5 Reasons You Need a Houston Area REALTOR’

Questions to Ask When Choosing a Houston REALTOR’

5 Reasons You Need a Houston Area REALTOR’

1. A Houston real estate transaction is complicated. In most cases, buying or selling a Houston home requires disclosure forms, inspection reports, mortgage documents, insurance policies, deeds, and multi-page government-mandated settlement statements. A knowledgeable Houston area REALTOR as a guide through this complexity can help you avoid delays or costly mistakes.

2. Selling or buying a Houston home is time consuming. Even in a strong market, homes in our area stay on the market for an average of 60-90 days. And it usually takes another 60 days or so for the transaction to close after an offer is accepted.

3. Real estate has its own language. If you don’t know a CMA from a PUD, you can understand why it’s important to work with someone who speaks that language.

4. Houston REALTORS’ have done it before. Most people buy and sell only a few homes in a lifetime, usually with quite a few years in between each purchase. And even if you’ve done it before, laws and regulations change. That’s why having an expert on your side is critical.

5. Houston area REALTORS’ provide objectivity. Since a Houston home often symbolizes family, rest, and security, not just four walls and roof, home selling or buying is often a very emotional undertaking. And for most people, a home is the biggest purchase they’ll every make. Having a concerned, but objective, third party helps you keep focused on both the business and emotional issues most important to you.

Questions to Ask When Choosing a Houston Area REALTOR’

1. How long have you been in Houston residential real estate sales? Is it your full-time job? While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate, like many other professions, is mostly learned on the job.

2. Tell me about some of your recent Houston transactions and clients?  You’re looking for a Houston real estate agent that can clearly articulate their services, benefits and successes in the Houston real estate market.

3. How many Houston homes did you and your company sell last year?

4. How many days did it take you to sell the average home? How did that compare to the overall market?

5. How close to the initial asking prices of the Houston homes you sold were the final sale prices?

6. What types of specific marketing systems and approaches will you use to sell my Houston home? Look for someone who has aggressive, innovative approaches, not just someone who’s going to put a sign in the yard and hope for the best.

7. Will you represent me exclusively, or will you represent both the buyer and the seller in the transaction? While it’s usually legal to represent both parties in a transaction, it’s important to understand where the agent’s obligations lie. A good agent will explain the agency relationship to you and describe the rights of each party. It’s also possible to insist that the agent represent you exclusively.

8. Can you recommend service providers who can assist me in obtaining a mortgage, making repairs on my home, and other things I need done? Keep in mind here that Houston REALTORS should generally recommend more than one provider and should tell you if they receive any compensation from any provider.

9. What type of support and supervision does your Houston brokerage office provide to you? Having resources such as in-house support staff, access to a real estate attorney, or assistance with technology can help an agent sell your home.

10. What’s your business philosophy? While there’s no right answer to this question, the response will help you assess what’s important to the agent’fast sales, service, etc.’and determine how closely the agent’s goals and business emphasis mesh with your own.

11. How will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction? How frequently? Using what media? Again, this is not a question with a correct answer, but that one reflects your desires. Do you want updates twice a week or don’t want to be bothered unless there’s a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone, e-mail, or a personal visit?

12. Could you please give me the names and phone numbers of your three most recent clients?

Paige Martin is a member of the prestigious Martha Turner Properties’ Circle of Excellence, an award given to honor the company’s top producers. Paige is a member of HAR, TAR and the National Association of Realtors. Her website, , features over 500 pages of Houston real estate information and details on over 40,000 properties of Houston Texas Real Estate for sale as well, as free tips on how to quickly sell Houston homes. Paige Martin, Realtor, Martha Turner Properties.

Call Paige at 713-384-5177 to tour a Houston Tx home today or email [email protected] for more information.