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What Should You Look For In A Real Estate Agent?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora


Selling or buying a home can be challenging and will also be one of the biggest financial decisions of your lifetime. Finding the right real estate agent that has the experience for what you need is crucial.

Having a good real estate agent in your corner will is important whether you’re buying or selling. In the state of Florida alone there are almost 300,000 active real estate agents.

Everywhere you look there are advertisements for real estate agents; billboards, bus stop benches, radio ads, etc… So how do you choose the best one for you? Follow these steps on hiring the perfect real estate agent for your needs.

Tips On Finding A Real Estate Agent

Speak To A Lender Before Hiring An Agent

One of the biggest mistakes a potential home buyer makes is to start looking for homes without knowing how much they can afford to pay for a home. There’s nothing more disheartening to fall in love with a home only to find out that you can’t afford it.

By getting pre-approved for a mortgage, you’ll know exactly how much home you can afford as well as address any issues with your credit if needed well ahead of time. Having your pre-approval letter ready will also show potential buyers’ agents and sellers that you are serious about buying. When you’re in a competitive market, sellers may not even consider an offer without a pre-approval letter from a lender.

Get Recommendations

A good way to start on your agent search is by asking friends and family members if they can recommend a real estate agent they’ve had a good experience with. You should hire an agent that specializes in whatever your real estate goals are. For example; If you’re a first-time homebuyer, you should hire an agent that specializes in first-time homebuyers as opposed to an agent that works with investment properties or short sales.

It’s also a good idea to hire an agent who is a Realtor. This means they are a member of the National Association of Realtors aka [NAR] and are held to a higher standard as specified in the organization’s code of ethics. Many Realtors hold special certifications to demonstrate they’ve completed training in specific areas of real estate. These are some of the designations:

CDPE [Certified Distressed Property Expert]: Completed specialized training in short sales and foreclosure prevention. CRS [Certified Residential Specialist]: Completed special training in working with buyers of residential real estate. ABR [Accredited Buyer’s Representative]: Trained in representing buyers in transactions.
SRES [Seniors Real Estate Specialist]: trained in helping buyers and sellers aged 50 and over.

Research Potential Agents

Always begin with online research. Start by checking their website and any social media accounts they may have. You should be able to find reviews, current listing information and get an overall feel for the person through their online presence. If they have no online presence then move on to the next candidate.

Interview 3 Real Estate Agents… at Least

Remember, you’re going to be communicating with this person for the next several weeks or even months until you’ve accomplished your real estate goals. An “in-person” interview will be a chance for you to get a feel for the agent’s experience and style. You want to work with an agent who understands what you’re looking to accomplish and be very familiar with the area you’re buying or selling in.

This is also a chance for you to see firsthand how professional they are. The more effort they put into a presentation for you is a good indication of the effort they’ll put in when they’re working for you. Interviews are also a great way for you to establish a preferred way of communication moving forward whether it be texting email or phone calls.

Ask For References

When you’re interviewing potential real estate agents, request to see their references. Ask the agent to

provide the information on any homes they’ve recently sold [in the past year]. You should also ask them to provide the contact information from any of their recent clients. Be sure to call those clients and find out what their overall experience was with the agent…Ask them if they would work with the agent again.

Trust Your Gut

Once you’ve followed the tips on finding the best agent, you still might have to choose between 2 or 3 of them. At this point, you should go with your gut. Remember, you’ll be in constant communication with this person so you should feel comfortable around them and be able to tell them everything.

It’s kind of like dating… sometimes it comes down to the chemistry… or lack of chemistry. If you have an agent and everything checks out, but you’re still not feeling the vibe, don’t hire them. Keep looking until you find the right fit for you, it will be worth the extra effort.

Read The Contract Carefully

Your contract should spell out all the terms to which you have agreed… including the commission. Typically, the seller pays all of the commission which is usually about 5-6% to be split between the listing agent and buyer’s agent. You should also pay close attention to the length of the contract. If your home hasn’t sold in 6 months or you haven’t found a house to buy in that time, then you’ll probably want to find a new real estate agent.

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What’s the Difference Between a Real Estate Agent and a Broker?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora


Whether you’re buying or selling a home, you’re going to need some help. So the question becomes… Who should you hire? Unless you’re in the industry, It can be quite confusing to figure out the different types of real estate professionals and what the difference is. Real estate professionals go by a few different names such as real estate agent, real estate broker, and of course, Realtor. So what exactly is the difference between the three?

Many times these different titles are used interchangeably because most people don’t know the difference between them. However, there are some important differences between them as well as special requirements for using certain titles.

Following is a list of the most common real estate professional titles you will come across and what exactly they mean.

The Real Estate Agent

The real estate agent is a licensed professional who helps people to buy, sell and rent different types of real estate such as residential and commercial.

For them to get the license, the state requires the individual to complete pre-licensing training. Depending on the jurisdiction, the number of training hours required can vary quite a bit. In the state of Florida, for example, real estate agents have to take 63 hours of pre-licensing training and in California, applicants must complete 135 hours of pre-licensing training before they can test for their license.

Once the training has been completed, applicants must then take a state-issued written exam. In Florida for example, the real estate sale associate exam is a 100-question multiple-choice test. 45 of the questions are on real estate principles and practices, and another 45 questions cover Florida and Federal laws, the additional 10 questions require math calculations.

Once they’ve passed this exam, they can now call themselves a “real estate agent” and will most likely join a real estate brokerage where they can begin working with home buyers and sellers. New agents will also benefit tremendously from being around experienced agents.

The Real Estate Broker

A real estate broker is someone who has been a real estate agent for at least 2 years and has taken additional educational courses beyond the agent level as required by the state.

Pretty similar to a real estate agent’s exam, each state has its broker exam requirements and continued education. The additional requirements cover topics such as contracts, insurance, ethics, and taxes in a more in-depth level of understanding than what was taught to them as a new agent.

Brokers are also required to be knowledgeable about legal issues and how the law pertains to operating a brokerage, investing in real estate, new construction, and even property management. It’s because of this that brokers should have a more in-depth knowledge of the real estate business in their state.

To take the state broker’s exam and get a license, real estate agents must have at least 2 years of experience as a licensed agent under a licensed broker in the state of Florida.

Typically, there are 3 different types of real estate brokers and each one has a different role to play.

There are three types of real estate brokers, each with subtle differences in the role they perform:

The Principal Broker: is the person in an office that oversees all the other agents in that particular office. This person is also in charge of making sure that agents are complying and operating within state and national real estate law. The Principal broker mainly gets paid a cut of every commission of every agent in that office. Some brokers also receive an annual salary in addition to their commission.

The Broker Associate: This real estate professional aka affiliate broker possesses a broker’s license but is working under a managing broker. This agent is usually not responsible for overseeing other agents.

The Realtor: For a real estate agent to become a Realtor they need to become a member of the National Association of Realtors®. When you become a member, you are agreeing to uphold the standards of the Realtor Association as well as its code of ethics.

The NAR holds agents to a higher standard beyond what the state requires. Realtors also have access to valuable real estate market data as well as transaction management services and several other tools which can be extremely helpful in the real estate business.

The Listing Agent

The listing agent in a real estate transaction represents the seller and they are the ones that list the property. If you’re looking to sell your house, then you’d be wise to hire a listing agent, as they specialize in selling homes. They help in countless ways including pricing the home, home improvement advice, marketing, open houses, negotiating, scheduling showings, and closing.

Just like any other type of agent, listing agents don’t receive any money unless the home gets sold. When and if it sells, the typical real estate sales commission in Florida is between 5 and 6% [to be split between the listing agent and buyer’s agent]. Although, as I learned in my very first real estate class… “everything in real estate is negotiable”.

The Buyer’s Agent

Like it says in the title, buyer’s agents represent people who are buying a home. Like the listing agent, a buyer’s agent has a whole list of tasks to complete to ensure a successful home buying experience for their clients. Buyer’s agents can help with things like finding the right house, negotiations, recommending mortgage brokers or financial institutions.

Just like the listing agent, the buyer’s agent is dependent on the deal going through to get paid from the sale of the property. This is good news for the home buyer because it doesn’t cost them anything to hire a buyer’s agent.

Finding The Right Real Estate Professional For You

Most people start their search on Google, which is a good starting place. However, it’s also good practice to find an agent which specializes in the area where you are buying… or selling. Once you have a few potential candidates selected, meet with them in person, ask questions and check their online reviews. By doing this you’ll know if they’re a good fit for you moving forward.

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What Does A Real Estate Agent Do?

Posted on by Jenny Zamora


A Typical Day in the Life of a Real Estate Agent

Technically, as defined in the Cambridge Dictionary, a real estate agent is someone whose business is to arrange the selling or buying of homes, vacant land, offices, or buildings for the sellers or buyers. Technically, it’s an accurate definition, however, it doesn’t tell you everything a real estate agent does on a day-to-day basis.

In my world as a Real Estate Broker, each day is different and unique; while this can seem to be an appealing aspect of being a real estate professional, it can be quite challenging, depending on the Realtor’s skill and experience level. So, exactly what does a Realtor do on a typical day?

Managing a Real Estate Brokerage

The majority of real estate agents [especially newbies] typically work inside an office provided by the broker that employs them. This is good in the sense that they can discuss opportunities and exchange ideas with their co-workers, get updates on new listings, as well as discuss buyers’ and sellers’ needs.

There are quite a few administrative tasks that occur every day at the core of a successful real estate brokerage. Depending on the size of the brokerage they may have someone who works as an administrator to make sure an office is a well-oiled machine.

A good Realtor

  • Stays current on local and regional market activity and industry news.
  • Consistently researches active, pending, and sold listings in their farm area.
  • Maintains, completes, submits, and files any paperwork, such as real estate contracts, records, etc. with the proper agencies.
  • Coordinates and schedules appointments, showings, open houses, and any meetings with clients and other agents.
  • Develops and implements marketing plans for listings and creates marketing materials like fliers and other promotional materials.
  • Responds to incoming emails and phone calls
  • Keeps their website updated with fresh content and is active on social media and real estate blogs.

Most successful real estate agents hire an assistant to assist with the day-to-day activities, allowing the agent or broker to focus on more important activities.

Real Estate Agents Sell Themselves In Addition To Selling Homes

Being able to consistently attract new clients is crucial to the success of a real estate agent. Below are a few ways a real estate agent can attract new clients:

Marketing Themselves. Competition is fierce in the world of real estate. A successful agent should have a niche in their local real estate market and become an expert in that niche. This helps differentiate agents out there and what they specialize in. A successful real estate agent has a monthly budget set for marketing themselves through their website, fliers, video, and pay-per-click advertising.

Generating Leads. Generating leads via networking with other real estate agents as well as anyone else they come in contact with such as friends, family, business associates, and so on is an extremely valuable asset to a successful Realtor.

Treating Everyone as a Prospect. Everyone lives in a home, condo, townhouse, or apartment. Therefore, to a real estate agent, anyone they meet will eventually need to buy, sell or rent a home. A real estate agent spends a substantial amount of time cultivating leads and meeting with potential buyers and sellers.

Listing Agents

Listing agents specialize in working with homeowners who need to sell their homes. They have a responsibility to understand the needs of a seller with every new listing.

They must demonstrate to the homeowner their knowledge, marketing abilities, and negotiation skills. A successful listing agent must be an expert at researching the current market activity and comparable properties to determine an accurate listing price for your property. Here are some of the responsibilities of a listing agent.

  • Staging The Home: It’s the agent’s responsibility to advise the seller on tips to make sure the home shows off it’s best features during showings. A bit of de-cluttering and some touch up paint can go a long way in making a home look its best. Depending on the situation, you may want to have the home fully staged prior to listing it.
  • Take Quality Photographs: The listing agent is required to take [or hire somebody to take] quality photos inside and out in order to prepare a proper listing presentation and advertising materials. In addition.
  • Pre-screening and Negotiating With Potential Buyers: Your listing agent is in charge of making sure potential buyers are pre-qualified before showing the house. Once you have secured a qualified buyer the agent will be in charge of helping negotiate the best price.

Buyers Agents

Buyers agents are real estate agents that specialize in working with buyers. Their responsibilities include meeting with potential buyers to determine what their real estate needs are as well as to help them get pre-qualified for a mortgage if needed.

Once the agent knows exactly what the potential buyer is looking for, they will alert the buyer as soon as a property meeting their needs hits the market and schedule a showing.

Another option that agents utilize to narrow down a search for a buyer or to perform research on the competition for sellers is the MLS tour. This allows agents and brokers to quickly gather first-hand knowledge on several available properties in the local market.

Developing Your Skills
Although continuing education is a requirement to maintain a real estate license, it is also an opportunity to develop the skills that will keep an agent at the top of their game or open a door to new real estate opportunities within the regional or local market. Continual development is crucial to the long-term success of real estate agents and brokers. Continuing education not only widens their scope of expertise, but also improves their proficiency, knowledge, and marketability as real estate professionals.

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3 Ways Real Estate Agents are Better than FSBO’s

Posted on by Jenny Zamora


Top 3 Reasons It’s Better to List with A Real Estate Agent than For Sale by Owner

Selling a home without the help of an Orlando real estate agent might sound empowering to you at first and could save you a few thousand bucks on real estate commissions and fees. However, selling a home without a realtor is complicated and can be risky if you don’t know what you’re doing.

You should know going forward that there’s a lot of legal paperwork which will require your signature, so it’s important you know exactly what it is that you’re signing. If not you could end up either losing money or in some legal hot water… or both!

Although it seems like a daunting task to take on alone, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Homeowners claim the most effective marketing methods for selling “by owner” included yard signs, classified ads, and word of mouth.

Here are the 3 biggest challenges homeowners faced who went through the process of selling on their own…

Selling Price was Lower- Studies showed that Orlando homes in 2019 sold for 18% lower when sold as an FSBO as opposed to being sold by an Orlando real estate agent.

More Time on the Market- Homes listed by a Realtor sold 22% faster than homes sold “for sale by owner”. That’s an average of 19 days longer!

More Stress on the Seller- Some of the challenges sellers faced included deciding on the right price, not understanding the paperwork, and just finding the time to deal with the whole sales process. This can cause the average person a serious amount of stress if they’re not prepared to handle the common issues that come up in a typical real estate transaction.

Real estate agents have the experience and resources to handle any issues that may arise throughout the process. So if you’re still wondering whether or not you can sell your home on your own, the answer is yes but be ready to put in the time, work, and money required for a successful sale.

Selling a home is a complex process. An Orlando real estate agent will be there to help you at every stage of the journey from deciding on the price to marketing strategies to closing.

The Realtor Guarantee

You should know that all real estate agents are not the same. Only members of the National Realtors Association can call themselves Orlando Realtors. We subscribe to a very strict code of ethics and have unlimited access to all educational resources and training for both residential and commercial real estate. Realtors also should treat all parties to a transaction honestly and with respect.

Setting the Listing Price

Determining what the listing price will be is not only the first step in the process but also one of the most important. Your Realtor will have the knowledge and tools to come up with the fair market value of the property. They will look at competing properties in the area as well as repairs and upgrades. Your real estate agent may recommend some repairs or cosmetic work which will enhance the appearance of the home for potential buyers.

Marketing your Home

The next step is just as important as setting the listing price… marketing. Marketing your home to the right people as well as to other real estate agents through the MLS [aka Multiple Listing Service], social media, and email is crucial to a successful real estate transaction. Realtors have access to a wide range of tools and resources to properly market a property that unlicensed people don’t have.

If your real estate agent has a deep knowledge of your neighborhood, then they should know how and where to market your property to make the biggest impact. Sometimes they will already know other agents in the area looking for a home just like yours.

It’s Safer

When you sell a home “for sale by owner”, you’ll most likely end up showing your house to a lot of tire kickers who can’t afford to buy. Also, You have no idea who you’re allowing into your home which can be extremely dangerous.

Experienced Real estate agents will prescreen potential buyers to make sure they are serious and are approved for a loan before allowing anyone to see the home.

Negotiating the Deal

Your real estate agent will help you to evaluate offers and act as a middleman between you and the buyer. You will never have to interact with any buyers… or other agents. When you do accept an offer, inspections, appraisal, and possible repairs will follow before moving to the next stage. Your real estate agent will explain all the paperwork to you… understanding all the paperwork is crucial.

Moving Towards Closing

Between the initial offer and the closing of your real estate transaction, issues may arise… and probably will. Things like unexpected repairs that need to be completed for the buyer to obtain financing. Or maybe there are some issues with the title that need clearing up. Your real estate agent will be there for you to handle these issues and anything else that may arise before closing.

If there are legal issues your agent can’t handle, they should be able to refer you to a good real estate attorney.

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Top 6 Turn Offs for Home Buyers

Posted on by Jenny Zamora


Selling Your Orlando Home? Avoid These Potential Buyer Turnoffs

To give yourself the best chance at selling your home for top dollar in the least amount of time, you need to make a good first impression because you won’t get another chance at this. In my experience as an Orlando real estate agent since 2004, I’ve heard just about every complaint you can imagine from potential home buyers. The crazy thing is that many times they complain about stupid little things which could’ve easily been avoided by the homeowner.

If you’re interested in selling your home for top dollar in the least amount of time, you should follow these tips to give you the best chance.

Water Stained Ceilings and Walls- Water stains on the ceiling can be a dead giveaway that you’ve had or still have a water leak which usually means roof or plumbing issues which can potentially mean serious repairs. If you have an active water leak, you should address it before listing your home. And if it’s already been repaired, then make sure you finish the job and paint over any previously stained drywall.

Whenever I assess a property for damage, the first place I look is the ceilings…

Bad Odors- Odors can sometimes cause a potential buyer to turn back around at the front door before they even enter the house. Cigarette smoke, cat urine, and anything else that stinks can be a potential deal killer. The problem with getting rid of odors is that sometimes the odors get embedded into the walls ceilings and floors which means you’ll probably need to replace the carpeting [you should be OK if you have tile] and repaint the walls and ceilings.

You should first try shampooing the carpets and cleaning the walls the best you can. If the odors are still there, then it may be time to repaint… then new carpets. I’ve found that new paint and carpet will eliminate even the worst odors.

Bad Lighting- There’s not much you can do about the natural lighting of your home other than making sure blinds and windows are opened allowing in as much light as possible. However, you should consider updating your existing lighting fixtures throughout the home if they’re outdated. You can get some nice fixtures for relatively cheap at your nearest Home Depot or Lowes.

Note: If you’ve already painted the inside, you may as well go the extra mile with some nice fixtures.

Outdated Bathroom- You may think you need to spend big money when updating a bathroom but it’s not true. Unlike a new kitchen, bathrooms can be updated relatively cheaply. Unless you have a massive bathroom with long countertops, an average bathroom can be updated with under $1000 depending on what needs to be done. I believe a new vanity, new fixtures, a new mirror, and a new toilet usually do the trick.

Too Much Clutter- This is an easy one to fix which is why I’m always surprised to see so many people get it wrong. I’ve had quite a few uncomfortable conversations with listing clients over the years about this. However, I wouldn’t be doing my job otherwise. Rooms with too much furniture can look smaller than they are. It’s also uncomfortable for potential buyers to walk through and imagine any kind of open space.

Tacky Decor– Talk about awkward conversations… Trying to tell a listing client their taste in home decor sucks is never fun. But again… I wouldn’t be doing my job as an Orlando real estate agent if I didn’t. Sometimes the best thing to do is keep it simple. Takedown those over-the-top curtains and decorations and allow the home to be seen without the distraction of your taste in home decor. Keep colors neutral and decor simple.

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