The Advantages of an Every Day Agent

For most of us, we only think about talking to a Realtor® when we’re getting ready to buy or sell a piece of property.  We need to make a real estate deal, so by referral or by sheer luck we go out and try to find the perfect person to represent us in our transaction.  Sometimes you find the right person to get the job done, and sometimes you end up working with an agent that’s so bad you begin to wonder if their real estate license is even worth the paper it’s printed on. 

This second scenario is an extremely dangerous place to be when you consider that the transaction you’re attempting to conduct involves one of the most sizable assets you have.  You wouldn’t trust this person to sell you lemonade off the sidewalk, and yet here they are representing the purchase or sale of your home.  There has to be a better way, right? 

Absolutely and it comes in finding and retaining a Realtor® that will advise and work with you whether you’re actually conducting a transaction or not. 
 
The idea of having an ongoing relationship with your Realtor® is definitely unique, and given the nature of the industry it may not always be feasible; but if you’re in the right situation this kind of professional partnership can be invaluable.  Simply answer the following questions: 
• Do you purchase and/or sell property at least every 5 years?
• Do you make your real estate transactions in the same state or set of states?
• Do you have 2nd or 3rd homes and/or investment properties?
• Do you have high interest in real estate “deals” like pre-construction, fixer-uppers, or foreclosures?
 
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it might be a good idea to consider finding a Realtor® that you can keep in contact with on a regular basis.   
So what exactly do you talk to a Realtor® about if you’re not conducting a transaction?  Simply put, you talk to them to see if there’s a transaction you can or should be conducting at any given time.  To expand on this, read on to see the top 5 reasons to want your own Every Day Agent: 

REASON #1 

Market awareness.  The number one reason to have an Every Day Agent is to keep abreast of how the real estate market is fairing.  Being that real estate is their industry a good agent will have a critical understanding of what’s currently happening in the market.  They’re usually the first to know when things like property taxes have changed or home value forecasts have fluctuated, and they’re in a knowledgeable position to assess how all these variations might affect the purchase or sale of property. 
In addition, a good agent will not only know what is happening with the market, but how any fluctuations will affect your real estate transactions.  They can also keep you up-to-date on the latest upgrades and innovations that are affecting property sales, the newest hot locations to buy vacation or investment properties, and any new construction you may be interested in purchasing.

REASON #2 

Long-Term Property Sales Strategy.  Building on the first reason, by understanding when and how the real estate market may change, a good Realtor® will be able to help you strategically plan when it’s to your best advantage to sell a property.  They can help you forecast possible future listing dates that will work to your advantage in a sale. 
A number or variables can affect the sale of a property, and many of them are impossible to know unless you’re in real estate.  Not only can the current state of the market affect a sale, but also the number of similar properties available at a particular time, the current trends in real estate purchasing, and many other factors can play a major role in the amount of money you’ll receive at closing.  A good Realtor that you’ve built a solid partnership with can help you avoid trying to sell during a period that isn’t right for you and your property.

REASON #3

Purchase Planning. As mentioned briefly in Reason #1, a good agent will be able to tell you when the time is right to purchase a property.  By having a long-term, every day agent, you are less likely to get pressured into purchasing when the time is wrong, as you might with an agent that you just met.  By building a long-term relationship with a Realtor they can trust that you are going to give them your business eventually, so they will be more likely to tell it to you straight whether or not it’s time to buy. 
For investment and/or vacation property buyers, having an every day agent is an essential tool.  They can be an invaluable for providing information on up-and-coming locations and cities, new and pre-construction projects that fit your personal style, and new innovations that may affect how or when you want to buy your next property.  

REASON #4 

Your Personal Dream Home Hunter.  If you’re like many home owners, over the years of living in and owning various properties you’ve probably come up with a pretty good idea of what your perfect dream home would be.  You thought of a list of amenities and features you can’t live without, a style of property that suits you perfectly, and possibly even the price you’d be willing to pay if you ever happened to find perfection. 
Unfortunately, “building” a perfect dream home in your mind is a lot easier than trying to find it in the real world.  A property that fits your criterion may not have been available when you purchased before, or you didn’t have the capital to invest when it was on the market, or you’re waiting for the day a particular property goes up for sale.  Whatever the reason, an every day agent will be able to keep a constant eye out for that perfect property for you.  Then when one does come up, you’ll be one of the first to know and have a better chance of getting that dream home you want. 

REASON #5

Continuous Advice for a Single Source.  Tying all the above points together, real estate is like any other industry: there is always an advantage to working with a single expert over the long-term, rather than going to a different professional each time.  The same way that a doctor who’s known and worked with you for years will be able to better assess your health at any given time, a good Realtor can do the same to maintain the health of your property portfolio.  In the same way that it seems a little dangerous to switch doctors every time you need one because the new person won’t have any history with you, switching Realtors® every time you buy or sell property can be a risky way to handle your biggest assets. 
Just as you would when you find a good doctor, you should hold onto at good Realtor when you find one and make sure that they’re the one representing you every time you make a real estate transaction.   
 

Not every agent may be willing to work with you in this kind of long-term partnership, but true real estate professionals know the value of keeping in regular contact with their clients.  At Terrabella Realty, we constantly strive to find real estate specialists who treat their business like the service industry it is.  To find out more information or to set up a consultation to start a long-term partnership with one of our real estate specialists we invite you to call us at 305.933.3022, or to contact us via email at info@terrabellarealty.com.

Click here to read the full Terrabella Real Estate guide to Home Buying .