Buying or selling a home for your family may seem straight forward, but there are many factors that can make that experience good or bad. Among the most important factors is buying low and selling high, and then finding something new will be a good investment for the future. In a place like Cedar City, there is a diverse real estate market. From Leigh Hill to Old Iron Town or Cedar Mountain to Cedar Main Street, the landscapes surrounding lots and homes vary greatly. Understanding the various issues clients face when making a buying or selling decision is the job of a skilled real estate agent, and it’s good to find the best the area has to offer. There are three main criteria to consider when hiring an agent.
The Best Agent Will Have Diverse Experience with the Local Market
To know something, you have to experience it firsthand. Reading about things is nice, but it’s those agents who have lived in Cedar City, bought and sold their own homes in Cedar City, and worked through various market conditions that make the best agents. One of the ways you can test an agent you may potentially hire is to ask about the market, not just the current market but how it has performed historically. Not only that but ask about different properties you are interested in buying and how those types of properties have historically performed. Some homes in certain areas of the city might always sell well, while others, even if new, may have more specific challenges when the market shifts with the economy. By asking specific questions, you’ll either get competent answers or not. Not only should you consider an agent who is competent with experience representing clients, but ask about his or her personal experience with buying and selling and investing in general. Real estate agents who have invested their own time and money in the market will have additional insights from their personal ventures. Many of the top agents in Cedar City own land, own rentals, and have invested in fixer-uppers and flipped homes. These experiences bring knowledge and experience that will be obvious as you look for the right home for you and your family.
The Best Agent Will Have Strong Sales
At the end of the day, statistics tell most of the story. An agent who doesn’t sell many homes or help people buy homes probably isn’t very effective. Now, it is important to realize that not all agents get the most value for their clients. Poor experience or poor representation can cost clients, so strong sales don’t always mean all of the sales were top dollar. Same with asking about how many homes they have helped clients buy. However, asking an agent about these stats is one step in learning about how successful they are at what they do. It is important to realize that some agents inflate their sales with large teams that work under them, which may make it seem like they help people buy and sell individually more than they actually do. Sometimes these agents are having their teams handle a client’s listing, which may or may not work for you if you are expecting the person you initially consulted with to do the job. With that in mind, asking about this information can help inform whether or not an agent is the best one to represent you.
The Best Agent Will Be Available
If you hire an agent with the most sales, but they are too busy to properly represent you at the moment, that properly won’t work for you. It’s good to ask an agent about their time constraints and about how much time they will be able to spend on helping you buy a home or sell a home. People have hired real estate agents in Cedar City and then not been able to get calls returned or email responses, and sometimes that cost them a good deal when time was of the essence. Not only should you ask about their availability, be sure to let an agent know what your timetable is for either buying or selling. For example, if you have to move for a new job, make it clear how soon you need to sell in order to move to a new location. This will allow you and the agent to determine if meeting your needs is possible with your specific needs. The most successful real estate professionals in the area don’t work a nine to five schedule, and the very best will be available to you when you want to look at a listing or have a question about a particular part of a contract for your sale. The best agents know that availability helps make clients feel secure in the buying and selling process, which is often complicated and stressful.
Experience, sales, and availability make up the trifecta of the best Cedar City real estate agent. If you can find a professional strong in these three areas, you can find representation that will meet all of your needs with this diverse real estate market. Take time to do some research and to find someone who will be the best for your particular buying or selling needs.