5 Ways to Look for Your Ideal Vancouver Realtor

Every time you decide to work with someone, you have to first consider your goals and how you want to work with them. Do you want to get involved in the details or do you simply want big picture updates? Either way, when dealing with Vancouver real estate, you ideally want a great Realtor Vancouver partner by your side. Not only will they help make the whole process that much smoother but they’ll also become your advisor. You simply need to make sure that you know what the ideal one looks like for you.

How to Look for Your Ideal Realtor Vancouver

These days, you have to blend both an online and offline approach to get the best results. In fact, here are some key highlights to get you started:

1- Reviews and Referrals

One of the first things you can do is to look for reviews online about Vancouver real estate agents and realtors. Furthermore, you can explore listing details and check your local public real estate records. Clearly, the easiest approach though is to search websites such as realtor.ca and the British Columbia Real Estate Association when looking for Canadian agents.

Another great source of information is referrals. Any great Realtor Vancouver professional will be more than happy to share contact names with you to speak to. There’s no better way to get a real sense of the experience of working with that agent.

2- View Open Houses to see them in Action

Next, visiting open houses is the perfect way to watch a Realtor Vancouver professional in action. You’ll be able to see how they relate to people and how they negotiate information. Although, sadly these days there are limited options to view properties in person due to restrictions for open houses. Therefore, please note that open house events have also gone online.

The great thing about online tours and live streaming though is that you can also do everything from the comfort of your own home. Nevertheless, some events are going, on even if open house restrictions may apply. The good news though is that you don’t have to only rely on virtual tours and live-streaming.

3- Get their Price to Listing Ratio and Track Record

As always, you should always ask any potential Realtor Vancouver professional you want to work with about their track record. They should be able to show you historical numbers and how much their sales prices compare to listing prices. This gives you an idea of how well they know their market and their strategy. The closer the numbers then the more knowledgeable they should be. This is true regardless of how many km away from the city centre.

4- Evaluate their Agreement Template

As you do your research, you might come across different fees and various approaches. Nevertheless, their agreement document gives you a good idea about what to expect and it’s a great document to compare across agents.

5- Ask about their Strategy and Methodology

A great Realtor Vancouver professional relies on the quality of their network and strategy. It’s not just about knowing people in the market, both on and off the listing, but it’s also about having a support network to offer you. These include, for example, lawyers and financial lenders.

In terms of strategy, the best thing to do is to ask them about the area you’re interested in and see how they talk about the current trends. What are people currently offering in terms of properties and prices? How have real estate listings been shifting for the past 6 to 12 months? Their answers will give you some great clues about what they know and how they approach their market.

It might also be interesting to ask them about their online strategy. Do they have a good digital understanding of all the tools available, including how to view properties virtually Realtor-focused? In fact, for all live streaming events contact any Realtor in the area you’re interested in. Although, of course, for open houses please note potential restrictions in the region to help reduce the spread. This means they might show more listings covid-friendly designs. So, simply ask them about the difference this makes to building type and what specifications are more on-demand.

How to work with a Realtor Vancouver

Of course, you should expect the best from your Realtor Vancouver professional. However, what can you offer to make sure you have a great working relationship? There are few things that you can also do to support the process, as detailed below:

• Share your goals
• Agree with your communication approach
• Research your city area

Goals

It might sound obvious but people sometimes forget to be specific at the start of the process. The more you can incorporate your needs and goals into the agreement then the more likely you’ll have a successful project. For instance, what building type do you want to focus on? Can you specify the exact bedrooms bathrooms requirements? What about how many km away from things like restaurants and shops?

Communication

Miscommunication is such a huge source of frustration so make sure that you agree as much as possible upfront. Do you want regular calls or emails for instance? Do you prefer more or less communication and in what format? Your Realtor Vancouver professional can also go through what they normally do to give you a benchmark.

Research

Finally, you should always do some research yourself so that you have some context. One of the best ways to do this is to walk around your area and get a feel for the place and what it offers. Nevertheless, for any special or open house events, contact your Vancouver realtor.

Final Thoughts on Working with a Realtor Vancouver

Obtaining Vancouver real estate can be hugely rewarding and fun, no matter how many km away from the city. Naturally, you should try to know what you’re looking for before engaging your agent but either way, your Realtor Vancouver professional can guide you throughout the process. Simply check their references, agreement details and overall approach, and then listen to your gut. Do you see yourself working with them? Then, you should be in a great position to find your dream home.