13 Qualities That Make a Good Real Estate Agent

Like in any profession, among real estate agents there are those who do their job somehow adequately, and those who do it with passion and achieve good results almost effortlessly. These latter ones put into their work that extra something that goes beyond what their work ethic or code of conduct prescribe. Let's look at what we think distinguishes good agents from others.

A good agent is one who…

… visits the property

When visiting, the agent thoroughly examines every corner and asks the owner to honestly tell them everything about the negatives. If after the sale something emerges as a hidden defect, it's a punishment for all parties involved, so there's no point in sweeping anything under the rug, so to speak. A good agent asks the owner as many questions as needed so they can get as objective a picture as possible of the property being sold.

… knows the laws

If an agent with little experience doesn't yet know the laws very well, they should have someone who can quickly give good advice if needed. For example, they should know how things work with jointly owned property objects, etc.

… knows how to deal with banks

A good agent knows how things work with banks and can also advise their client in this area. This is very important. An agent should ask an interested buyer one of the first things whether they've already been to the bank, and if not, provide recommendations. Before making a booking, at least the initial visit to the bank should be made. Otherwise, it may happen that a booking is made, but later it turns out that the bank won't provide an online loan.

… knows who to call

This means the agent has a list of contacts of necessary people. This list includes, for example, a notary, a construction specialist, a photographer, and perhaps some other specialist from whom you can get advice and help.

Good contact with a notary is important for the reason that sometimes a transaction is very rushed, but there are no free notary appointments anywhere to be found. If an agent has good contact at a particular notary's office where they can quickly turn to with their client, that's certainly a big plus.

… is calm and creative

Every agent encounters surprises from time to time, and even the most experienced of them can't say they've seen absolutely everything that can come up on the real estate market. To solve such situations, you need both a calm mind and creativity.

If a client doesn't have, for example, a building permit or some other documents in order, the agent is not the one who solves all the problems, but the agent must be able to give advice on what to do in one situation or another and who it makes most sense to turn to.

They must also be able and willing to honestly tell the client if an apartment or house is, for example, built incorrectly in some way and the bank won't give a loan because of it and has to start considering private to private loans, which have the highest interest rates.

… knows how to sell

Anyone can put up an advertisement and on the kinnisvara24.ee portal it's especially easy. However, a good agent has a ready plan for how they will sell your apartment or house. This means setting the right price right from the start and giving the owner honest feedback on what price it's possible to sell property in that area for at that moment; what is the realistic price your property can get. Of course, leaving some room for a small discount, but doing everything thoughtfully.

Not so good agents sometimes do this: they put the property on sale at the price the owner wants, but then they simply have to admit later that they missed the mark with the price. It may happen that the house or apartment has to be sold at an even lower price than would have been possible if the price had been set correctly from the beginning.

A good agent has a gut feeling about the appraisal, which means they can roughly say what price will be written in the appraisal.

… keeps a finger on the pulse

An agent should give the client feedback about once a week on how many times the listing has been viewed and how many potential buyers have seen the property. Keeping a finger on the pulse also means, for example, that if the season has changed, new photos are taken, because in the middle of summer no one is attracted by snowy exterior views and it makes them wonder why the apartment or house hasn't sold.

If an apartment or house doesn't sell, the agent needs to figure out what the problem is. The reason could be the price, poorly written advertisement, insufficient advertising, or something else. An agent should know what the normal listing traffic is and be able to take action if the actual number falls significantly short of that.

And of course, keeping a finger on the pulse means that the agent is available and responds to the client within a reasonable time.

… can write good sales copy

Good sales copy means it's written in a form that draws attention and is honest and clear. Honesty includes everything a potential buyer should know, because if an interested person already comes to view it and only then discovers some important defect, they usually say they would have wanted to know that right away. Perhaps another buyer wouldn't mind this particular defect, so it's worth being honest in any case.

For example, if a house or apartment is missing a building permit, that means tremendous fussing and paperwork for the new owner. If such a thing isn't mentioned, it will cause disappointment to many clients and waste everyone's time.

If the listing has beautiful pictures of the entrance and living room, but lacks honest feedback about the bathroom's condition and layout, it can still cause disappointment.

You should also write the sales copy honestly about the amount of utilities in both summer and winter months, as these are a very important part of the entire transaction.

… takes professional photos

In good photos, the rooms are clean and more or less all of the current owner's personal items must be removed, except of course furniture and other furnishings. If necessary, furniture is also moved around so the room's true potential comes out.

Good photos have a lot of light and beautiful colors.

… gets the owner out of the house

If the owner lives on the property being sold, a good agent gets them out of the house, because the owner is not objective and can hinder the sales process. For example, it can happen that a potential buyer says something insulting about their living room or some room layout, to which the owner reacts sharply, and suddenly the deal is at risk. The owner and buyer may also simply not get along as people.

If the owner doesn't live there, they should give the agent the keys, so it's more convenient and easier for everyone.

… has a correct appearance

Comments are unnecessary. Or well, we've seen an agent who did their job in a dress, and we also know a girl who thought real estate agent work called for clothes that were actually more suited to a nightclub.

An agent represents their client and that must always be taken into account.

… can defend the price

Buyers must be given reasons why the specific apartment or house is on sale at exactly that price, and arguments must be presented. If there's some important advantage, then a good agent can talk about it, as well as about the market value of the apartment or house. This could be a garage, parking space, some piece of furniture, kitchen cabinets, etc.