Choosing The Right Real Estate Agent

Before joining Expert Realty, I was the founder and president of RECHANNEL Technologies, a real estate marketing and technology company that was acquired by eNeighborhoods in 2004. RECHANNEL specialized in high-end real estate websites and search engine marketing for agents and brokers and I had the opportunity to work with thousands of Realtors from across the country.

Some of the real estate companies and agents I worked with sold multi-million dollar properties while others focused on starter homes and farms. Many were top-producers who had been in the business for 20-30 years; some were just getting their feet wet. Each had different skills and different approaches to the business and I was lucky enough to learn from them all.

One thing that I never really liked is that most real estate agents are independent contractors. While all agents work for a broker like RE/MAX or Coldwell Banker, they are responsible for their own marketing, customer service and sales and ultimately their own businesses. The result is that nearly every agent does things their own way and because they typically work by themselves or with a single assistant are often spread too thin to provide timely and consistent communication and service to their customers. When an agent is at a listing presentation, for example, they are away from the office and not readily available to their other customers.

When you go to McDonald's, the experience is the same in every city in every state. Same when you stay at a Marriott or rent a car from Hertz. Talk to 10 real estate agents from the same company, however, and you are likely to experience 10 different ways of doing things and varying levels of quality and service.

I always thought there was a better way and that was my goal when we started Expert Realty. I wanted to be part of a real estate company where everyone worked together as a team, with shared goals and common processes. Where agents were employees and not independent contractors. Where the customer experience and results were the same no matter which agent a customer was working with.

At Expert, agents are supported by a large team of Realtor Assistants who never leave the office and who have access to (and are experts in using) the latest technology. Realtor Assistants are always available to talk with customers, whether its to search for new homes in the MLS, to set an appointment to view a home or to follow-up on an offer to purchase a home.

A recent NAR survey found that many buyers contact up to seven agents before one would call them back. That is simply unacceptable, especially in a industry like real estate. Realtor Assistants make sure that customers who call Expert or request information through our website receive quality service within seconds or minutes, not hours or days. That makes a huge difference to the hundreds of buyers and sellers we work with each month.

Expert Local Agents all carry wireless laptops with instant access to the MLS and our internal customer relationship management systems so they can be as productive on the road as they are in the office. That allows our agents to do home searches and schedule appointments while meeting with customers at an open house or over a latte at Starbucks.

And every Expert Local Agent received two weeks of training and meets three times per week with their manager to ensure that everyone follows our company best-practices the same way, every time. That way, every customer receives the highest level of service and results no matter which agent they are working with.

Customers also benefit from Expert's in-house Mortgage Company (The Home Loan Store) and Title Company (Closing Solution), providing a single point of contact throughout their purchase or sale. That allows for a much smoother transaction without the typical gaps in communication that make buying or selling a home so time-consuming and complicated.

Another thing I could never understand is how most agents earned a standard 6% commission, even as home prices soared and consumers did more and more of the work themselves using the Internet.

At Expert, we do everything we can to not just provide the best service but also the best value. Buyers receive a rebate of up to $1500 at closing that they can use for closing costs, moving expenses or however else they want. And sellers can save thousands of dollars in real estate commissions with our low 2.5% Sell Smart plan, less than half what other Realtors charge.

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home or condo, we would love to show you what hundreds of other customers have discovered by working with Expert. Our unique approach and great staff will do whatever it takes to provide you with the best results and service in the industry and save you thousands of dollars in the process.

Give us a call at 1-800-897-7950 or visit our website at www.expertrealty.com to learn more about how Expert Realty can help you with your next purchase or sale.