In life, good communication has always been a hallmark in maintaining a good relationship and working well with others. It has always been a two-way street, and this especially holds true when you are working with a real estate agent to buy a home. Successful agents are skilled communicators because they need to be to do their job right. But they also rely on their clients to be willing and able to communicate with them. Here are a few ways to keep up ongoing communication with your agent, and why it’s so important.
Stick to One Agent
It can be tempting to contact multiple agents when you see houses you are interested in and want to tour. However, it is better to work with one agent and to maintain a good client-agent relationship, especially if you sign a contract with that agent. If your agent expects you to be exclusive with them because you have hired them to find you a house, then you would go directly through them to arrange a viewing versus contacting the listing agent to schedule.
Using multiple agents can become messy very quickly and potentially sour your client-agent relationship. It can also put a damper on your communications with your agent who may take this as a sign you are not serious about working with them.
Be Upfront About Your Wants, Needs & Expectations
It is important to be clear and upfront when communicating your wants, needs, and expectations to your real estate agent when beginning to shop for a home. This helps avoid wasting your time looking at homes that you would not consider buying.
Your needs are things that you cannot live without, for example, if you have a large family, you definitely need multiple bedrooms and bathrooms. Your wants might be you would love to have a built-in swimming pool, but it is not a deal-breaker if the property is large enough to accommodate a pool in the future. Your expectations may be that you have only a certain window of time to find a home because you need to relocate for your job.
Be Clear About Your Expectations for Communication
It is important to maintain an open line of communication with your real estate agent throughout the entire process of shopping and buying a home. Make sure to specify how you prefer to communicate with your agent. You might prefer text messages instead of phone calls. You might want daily or weekly updates of homes available for sale that meet your criteria. However, you do need to have a little flexibility for those times when your agent wants to contact you quickly to let you know of a new property that has become available or if you need to take action on something with a purchase in the process.
Remember to Ask Questions
Part of communicating effectively with your agent is to not be afraid to ask questions. It is better to ask than to guess about something that you do not understand or if something does not seem right during your home search or purchase. Your agent should always be happy to answer your questions in a timely manner.
Communication Skills You Can Expect from Your Palmetto Real Estate Agent
As stated earlier, communication is a two-way street. As a buyer, you should also expect good communication and transparency from your real estate agent. When you choose Palmetto Realty, you can expect your agent to:
- Provide you with timely and consistent communication. You can expect timely responses to your phone calls and emails. Your agent will also give you regular updates so that you know what is happening at every stage of your transaction.
- Be an active listener. Our agents are always ready to listen to your concerns and questions throughout the entire home buying process. This allows them to understand the needs and desires of our clients.
- Be straightforward and transparent. You can expect our agents to provide you with the information you need when buying a home. They will give you upfront answers and keep you up-to-date throughout the buying process.
- Be experienced with conflict resolution. Even the simplest of real estate transactions may hit a snag now and then. Our agents are skilled in negotiation, remain calm and optimistic when confronting a conflict, and are ready to assist with solutions.
- Gather the information you need. Our agents know what questions to ask to assure that your needs and goals are met while responding to any concerns you may have with buying your home.
- Present themselves in a professional manner. Body language is an essential part of communication, especially during real estate negotiations. You can rest assured that our agents display confidence as proof of their experience.
- Communicate in a clear and concise manner. You can expect our agents to communicate in a clear and concise manner in their communications to you. But if you ever have any questions, do not hesitate to ask for clarification to avoid any misunderstandings.
Whether you are buying or selling a home in the DeLand or Volusia County area, you can depend on the real estate agents of Palmetto Realty to make the process as easy as possible. Contact us today to get started today!