The Best Realtor in Westport, CT – does such a person even exist? Yes and No.
How do you find the best Realtor in Westport, and how do you know when you’ve found him or her? First of all, there certainly isn’t a single best Realtor in Westport for the simple fact that each Realtor specializes in different segments of the real estate market. For example, Realtors can focus on rentals, lower-end homes, high-priced luxury homes, property development or commercial real estate. And then there are those who specialize as buyer’s agents or seller’s agents. The broker they affiliate with can be an international brand like Coldwell Banker, a regional brand, or a small startup. Each type of broker has their pros and cons but how much market share a broker has in your town is very important. Long story short, finding the best Realtor in Westport isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Start your search for a top Realtor based on the type of real estate you want to buy and hone it down from there. Here are some important, qualifying questions to ask when searching for a great real estate agent.
What kind of properties does your ideal Westport real estate agent represent?
You can find this information by visiting Realtor websites and evaluating their listings and/or recent sales. If you are looking to buy or sell a large home or estate in Westport, does this Realtor have significant experience in your price range and type of property? Having good experience within your price range means they are in-tune with the typical buyers and sellers for your type of home and likely are already working with current buyers, sellers and other brokers on similar properties. Realtors of high-end homes know how to please clients with more complex needs and those who handle lower-priced homes tend to be more in tune with financing and home maintenance issues.
Do you want a Westport Realtor who works with buyers or sellers?
Of course, most Realtors work with both buyers and sellers but if you ask the right questions, you can often find out how many sales a Realtor made representing the buyer vs. representing the seller. If your goal is to sell your home, you’ll want a Listing Broker – a Realtor who specializes in selling homes. Selling homes requires a completely different skill set than buying homes. For example, sellers need advice on staging, pricing, timing, and marketing, whereas buyers need advice on neighborhoods, construction age and type, lot size, zoning, and other unrelated factors. If you are selling a home, don’t work with a buyer’s agent.
To find the best Realtor in Westport, read the online reviews!
It seems like an obvious thing to do but many people choose what they think is the best Realtor by looking at star ratings alone. Don’t rely solely on the star rating, read the reviews. A great Realtor will have review after review about specific experiences clients had with their real estate transaction. Keep an eye out for reviews that are short, vague, or posted by people who have reviewed very few places. If a review isn’t fully relevant or on point, it may not be legitimate. Make sure the Realtor you choose has at least 25+ good reviews on Google, Zillow and/or Yelp as well as a high star rating, and you’re more likely to find a highly experienced and capable Realtor.
Top Realtors in Westport focus on Westport and adjacent towns only.
When you are buying or selling a home, you want a “hyper-local Realtor” – one who not only focuses on Westport but one that has been buying and selling real estate in Westport for a very long time. Why? A highly experienced Realtor is likely to be very in tune with current values and the direction of values. He or she will know what is going on the town that can have a significant impact on property values and daily life. Such things include new construction projects, the timing of assessments, zoning considerations, etc. Neighborhoods ebb and flow in and out of favor. Is the home you are looking at in a “hot” neighborhood or is it flat? A highly experienced Realtor will know this and he or she will have a “feel” for current buyer sentiment.
Meet your Realtor in person before you choose to work with them.
An in-person meeting is critical so that you can evaluate a Realtor’s trustworthiness, energy level, intelligence, and personableness. Remember, you are trusting a Realtor to help you negotiate with buyers (if you are selling) or with sellers (if you are buying). How that person handles early meetings can make or break one of the most important sales in your life. A great Realtor can save you thousands of dollars during the negotiating process. How quickly a Realtor gets back to you is the first, important test. You’ll find that the best Realtor’s in Westport are very responsive.
If you’re ready to make a move in real estate or even considering it, contact Judy today to learn how she can make a huge difference in your real estate transaction.
