What to Look for in a Real Estate Agent
Not all investors in houses for rent in Kona Hawaii will need the support of a real estate agent. Seasoned investors likely have the connections and the know-how to blossom personally and financially without external support. New investors, however, could really benefit from the insights of a real estate agent. However, spending money on an agent will inevitably backfire if you don’t know what to look for in an agent. A good agent will exhibit very specific behaviors, assets, and skill sets. He or she is likely to be more expensive than a bad agent, but the agent is part of your investment; her or she is likely to procure you more valuable assets with higher returns.
Looking for an agent? Here are some of the attributes that set the stellar agents apart from the mediocre.
A Good Agent Will Gauge Your Needs
The more questions your agent asks, and the more genuine his or her interest in your personal success appears, the more likely it is that you have truly found yourself a high quality real estate agent to help you purchase houses for rent in Kona Hawaii.
Real estate is not a one-size fits all formula. An agent that breezes over essential questions and issues advice pre-emptively is not a good agent. Such behavior suggests a poor understanding of the complexity of real estate. If you are a fix and flipper, your buying objectives are going to be entirely different from those of someone seeking to buy and hold houses for rent in Kona Hawaii. And, even between buy and holders, there are bound to be nuanced differences in long-term objectives. Different long-term objectives, in turn, have significant implications for decision making in the short term.
You want a real estate agent who is capable of providing you with appropriate options and innovative solutions. Your agent should ask you about your short and long-term goals. He or she should ask how you plan to get there, how hands-on you wish to be as an investor in houses for rent in Kona Hawaii, and what type of investing you are interested in. Further, he or she should be able to suggest options and practices that will compliment your strategies and objectives.
Finally, a good agent will be genuinely interested in aligning their skills with your goals. If someone promises they are capable of tackling any type of investment, steer clear. Instead, seek an agent with specific experiences that speak to their ability to support you as an investor.
A Good Agent Will Have Connections
Bad real estate agents oftentimes lack connections. They may simply be new to the field. Maybe they’ve done something to repel the savvier professionals. In either case, an agent without connections is no good for investing in houses for rent in Kona Hawaii.
A good agent, on the other hand, will boast strong relationships with other real estate professionals. You need to be conscious of the people your prospective agent knows and associates with. Their day-to-day business operations are important, but their relationships will truly speak to their performance as an agent.
A good way to gauge whether your prospective agent has strong connections and, by extension, is a strong agent, is to ask about past experience. What companies and individuals have they worked with? Do they have positive relationships with other key players in the investment process, like contractors and repair people? The strongest agents will have not only their own skills to advertise; they will also be able to connect you with other capable professionals.
It is incredibly important that these connections include other successful investors. Some real estate agents may be incredibly successful and talented and still lack the skills to catapult you to success. After all, the majority of agents are working with standard buyers and sellers, not investors. Sure, your agent could have hundreds of positive reviews from families seeking homes. But if they cannot provide another investor in houses for rent in Kona Hawaii as a reference, you may want to consider another agent.
A real estate agent worth your time is one who seeks to make you a lifelong connection as well. Inexperienced or blatantly bad agents are usually looking to close the deal as fast as possible. Their prerogative is efficiency and their own finances, not you and your success. A good agent will be interested in putting in the work to build a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship.
A Good Agent Knows His or Her Worth
Good agents know that they are worth your time and thus behave with confidence and finesse. They don’t put on a show or speak disparagingly of other agents to create an illusion of superiority. They know that their own success speaks for itself.
It is important to note that there is a very major difference between confidence and cockiness. A cocky agent either has an unrealistic self-concept or is compensating for a deficiency in skill and experience. Confidence, on the other hand, is indicative of true skill and competence.
A lot of people become agents in the interest of making good money but lack a passion for what they do. It’s not hard to differentiate the greedy slackers from the passionate agents; body language and tone can say just as much as the content of someone’s words. If you have found an agent that is relaxed and enthusiastic, and who can both engage you with questions and hold up their end of a conversation about investing, consider furthering the relationship. The best agents don’t rattle off advice without context, nor do they ask tons of questions to compensate for their limited knowledge. Instead, they will engage you in a genuine give-and-take.
If an agent seems competent but is behaving coercively, steer clear. Agents don’t need to push you in a specific direction if they are primarily concerned with your success. It’s only self-interested agents that will try to persuade you to do something that doesn’t feel right to you. Trust your intuition and your knowledge.
Finally, a good agent who knows their worth will charge accordingly. As an investor, it’s a big mistake to choose an agent solely due to their low commission. Sure, a lower commission will save you money. However, it probably won’t save you as much as investing in a great agent who will land you an incredible deal and continue to work with you in the future.