How to spot a good real estate agent?

I'd like to share to you several tips on how to spot a good real estate agent. That is, trustworthy, supportive, accommodating and competent. I want to tell only of the agent and not the company. The reputation of a company does not guarantee that all of its agents are good. I don't claim that I have a lot of experience with real estate agents though. I have only met several of them when I myself was looking for a small house for our family. I really consider myself lucky for I've found an agent worth my commendations.

First, the agent should give you his/her full contact details including that of her associate/staff and she/he replies back/answers to your queries. When I say full contact details, she/he is willing to provide even  home telephone numbers in addition to office and mobile numbers. It is very important that your agent is reachable most of the time especially when you need answers to your urgent concerns/queries. You should be able to experience this even when when you haven't sealed your transaction or have not made any final decision yet. It shows how sincere the agent is in attending to your needs and will most likely be consistent all throughout.

Your agent should be willing to take you for a no-commitment visit to the site. Many agents would take you to visit the site of the project only to be sort of obliged to sign an agreement that you want to purchase a unit from them. I'd rather go for the agent that does not rush me into committing but shows competence in a consistent manner by explaining what you as a future buyer should know and understand.

The agent is knowledgeable about the project sites and other options. This really helps in assessing what is most suitable for you. If the agent can give you several options after you have provided what your needs are and if he/she can answer most of your queries on the presence of schools nearby, markets, and transportation modes to and from your workplace, that shows that he/she really knows his/her craft. If she's even willing to tour you around the area so you can see for yourself, that is definitely some plus points. 

Finally, you might want to ask your prospect agent about some things that could really help you check out whether he/she's willing to go that extra mile to help you into most of the stresses of buying the unit, from securing documents to opening your checking account to obtaining the receipts and even in supervising the house construction (if you opt for pre-selling). Believe me,it would really help a lot that the agent is super competent and patient when it comes to these. I'm really lucky, 'cause my agent did run from here to there just to fetch from my place the documents needed for submission to the developer (I'm in Makati, Camella is in Alabang and my agent lives in Pasay), handed me over the official receipts herself whenever I requested her to because I was way too busy, and really accompanied me to the area during the construction period, helped me talk to the contractor, gave me pointers, and all. 

How to find them?

Do explore. Search the web for real estate agents that already have relatively long experience. It helps to check out their websites. Groups that have their own websites are relatively more established and more serious about their job. Give them a call. If they reply to you quickly, that should mean something. Ask people who have already purchased real properties. Get referrals. Call only those agents that got positive feedback from their clients. There are agents that may have been super okay at the start, but by the moment they made the sale, can no longer be reached. Avoid them. Go only for those who are competent. Through this, you can have less hassle and worries. You are also contributing in the effort to improve quality of service by these real estate agents.

Interested in meeting my agent? Send me email at: thepinoymom@yahoo.com.

(Top: our unit during construction; Above: my agent and my contractor; Below: the contractor and me checking out dimensions of one of the restrooms, and the view outside the Drina model at Camella Cerritos)