Why Communication Is Key When Selecting an Agent

Welcome back to our series about what you should look for when choosing a great real estate agent. Click here to view the first part of our series.

Want to sell your Loudoun County Home?
Get a free home value report

Want to buy a Loudoun County Home?
Search all homes for sale

Today I wanted to talk about two tools that real estate teams can use to communicate with their clients. Be sure that the agent you hire has exceptional communication skills to keep you in the loop!

One tool we use for that kind of communication is a showing service. This service helps the seller approve showings and know what days and times an agent might be showing your home. There's also an online journal for feedback on your home compared to others in the market.

"Communication is key, so your agent should offer a service for it."

You should also look for a team that uses an interfacing system that allows you to see what that team is doing at all times when it comes to necessary activities for generating a smooth transaction for you. In our case, my Listing manager, my Transaction manager, and I use an online service to give you a sense of what we do on a daily and weekly basis. You should work with a team that constantly gives you the chance to know what's going on with your transaction!

Since it's such a big transaction, the importance of great communication with your agent and their team can't be understated. If you have questions about finding the right agent for you, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to help you out.

Why Are Renters Losing Ground in the Market?

Today we are going to discuss why renters are continuing to lose ground in today’s real estate market. There are some interesting trends at play here that you should be aware of.

Rental properties are not going down on a monthly basis, they are only going up in price. Instead of papering the pockets of your landlord with rental money each month while helping them develop their equity. It may be time for you to start thinking about developing some equity of your own, and saving on your income taxes through a mortgage interest rate tax deduction.

"There are some interesting trends at play."

The second point I have for you is that you will either spend more and get less as time goes by, or if you choose to be a homeowner, you can take advantage of that equity and an appreciating market, which is a huge financial benefit over time.

After 28 years in the business, we are always open and willing to chat about your specific situation. If you have any questions for me, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you!

How to Choose the Best Agent for Your Needs

What factors should you look for when choosing a real estate agent to sell your home? There are many important factors to consider, so this will be part one in a series. 

First of all, you need to look at who is on the real estate team. What background do the team members have? This is one of the most important financial decisions of your life, so you want to work with experienced agents. I am a listing agent, which means I only work with home sellers. When you work with a listing agent, there is no division of loyalty because they are there solely to protect your interests and focus on you. We also have a new listing coordinator that handles all the details in our real estate team.

"What background do the team members have?"

A good real estate team like ours will also have a full-time marketing specialist. The marketing specialist should be able to market your home online with stellar search engine capacity and attract lots of attention to your home. You should also look for a team with a transaction manager, who will take care of you from the time you go under contract to the time of closing. Every real estate transaction involves a ton of paperwork, and the transaction manager is there to make sure everything runs smoothly. 

Of course, these are just a few factors you should consider when hiring a real estate agent. We'll be back with more tips for hiring the right agent for you. If you have any questions in the meantime, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!