Choosing a real estate agent to work for you

So you are looking to sell your home, your property, your real estate investment. You have chosen to use a real estate agent (a good choice if I do say so myself!). How do you chose an agent? Shop around! My first suggestion is to see who works in the area. Look online. Talk to the local people. As much as some of us real estate people like to think that we can be experts in all areas of real estate in all areas of the country, we cannot. A local real estate agent knows what is going on locally. They know what prices properties are selling for. They know how long properties are taking to sell. They know the local economic climate - what new developments are coming; what is happening with the local job market; what the tax climate is like. My point is, just because someone is a top notch real estate agent in one area, does not mean that they are an expert in another. For example, I do not know much about the local real estate market in Lethbridge or Calgary. If someone has a property that they want to sell there, (or buy) and they ask me to help them, the best thing that I feel that I can do is to refer them to a real estate agent who knows that area. I am also aware of areas where an agent has listed a property that is out of their region, put up a sign, and the agent is never seen again. How is that beneficial? Not very.

Check for For Sale signs. What is the condition of the sign itself? Does it look like someone takes care in their work, or is the sign falling down?

Check on the internet. Google an area and real estate agent. One warning - there are some bogus real estate sites, the same as in other industries. Make sure you check around and make a few phone calls to make sure that the agent is who he/she says they are. Ask how much activity they have had in the area that you are looking at.

Interview a few agents. If you "click" with one another, great! If not, move on. Remember that the agent works for you. Make sure that you have an employee that you are comfortable with.

Condominium Living

I am hosting an open house at 120 Whispering Way in Vulcan today. This is one half of a side by side bungalow in a 45+ adult community. (ha ha! I am still too young to live here!). It is a nice two bedroom bungalow with single attached garage, walk-in closets, natural gas fireplace in the living room, and full undeveloped basement. This is close to the "back nine" at the Vulcan Golf Course. Only $100 per month for condo fees keeps your yard looking great in the summer and the sidewalks and roads clear in the winter. Listed at just under $190,000, this is a pretty good deal. If this property were in a larger centre, the price would be much higher. Yet in Vulcan, where we have a hospital, police station, 18 hole golf course, swimming pool, and more, you'll see that the town has plenty to offer. And maybe one day when I am old enough, I could live in this part of town, the Adult Community!

Open House

I am hosting an open house today at 215 Allen Crescent in Vulcan. This is a 2008 bungalow, three bedrooms on the main floor and one in the basement. One full bath on main floor and one in the basement. Double attached garage. It is listed just under $200,000. There has been interest in this property lately, in several Vulcan properties actually, which is nice to see.

One thing that is not so nice to see is the foreclosures in town. My listing is a foreclosure property, the one next to it, 211 Allen Crescent just came on the market and is a foreclosure ($389,000 listing), and across the street from that one is another foreclosure.

My listing is the cheapest one on the street. It is not as high quality as the other houses. It needs some street appeal to make it look better. A little bit of soil, some flowers, a little tree here and there and it would sure spice things up! Some paint on the fence (once its repaired), it the value would increase big time! You have heard that it does not pay to be the nicest house on the block, as the surrounding properties bring down your value? Well if you are then"cheapest" house on the block, everyone else is bringing up your value. And if you fix up that house, the value of the whole neighborhood increases! Do you catch my drift?