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Need A Realtor In Destin? — Get The Facts First
August 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Thinking about buying or selling a property in Destin, Florida? You’ve done all of your research ahead of time, we hope?. Are you ready; really ready? I’ve taken care of more than 50 million dollars of real estate transactions and I have a few tips for you which can help.
I have found in my own experience that about 95% or agents and brokers really aren’t going to help you much ? however, the other 5% of them can be a lifesaver. This may sound like a harsh assessment, but I’ve found it to be the case in Destin and everywhere else I’ve ever dealt with properties. For our purposes here, I’m going to go ahead and assume you’re looking for something here in Destin; so you’ll want to find Destin realtors to help you out.
Here is my challenge to you. Go to Google and type in the search term “Destin Realtor”. After you get back 14 bajillion results, now start clicking from Google to their web sites…. What do you see?
Probably that almost all of them look exactly the same. The typical realtor’s website you’ll find will have a smiling photo of the realtor, a place to search MLS, a spot for their listings, an about me section and a brief profile of the community ? everything a prospective buyer needs, right?
As someone that has hunted for real estate agents across the country, let me tell you what is missing…… I HAVE NO IDEA IF THAT PERSON KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT OR NOT. I absolutely know that any agent can show me properties on the MLS, I absolutely know that they will take me around looking at properties, etc. etc.
But why would you or anyone else want to deal with a real estate agent or broker who doesn’t know the market and the community like they know the back of their hand? I know I’d rather work with an agent who is intimately familiar with the territory.
So how can you find the top 5% of Destin realtors? While there are a lot of ways to find a realtor, the first step to finding a truly great one is to become familiar with the market yourself. In a recent blog post, I suggested that buyers take some time and check out realtor.com to study the market in depth in any area where they are considering buying.
Why? Simple ? you will ten know when you are actually talking to agents and brokers whether or not they are knowledgeable about the market in Destin. Tell the broker what you’re looking for exactly and then listen. If they’re good at what they do, then they’ll get what you’re looking for and be able to give you truly valuable information. If they are not so skilled, be prepared for them to not make a whole lot of sense and have them push one or two properties in particular at you.
Don’t stop once you’ve found one good Destin realtor; talk to a few more until you are certain you’ve found the right realtor. Now you’ll really be prepared to work along with the best possible Destin realtor to find the perfect property for you in Destin, Florida.
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