Finding the best real estate agent in Houston can be challenging. Especially since the barrier to entry is basically non-existent and everyone and their mother has a license. You can throw a rock in a crowd and hit 10 Realtors, quite literally. There are over 30,000 real estate agents in Houston, how do you choose the right one? Check out the video above and read the article for a more in depth review on how to find the best real estate agent in Houston.

The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) is the central hub for all real estate agents in our region. This a great place to start your research to find an agent. Once you are there you can sort by many filters to narrow down your search. Check out an agents activity and what kind of reviews they have.

Don’t go to 3^rd party websites like Zillow or Trulia to search for an agent. This is for a couple of reasons. 1. When you search for an agent, the first agents you will see are those that pay those sites to put them first on the search list. This doesn’t mean that they are a great agent or that they do a lot of business. 2. If an agent has sold 100’s of homes and has that many reviews, they have to manually go in and update those 3^rd party systems. So, just because an agent doesn’t have reviews on sites like Zillow, Realtor.com or Trulia doesn’t mean that they aren’t active. With that being said, it’s best to go straight to the source which is HAR.

Another avenue to explore is to Google nearby real estate agents. Just like HAR, pay attention to the reviews customers have left them after they close. Using a search engine like Google will reveal all of an agents information you need such as reviews, their website, locations, and social links. From there you can start digging around and stalking potential agents to work with.

Times have changed. Technology has changed and taken over the world we live in. If you have narrowed down a few candidates, continue your creepy stalkiness by scrolling through their social platforms. One thing to note is how active they are. Do they post and engage with their audience often? Are they writing blogs and filming videos to provide to the every day consumer? The more active the better. It’s important to hire an agent that is more than familiar with the online world. We live in a digital era, so should your agent.

You can’t beat the trust of a referral from a friend or family member, because they more than likely have experience with the person or company they are referring you to. If they would like to recommend an agent to you, ask them how their overall experience was. If they had a pleasant experience then make sure to include this agent or team on your list of candidates.

Those are the 4 ways to compile your list. But what do you do with it? How do you narrow the list down to only the top candidates you want to do business with? Let’s dive into the meat and potatoes of the article.

We mentioned this one earlier, but it’s worth noting here in the 10 strategies to find the best agent. What you are looking for on an agents website is how much content they are producing to provide to every day consumers. Why? This tells you 2 things… the agent is passionate about this business and they are active in the industry. Also, it’s a good way to get to know the agent or team before you decide to interview them.

This goes hand in hand with their website. The more active the agent is, the better for you. You can also check out their reviews on Facebook and see what people are saying about the agent or company.

Next is to see exactly how active an agent is in the Houston region. Check HAR for their previous sales and their current activity. As mentioned earlier in this article, this is the best place to find an agents online reviews because this is the association us Houston agents belong to. Obviously, the more reviews the better. You will have plenty of other people’s experiences to read.

We get this question a lot and the answer really depends on what the client is specifically looking for. Each have their own pros and cons. If you are looking to only speak with 1 person the entire process and no one else, then hiring a solo agent may be best for you. On the flip side, if that solo agent gets busy and doesn’t have any help then communication and customer service can slip. If you want more of a streamlined process and don’t mind speaking with members of a team, then hiring a team is right for you. They have established processes and systems in place a solo agent won’t have. Think of a team like Chick-Fil-A, each person has their own responsibilities and delegated tasks to complete every day.

Once you have narrowed your list, now is the time to start interviewing agents to select which is the best fit for you. Don’t know what to say or ask them? Don’t worry! We made a list of questions you should ask any agent you want to hire. Click here to download for free.

Don’t overcomplicate this process. Go with your gut feeling. Select the agent you have the most chemistry with and you know can get the job done. Don’t hire any agent just for the heck of it. You and your agent will have a working relationship and if you don’t get along it’s going to make for a miserable sale. So pick someone you trust.

I shouldn’t even have to say this, but our industry is full of shady real estate agents. It’s simply because of how easy it is to get in this industry, there are no barriers. Make sure whoever you decide to hire, they hold your best interest at heart rather than treating you like a transaction number for the year. Hopefully you have no doubts on who to work with because of the research you’ve done so far.

Look for an agent or team that’s passionate about what they do. Not someone who does this part time to pay for their yearly vacation. Honesty and integrity are equally important as well. Do you trust the person you about to hire to be honest with you and do the right thing when no one is looking? If not, then you need to find someone else.

The agent you hire should have a solid understanding of the overall current Houston real estate market and all the way down to a hyperlocal market such as a specific neighborhood or area. Having a knowledgeable agent will help guide you in your decision making.

When you choose to work with an agent or team, what does their customer service and support look like? Hopefully you were able to get a glimpse when you were researching an agent online. Ask them how often they communicate with their clients. Ask them how they can help guide you every step of the way. How can you be sure you aren’t left in the dark? You and the agent you select should set expectations with each other up front before signing any documents.

Here is the link again to the list of questions you can ask agents when you are doing your research. 

Choosing who to hire as your real estate agent in the Houston area can seem overwhelming. Especially since there are so many. Use this article and video as your guide. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out to us. If you want to schedule an interview with us to discuss if we are a good fit or not, click this link to schedule an appointment with us.