How to Choose a Real Estate Agent in St. Louis, Missouri
TdD Premier Real Estate was established in 2004 with the concept of bringing more than just real estate transactional knowledge to assist a client in the purchase or sale of their home. The enhanced value brought by Ted Disabato and his staff provides attorney-style negotiation techniques, lending and title insurance advice as well as utilization of the latest technology to market your property for sale or ensure you don’t miss a great deal on your dream home. Most real estate offices won’t give you information on how to choose a real estate agent and cannot provide such a broad spectrum of advice due to the necessary knowledge base and number of licenses required.
Considerations When Choosing A Real Estate Agent:
Professional
Selling or buying your home or investment property, which for many individuals is their largest asset, generally involves a significant investment. Many St. Louis real estate agents work part-time and have other jobs that in no way related to real estate — you wouldn’t choose your doctor, attorney or accountant who didn’t practice in their profession full time, why would you choose a real estate agent in St. Louis who was not dedicated to the real estate profession?
Error And Omission Insurance
Does your real estate agent carry a sufficient errors and omissions or malpractice insurance policy? It seems like a matter that should be automatic, but there are many St. Louis real estate agents that do not carry an E&O or malpractice insurance policy. That policy ultimately protects the client. Without an E&O policy in place, you may be VERY limited in what you recover from the real estate agent if you suffer a loss.
Marketing Investment
It is very important for sellers to make sure your real estate agent is utilizing the latest technology to market your home for sale. Most St. Louis buyers search for suitable homes on the internet. One key to marketing your home for sale is to ensure that your home appears high in the search lists on the websites that receive the most search traffic in your area. Placing your home on the real estate agent’s website does almost nothing to market the property. Marketing your home properly is often a significant investment on the part of the real estate office — be careful of St. Louis real estate agents who spend a significant amount marketing to ATTRACT CLIENTS, because they won’t have much left in their budget to market YOUR property.
Nationally Recognized Real Estate Companies
What many home sellers and buyers don’t realize is that almost all real estate agents in St. Louis are independent contractors. In other words, they are running their own company. Just because each of those individual real estate agents pays a fee to use the nationally recognized company name, does not mean they receive great training or have achieved a measure of success. You can find a very professional real estate agent working under a big company name, but you can also find a second-grade teacher who is a real estate agent on the side.
Experience
Experience is good, complacency and repetition are not. The way people buy and sell real estate has changed drastically over the last 10 years. If someone has been a real estate agent for 30 years, make sure they are not operating the same way they did 30 years ago, 15 years ago or even three years ago.
In-House Attorney
Many real estate transactions have serious issues that come up during the buying and selling process. If your real estate agent does not have an in-house attorney to rely upon if a problem arises, you could be in for a world of aggravation and expense.
Realtor
First, choose an individual who is a realtor. Every real estate agent must be licensed in their state, however, just because they are licensed does not mean they are a realtor. It is important to choose a realtor because a real estate agent who is not a realtor cannot list a property for sale in the local internet database called the “MLS.” Real estate agents who are not realtors also cannot gain access to the blue electronic key boxes hanging on the doors of many homes that are for sale.
Financial Condition Of The Real Estate Agent
This may be a hard question to ask, but the individual agent may be pressed to make his or her own bills. Human nature is to protect your own before others, so make sure you are not rushed into a purchase paying more than you should, or selling for less than you should because the agent needs their commission.
Why choose us: All real estate agents of TdD Premier Real Estate are licensed realtors, involved full time in real estate, are covered by E&O insurance policies and are members of the National Association of Realtors, Missouri Association of Realtors and St. Louis Realtors. We have a commitment to utilizing the latest technologies and the strongest technology partners to market your home for sale. In addition, if you are a tech-savvy buyer, we have applications that will make your search process much more efficient and effective. Finally, we run credit background checks on all agents to ensure their financial responsibility.
Call Our St. Louis Realtors Today For a Free Consultation
From offices in St. Louis, TdD Attorneys at Law LLC, represent clients in communities throughout the metropolitan area, including St. Louis city, St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties. Contact attorney Ted Disabato at (314) 276-1318 to schedule an initial consultation with an experienced St. Louis real estate attorney today.