SELECTING A TOP REALTOR IS KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL AND SMOOTH SALE.

Buying or selling a home is the single largest transaction that most consumers undertake. The process can be filled with uncertainty, emotion and pitfalls, so most buyers and sellers choose to work with a real estate agent to help them through the process. Selecting an agent is obviously an important step, and most consumers would agree that agent expertise and experience should weigh heavily in that choice. The shocking statistic is that the majority of home buyers and sellers select agents who have little or no experience closing real estate transactions.

Most Consumers Do Not Select Experienced Real Estate Agents

If one delves into the statistics one can see that the average agent sold a little over 6 properties in 2014 in metro Milwaukee. That is one every other month. Hardly enough to be an expert in this field. If one removes the number of sales from the top 200 agents (practically all of Homeowners Concept Realtors belong in this elite list) then we are left with 2,800+ agents that only did 3 to 4 deals last year. Surprised by the data? Most people are. If there is one thing that can be said for our industry, it is that there are loads of hucksters and part-timers out there who fast talk their way into a couple of deals each year. Consumers can do better.

How Many Transactions is Too Many?

A small group of agents closed a very large number of transactions in 2014. A few agents closed more than 80 transactions last year. Certainly they have significant transaction experience, but realize that the only way this is physically possible is by working with a substantial team of folks or by sacrificing service. There are only so many hours in each work week and in the high commission world an agent spends considerable time trying to get listings. If you are planning to work with a very high volume agent, recognize that you will be interacting more with their team than with the agent who is getting credit for the transaction, or you may be sacrificing service levels because your agent is assisting so many customers. You will want to understand who is on the team, and when exactly you will get to work with the main agent, along with getting clarity on the service levels that they provide to you.

Striking a Balance

Consumers should require that their agents demonstrate results. Stick with full-time agents who do this for a living and are closing at least 2 to 3 deals per month, and you’ll be using an agent in the top 5% of all agents in Greater Milwaukee. Our own agents consistently rank in the top 5% of agents (and of course, the savings in commissions is a bonus!). We are able to close more deals than a typical agent by focusing 100% of our work on selling homes and closing deals, not on trying to prospect for clients (our program sells itself). Also, we strategically do not hire too many agents.We only hire upon demand and only have full time agents that have been in business for at at least 5 years (for proof call around any of the traditional brokerages; if you're licensed they'll hire you). Consequently, our agents sell between 4 and 11 times as many homes per year as the average agent. Consumers should be more diligent when selecting their real estate agent and make sure that they select agents who have substantial experience getting deals done.