Choosing the Best REALTOR®® for you

1. Perhaps the first step is for you to contact your banker and loan officer to get pre-approved for a mortgage. This will disclose to you the amount for which you qualify before you start looking.
   
2. Make a check list of the criteria that you most like to have in your new home. Think about your day-to-day living. Become familiar with the neighborhood and condition of other nearby home or communities. Does the community provide the type of lifestyle you prefer, golf, beach access, tennis, access to cultural activities, shopping, medical facilities and more.
   
3. You should know the difference between a REALTOR® and Real Estate Agents. Not all real estate agents are REALTORS®. REALTORS® belong to the National Association of REALTORS® and pledge to follow the Code of Ethics, a comprehensive list containing 17 articles and underlying standard of practice, which establish level of conduct that are higher than ordinary business practices or those required by law.  Less than half of all licensees are REALTORS®.
   
4. When representing a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant, or other clients as an agent, REALTORS® pledge themselves to protect and promote the interests of their client.
   
5. You should choose a REALTOR® who has continued her education and earned special designations. Look for a Certified Residential Specialist, (CRS), Graduate of Real Estate Specialist, (GRI), Certification for Internet Professionalism, (e-PRO and other designations. This signifies that a REALTOR® has improved her skills and will provide the most up to date practices and techniques.
   
6. Most real estate agents stay in business because satisfied clients refer them to friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. Ask the people around you who they have used and ask them to describe their experiences with this REALTOR®. Successful agents make customer satisfaction their number one priority and put their customers' needs before their own.  Try to find a agent who goes above and beyond her responsibilities. She'll be the agent whose clients and friends praise her service.
   
7. Look up profiles of individual agents at offices near you. Agents who are experiences will tell you about their accomplishments. Look for customer testimonials. Google the top real estate companies in your area, and go to those web sites for information.
   
8. Attend open houses where you will meet real estate agents and interact with them. Pay attention to how the agent is showing the home. Is she informative and appear knowledgeable? Does she hand out professional looking promotional material about the home? Is she trying to sell features of the home?
   
9. Don't fall in love with the decor or turn down a home because of the color scheme. Imagine your furniture in the new home and keep in mind that a little painting and your personal touch will make the home a perfect choice for you.
   
10. After your offer is accepted, hire a qualified home inspector to determine the condition of the home. The Seller is required to make any repairs or your purchased can be withdrawn - unless an agreement is accepted between Seller and Buyer.