When searching for a Realtor, there are a lot of different types of Realtors that you may look into.

Some are Big Realtors, others are teams, and some have assistants.

Like anything, there are real estate agents who do these well, while there are others that do these poorly.

Big Realtors

There are some realtors that seem BIG. They have great social media presence, while some are super involved in the community. Some Realtors seem to have a sign on every corner. Others may even be featured on tv. There are some agents out there who are amazing at some, or all, of that.

When selecting an agent, you need to do a little background research to make sure they are the right fit for you. You need to find out if they are more show, or if they actually produce results.

The Real Estate Agent with the most Signs

How long are their listings taking to sell? Are those signs there forever because they haven’t sold them in a year? Or does a sign go up, and you see a pending rider go up just as quickly?

The Real Estate Agent all over Social Media

Are they posting pictures of their listings? Some agents just take pictures of other agent’s listings. And that is totally fine! They are taking pictures of properties, but are they actually closing on any of them? Just make sure you manage your expectations to know what you are getting.

The Real Estate Agent who is Everywhere in the Community

Every neighborhood has those agents. The ones that are at every event and seem to know everyone. Many times it is well deserved. Other times, the agent has been around for so long, that they don’t put much effort into moving their properties. They sometimes spend more time being everywhere, and less time working on your property.

So if you go with a Big agent, make sure they have time for you, and make sure they fit your style of working in real estate.

Real Estate Teams

There are some exceptionally well run real estate teams out there. They have a person for every job and everything is handled seamlessly. However, there are some teams that make you feel like a number. You think you are getting the main agent, but they only come in for showings and/or negotiations. The team members do the background stuff. And if done well, this could be perfect for you. But often times, with so many people involved, it’s hard for you to feel like you are getting personalized service.

I had a buyer put an offer on a listing, where the listing agent was part of a team. One agent handled the showing, and when it came to submitting an offer, I had to chase down the main listing agent for a full day. She was super hard to get a hold of, and when I finally got a hold of her, she simply said that she was busy. For the inspection, a different agent from the team showed up. And when we were close to closing, I needed information from the sellers about the alarm company,  and I dealt with yet another agent from the team.

Real Estate Assistants

Some agents are great agents. They are successful and they have a lot of business going on. So, they hire an assistant. And assistants can be a fantastic addition. They do all of the behind the scenes work for the agent so they can help you, the customer, as best as possible.

However, some agents give EVERYTHING to the assistant. I had a deal where the assistant showed the buyer the property (met him for the first time at the unit), attended the inspection, and then quitting the middle of the deal. The buyer’s agent was only available for the negotiation.  Neither the buyer’s agent nor the assistant gave this poor buyer any service.

I represented the sellers, and to get the deal done, I ended up dealing directly with the buyer and the buyer’s lender. I helped the buyer submit the application to the condo association. The buyer’s agent couldn’t be bothered to drop off the buyer’s application check, so I drove to the buyer’s agent, picked up the check, and then drove it to the condo association myself.

As a seller, you also have to decide if you want the agent handling the showings, or if you are ok with the assistant handling them. Some listing agents pass off the showings to a 1-800 service, or an assistant. The issue with that is that often times the 1-800 service or the assistant don’t know much about the property. That means buyer’s agents can’t always get the answers they need about the property.

If you work with an agent who has an assistant, make sure you are dealing mostly with the agent. If the agent just hands you off to their assistant, you might want to find a different real estate agent.

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When choosing a Realtor, you need to pick an agent whose style matches with yours. Working with one agent, a team, a big agent, or an agent with an assistant are all great choices. Just make sure that you work with an agent who meets your expectations.