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In any market, real estate agents are always looking for new clients. That’s even more true for our current real estate market as sales are down and many agents are leaving the business.

Most agents would love to work for you, so how do you choose the best Realtor® for yourself?

Here are the top four factors to consider. Or, since we’re in basketball country, let’s call these the Final Four of Realtor® Selection.

1. How Trustworthy Is Your Louisville Realtor®?

While this can be difficult to discern, having a trustworthy agent is the most important factor for your next transaction to be successful. You want an agent who’s going to work towards your best interests.

The best way to learn about trustworthy Louisville Realtors is to ask people you trust if they would highly recommend their Realtor. Notice I said “highly”? If they say something like, “Yeah, she was fine” that’s not a ringing endorsement.

You want someone who’s going to go the extra mile for you. If a situation arises where your agent has a choice between your best interest and their own, you want them to side with you. Top agents put you first!

There are also free websites like Yelp and Findwell.com that give some additional insight into what past customers felt about their agent. Angie’s List is a subscription-based site that also tracks ratings about all kinds of service providers, including real estate agents in Louisville, KY.

2. Match Your Personality with Your Louisville Realtor

Due to the nature of the business, you’ll likely be spending a great deal of time with your Realtor during the sale or purchase of your new home. Having a positive personality match is huge!

• Do you want to get the know the person behind the job? Or, would you rather it remain strictly business?
• Would you like the agent to notify you regarding every new piece of information, no matter how large or small? Or, would it be better if they only contacted you with the important stuff?
• Like the phone calls? Or, prefer emails and texts?

Being on the same page with your Realtor will make the potentially stressful process a lot easier to handle.

Have a sit down with any potential candidates and let them know you’re interviewing agents to find the best match. Good agents will appreciate your honesty and the one selected will put their best effort forward knowing you’ll be loyal to them throughout the process.

Ask if they use an agency agreement. If so, tell them you’d like to know exactly what it contains. That way expectations are understood from the start. I believe that agency agreements improve real estate transactions and build trust between both the agent and his or her client.

3. Top Louisville Agents Have Experience

There are many measures of experience: years as a professional, years in real estate, the number of homes sold, and the total value of properties bought or sold. All of these increase the Realtor’s knowledge base.

Most real estate transactions move along a predictable course. But if something unusual arises, does the agent have the experience to best handle that particular situation?

I believe many consumers incorrectly put the value on an agent’s company. Whether an agent works for RE/MAX or Century21 has little to do with that agent’s ability to perform well for their clients. There are plenty of great agents that work for boutique real estate companies.

Experience alone does not a great Realtor make but it certainly helps.

4. Does Your Louisville Agent Have the Right Expertise?

Louisville real estate has many facets. Of course, there’s a difference between commercial and residential real estate. But even within residential, some agents focus a greater part of their attention on being a selling agent and only work as a buyer’s agent on occasion. The reverse is also true.

Then there’s relocation, property management, appraisals, interior design, and the rise of distressed properties—short-sale specialists and REO specialists.

You need to find the best Louisville Realtor for the real estate job at hand. Are you looking to sell your Louisville home? Focus on agents who do a great job making sure your home is well staged, take gorgeous photos (and plenty of them!), and then promote your listing, not just on our Greater Louisville MLS but across all the major real estate Web sits.

Moving to Louisville from Chicago? An agent who has expertise as a relocation specialist understands the additional things that factor into your decision like good schools, reducing commute times, notifying the utility company, comparing property taxes, and more. These agents are better equipped to make sure your cross-state move is a smooth one.

Conclusion

So who is the best Realtor in Louisville? The answer, of course, depends on you and your needs.

I hope the information I’ve provided will help you identify which agent will make your next move a successful one.