Moving is never easy. Whether you're in the market for your dream home, hoping to sell your current property, or seeking both services simultaneously, finding a great realtor is vital.
An experienced, dedicated, and supportive real estate professional can really help hold things together during that exhausting period of showings, offers, and negotiations. They can answer all your questions, provide helpful insights, and guide you painlessly through each and every step of your purchase or sale.
On the flip side, a sub-par real estate agent can dramatically increase your stress level and leave you feeling frustrated and helpless. In the worst-case scenario, you could be left without the deal you'd hoped for and a bitter taste in your mouth.
So, how do you go about finding a top-notch realtor who will be the right fit for you and your particular set of needs?
Unless someone happens to provide you with a glowing personal referral, chances are that you'll be turning to the internet to seek out real estate agent reviews in your area.
In this post, we'll provide some key tips for narrowing down your search and evaluating realtor reviews. We'll also offer some guidance on where to turn for further information:
For most people, the obvious starting point is a Google search. But, while a Google search will turn up an impressive number of reviews, those reviews can be overwhelming and won't necessarily be organized according to your specific requirements. In fact, many of them may be completely irrelevant.
For this reason, it may be best to start out with a search for real estate agencies in your area (rather than jumping straight to reviews) and zero in on a few particular agents who look promising based on their professional profile pages. Once you've identified the people you're interested in working with, you can use Google (or another platform) to find more specific reviews of their work (more on this below).
When evaluating whether or not a realtor has the potential to be a good fit for your needs, consider the following:
Once you've created a shortlist of candidates, it's time to dig a bit deeper. Now is the time to get busy reading targeted online realtor reviews before making a final decision on which agent to go with.
But (and this is a big but), don't trust everything you read!
Just because 49% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations doesn't mean that everything you read in them is accurate. Online reviews are subjective at the best of times, and though they’re a useful tool, you've got to be savvy when evaluating them:
Is the review detailed and thoughtful? Do the words seem to match the number of stars given? Is the reviewer promoting a particular agenda? There are a lot of low-quality reviews out there, so be critical about what you're reading and pay attention to the words as well as the stars/score.
Reviews hang around on the internet forever, so try to stay current with what you're reading. The realtor in question may have changed a lot over the years!
Look for specifics. It's nice to hear that a realtor is "great" or "awesome" but much better to read that they're an effective negotiator, punctual, organized, and personable.
At this point in the game, don't get stuck on one particular agent. Try to sift through reviews without a specific result in mind and see who organically emerges as your best option. Consider scheduling in-person interviews with a few of your top picks!
Not sure exactly where to turn for online realtor reviews? Type candidates' names into any of the following platforms and get busy reading:
Realtor.com is the site officially associated with the National Association of Realtors (U.S.). With MLS-based data, its reviews are specific to the realty industry and include categories such as responsiveness, negotiation skills, and professionalism. Check out Realtor.com's agent-finding service here.
RankMyAgent.com is another real-estate-specific review site that encompasses countries beyond the U.S.
Anyone with a Google account can leave a review on Google, so if you're looking for a broad selection of realtor reviews it's a perfect place to start. Google reviews can usually be found alongside Google business profiles (or by typing a specific query into the Google search bar).
Like Realtor.com, Zillow is a review site specifically based around realtor reviews. One stand-out feature of its Find an Agent tool is the fact that it filters realtors by location (neighbourhood, city, zip/postal code, etc.).
Many realtors now create a business Facebook page to promote their listings and garner reviews. This can be a great place to get a sense of their personality, professionalism, and client interactions.
Whether you're seeking a real estate agent or a different service or product, a great deal rides on online reviews. Quality online reviews can have a major impact on the success of your business, so it's worth investing in some tools that can help with review generation and management.
Are you a real estate agency (or other small business) looking to build your reputation with online reviews? At Rep.co, we offer solution-oriented reputation management software that can get you reviews that will grow your business
Reach out to us at Rep.co today!
