Selecting a REALTOR®

Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. Transactions today usually exceed $100,000. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a CPA? If you had a $100,000 legal question, would you deal with it without the help of an attorney? Considering the small upside cost (none to a buyer) and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider a deal in real estate without the professional assistance of a REALTOR®.

Why Use a REALTOR®?
All real estate licensees are not the same. Only real estate licensees who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® are properly called REALTORS®. They proudly display the REALTOR "®" logo on the business card or other marketing and sales literature. REALTORS® are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. REALTORS® subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. There are many good reasons to employ the services of a professional REALTOR® as described on the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® website: http://www.realtor.org/.

Choosing the Right REALTOR®
Page and Lake Powell is a relatively small area. Nearly all local real estate licensees are designated REALTORS®. Therefore, the selection process must consider other factors such as: education; experience; sales record; knowledge of the area; trends in the market; resources available; financing options; and so on. The internet is full of tips and suggestions on how to interview different REALTORS®, what to look for, what to avoid, and what questions to ask. I won’t attempt to duplicate all that here. A Google search for “choosing a realtor” will retrieve more information than you ever wanted to know. So how do you select the right REALTOR® for you?

The Bottom Line
Go with your instinct. Select the REALTOR® that you feel comfortable with - the one that has been responsive to your requests, properly answered your questions, offered appropriate suggestions and guidance, the one that YOU sense will work hard to satisfy YOUR requirements and has your best interests at heart. Remember – it is the individual REALTOR® - not the Company that you will be dealing directly with and who will help guide you through a very complicated and intimidating process.