It is very important to ask an agent you are considering working with if you can talk to a few of their recent clients. Any good agent would be happy to provide their contact info for you.
Although positive online reviews aren’t always very meaningful, the negative ones can tell you a lot about the agent. Google the agent’s name followed by “reviews” and see what comes back. If there are a lot of negative reviews on Google, Yelp, or any other site, see if the agent responded to the reviewer to try to fix their problem.
Ask the Right Questions Of The Local Baton Rouge Real Estate Agent
It also is important to ask the agent (or ideally his/her former clients) the following questions to gauge the agent’s skill:
- Was there any part of the process of buying or selling a home that clients were pleased or particularly displeased with?
- What was the asking price?
- What was the sales price?
- What properties have you worked with in my location?
- What about similarly sized properties?
It’s important to choose an agent who has experience working with homes similar to yours so they will understand the value well and you price your property correctly from the start. I’ve talked to a lot of sellers who listed their homes $40,000 too high only to drop the price $5-10,000 every month.
Check The Real Estate Agent’s Credentials
Verify the agent’s licensing at the LREC’s (Louisiana Real Estate Commission) Website. While you’re on that website, you’re also often able to look into regulatory actions and complaints against the agent.
Your agent’s history is also important. How long have they been in the business? Have they been with the same agency their whole careers or do they bounce around a lot? If they aren’t very experienced, that still can be fine if they are hard workers. Sometimes the best are young and up and coming agents who are trying to prove themselves.
The most important factor is finding a real estate agent in Baton Rouge that you can trust. Frequent communication is extremely important since your house is often the majority of your net worth. A good agent will keep you in the loop and answer questions like:
- How many inquiries have been made about my home?
- How many of these inquiries came from people likely to make a purchase (not just window shoppers)?
- What other properties in this neighborhood are for sale? What is the asking price of those homes?
Ask The Local Real Estate Agent How They Plan On Selling Your House
Sometimes going the direct route is the best. In the case of looking for a local Baton Rouge Louisiana real estate agent, ask them how they intend on selling your house for you that the other agents in town won’t do. And see what their answer is.
Usually the great ones actually have a marketing plan and will get your house exposed to a variety of buyers with a multi strategy method. Many will put it on the MLS, have open houses, use Facebook to promote it, make a virtual tour video, and put it on their website. The more methods they use, the more potential buyers it will reach.
This Is Where Low Priced Isn’t Always The Best
Often times Baton Rouge Louisiana home sellers want to go with the lowest priced option.
Heck, when you look at the numbers, if the agents are earning the standard 6% on a $100,000 sale, that’s $6,000 in fees! It isn’t cheap. Make sure you really do your research before you go with a cut rate agent or a flat fee agent, because that usually means that the service you’re getting is also a lower level service (like they only put it on the MLS).
Some of the best real estate agents in Baton Rouge have great marketing systems and are able to sell homes faster and for higher prices. Even if you find someone to sell your house at a 4.5% commission, make sure you run the numbers factoring in a lower sales price and higher holding costs.
The same goes for selling your house to a local real estate investor like BuyhousesBR. The highest priced offer isn’t always the best. Look at the terms of the deal the house buyer offers you. How long is the inspection period? When is the closing date? Who covers closing costs? Ensure they can close on-time, because every month that goes by costs you money (your mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities, etc.) to hold the property.
It’s important to avoid low-quality real estate agents. These could be “rookies” who will do anything to make their first sale (including leaving your dollars on the table). A good real estate can make selling your home an extremely smooth experience, and will work in your best interest.
So go out there and do your research and find a local real estate agent.
If you need to sell your house fast, we’d love to make you an all-cash fair offer on your house.
We can make you a no-obligation offer in 24 hours or less and you can weigh that option against going with a real estate agent.
Just click the link below and fill out the short form on the next page to get the painless process rolling.