Finding the Right Person to Help Sell Your North County Home

Selling your home can be quite stressful and difficult, even if you consider yourself a levelheaded, well-informed person. It’s a weighty, lengthy process where countless factors all play critical roles. That’s why it’s important to make sure you have your home in the right hands.

It’s not just a question of hiring a real estate agent—this isn’t just about understanding the ins and outs of the market. It’s about choosing the right real estate agent, the person who can take your North County San Diego home and make things happen.

When you’re trusting something this important to a stranger, you need to know you’ve considered every angle beforehand. You may not be handling the sale of your home on your own, but you’re fulfilling a task just as important when you vet agents beforehand. Here are a few factors you’ll want to consider:

 

It can be difficult to assess personality quickly, but it’s important nonetheless if you want to make sure you’re putting your trust in the right real estate agent. Of course, personality is a complex thing, and the littlest things can render an agent incompatible with you—and thus a poor fit for your home.

If you’re not sure where to start, begin with something you can assess quickly and without a lot of guesswork:

• Does their communication style fit yours? Do they prefer phone calls, email, or texts?
• Does their approach to business match yours? Are they very formal in communications, or more relaxed?
• Do they feel like your partner in the process, or a third party providing a service?
• Does their professionalism match your preferences? Extremely punctual, or a bit looser with timing? Blunt and technical, or friendly and casual?

Of course, much of this comes down to gut feelings and little else—but gut feelings do matter in choosing a real estate agent. You want someone you can work with, first and foremost.

It’s also important to remember that real estate agents aren’t all equally equipped to deal with all types of properties. Make sure you’re considering an agent with experience working with properties like yours, or at least something similar.

Think carefully; do you have any special circumstances that your everyday run-of-the-mill real estate agent can’t handle? It can be difficult to be certain as a layperson, so don’t be afraid to ask plenty of questions about every component of your expectations for the sale. A good agent won’t be afraid of a few questions.

Also ask them about their experience within the San Diego real estate market. Some agents tend to work in the general San Diego county area, while others specialize in a different subset. While they may know a lot about San Diego in general, do they know about the specifics of Carlsbad real estate? What about Solana Beach? If you live in North San Diego County, you want to work with an agent who specializes in that area.

Sometimes, schedule means more than anything else to shaping your relationship with a real estate agent; if you can’t get synchronized and work together consistently, you’re not going to be able to achieve your goals in a timely manner.

Ask yourself whether your time and their time matches up consistently. And if so, make sure you know how often they are willing to help you. An agent too loaded down with higher priority clients to take your calls isn’t a good fit, no matter how great they are otherwise.

If you’re not convinced it’s worth the time to shop real estate agents until you find the perfect fit, stop and consider what you stand to gain from picking the right agent.

A good real estate agent for selling your home will be properly equipped to price your home appropriately based on all relevant factors; the property, the area, the market, the season. An agent who isn’t well-attuned to you and your property may not understand enough of the nuance of your home to sell it effectively. 

Has your agent worked with condos and townhomes? What about the ranges of pricing within Oceanside? How does that differ from Rancho Santa Fe? If the agent that you're talking to can't answer these questions, it may not be a good fit for you.

When you take the time to look for the right real estate agent, you can ensure you’re picking an agent with adequate training and experience to handle your sale. Becoming a real estate agent doesn’t necessarily mean you have all the skills necessary to sell a home effectively—and you don’t want ‘good enough’, you want ‘superb’, which you’re unlikely to get with a fresh-faced rookie.

A good agent for your home will be better equipped to negotiate throughout the process of selling your home. They’ll know when to push hard and when to take a step back. They’ll be more invested than they might be for a property they’re a poor fit for. That means they’ll fight for you, even if it means putting in more time and effort to get you what you want out of the transaction.

A good fit matters more than anything else. The greatest realtor in the world may not be adequately equipped to sell your North County home well if he or she doesn't know the local market. Do your homework, and find that perfect fit.