Advice for choosing a Realtor when moving to Houston
There is much to think about and many decisions to be made when moving to a new city. Working with a Realtor who is knowledgeable about the local market can be an invaluable asset. Ideally, relocation home buyers should begin working with a Realtor as early in the process as possible. This can easily be achieved when a Realtor has been referred or recommended to them.
But, in the absence of such a referral, trying to find a Realtor in an unfamiliar city can seem like a very daunting task.
Kirsten Abney is senior vice president of Heritage Texas Properties, where she oversees the company’s Relocation Department. She offered the following advice and recommendations for people who need to find a Realtor when moving to Houston:
1. Start with end in mind.
“It’s important to determine up front what relocation home buyers want the end result to be in terms the market area or areas they’re interested in, what they want their commute to be, whether schools are important, what their lifestyle preferences area, what they want in a community, and their price range.
Once they are able to narrow it down to what they want the end result to be, it’s easier to identify an agent who might be able to help them achieve that goal. And, it’s important to have an agent who is knowledgeable about the market area or areas that they interested in.”
2. Research agents in specific market areas.
“One way to identify agents who are knowledgeable about the market areas that someone is interested in, is to go online and see which agents might cover those specific market areas. The information on some websites can be misleading, so I recommend looking on har.com.” 3. Get a referral. “I would encourage people to try to get a referral in some way. It could be through someone they know, or through the Realtor that they worked with in the city that they are moving from, but I recommend asking for the referral of one or two Houston real estate companies.
People who are relocating might also have friends, family members, or colleagues who live here already who might know or be able to recommend an agent or company.”
4. Interview Realtors.
“I would encourage people to interview at least a couple of agents, and to ask them questions about the strategies they are offering to buyers based on what is going on in today’s market. This will help the buyer to understand why it might be better to work with one agent over another agent.”
5. Work with a fulltime Realtor.
“It’s important to always work with a Realtor who is doing this as their livelihoo.”
6. Make sure it’s a good fit.
“A home purchase is one of the biggest Investments that a person will make, so relocation home buyers should feel like they trust and want to work with the Realtor they choose.”
7. Understand Texas real estate practices.
“It’s really important for relocation home buyers to understand representation in Texas. Dual agency is illegal in Texas, but it’s not illegal in every state. This means that a listing agent who is representing a seller, cannot also represent the buyer in a real estate transaction. So, if a buyer wants representation, and they should because it’s in their best interest, they need to have a buyer’s agent representing them.”
8. Being a market expert isn’t only measured by the number of listings.
“An agent doesn’t need to have a lot of listings in an area in order to be a market expert. There are many agents who are primarily buyer’s agents. They are extremely knowledgeable about the market areas, but since they work mostly with buyers, they don’t have a lot of listing in a particular area.
So, it’s important to understand where the agent lives and has worked over the course of a number of years, because sometimes an agent might be a good producing agent, but they don’t always have control over where their clients are buying and selling, especially relocation clients.”