How to Find a Good Realtor in 2022

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Seattle, WA

We asked opinions of Homeowners who had already been through either a home purchase, sale, or both. They spilled the beans, all of “The Good, Bad, and the Ugly.”

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The ever increasing Real Estate Market brings thousands of Real Estate Agents. With so many choices and so much advertising, it’s one of the hardest decisions you can make. In fact, finding a Realtor may seem more confusing than choosing the home you want to purchase.

So, how do you know which Agent or Company is best? Will they offer reliable information and advice? Can they help you win the home in a competitive market? Will they sell your home for top dollar without making costly mistakes?

First, we’ll talk about the responses of hundreds interviewed in the survey. Then, be sure to read our take-aways as some healthy “food for thought.”

1. Most Used and Most Favorable: Online searches

This option was the most common, yet there were mixed responses of both good and not so good. Some comments made that were of the most surprising was that some of the larger named Real Estate brokerages didn’t quite deliver. Others said their experience was great.

Some said that they relied on the reviews for their choices. Others said that they looked for Agents that sold the most homes and were licensed for a longer time period, and then there were those that chose a company solely based on the brand name.

Out of the interviewed, the people that chose based solely on the brand name were less satisfied. The most satisfied were ones who did research regarding past sales history and reviews.

2. Second Most Favorable Method: Referral from a professional contact

This was a bit of a surprising answer, and a good percentage of this source of people who found their Real Estate Agent this way said that the referral was worth it. Of course there were some that didn’t have a great experience as did a percentage of everyone in the survey.

In this category, these people found their Agent through a trusted Professional who also had success with the same Agent in the past. The professional that gave them the name of the Real Estate Agent they used was among healthcare workers, attorneys, mechanics, and a even their local Starbucks barista.

3. Least Positive Results: Agent who’s a friend or family member

Unfortunately, out of the interviewed, this category yielded the least positive results. We’ve all had someone offer up their friend or family member who is a Realtor.

With that being said, just remember: A Real Estate transaction is a big deal, and just because Uncle Joe is the best Uncle ever, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is one of the best in the business. When asked to comment some of the feedback consisted of, “It wasn’t a great experience,” and “I won’t do that ever again.”

Here’s our take. Ready for the ugly? 

As pretty much everyone is aware, online searching is now an everyday tool we use for almost everything.  From service providers, to restaurants and even how to fix the kitchen sink. Without the internet, what would we do?

Because we now have the world at our fingertips, it’s just too easy to Google everything you want and need in life. We interviewed hundreds of people in Seattle and the Surrounding Puget Sound area and home of Zillow, Boeing, Microsoft, and Starbucks.  The interviewed had used some of the some of the following household names such as ReMax, Keller Williams, Windermere and Century 21 among others. 

We heard quite a few stories with friends and family Real Estate Agents, so in end will summarize the known discount in a brief sentence:  Don’t mix family and friends with business. The potential (but never guaranteed) discount isn’t worth losing a great relationship over. Some of your personal financial information may come up in the transaction such as, your credit, any bills that you may not have paid and ended up on your title report. Or, an old bill in collections that isn’t allowing you to purchase. While not all of that information is divulged to its full extent, it can come up in title reports and credit reports.

Online, we rely on reviews to help us determine who or what stands in the crowd. Through word of mouth, we also hear reviews of people that have had personal experiences or know others that have had personal experiences with a company, product or service.

Unfortunately, with the internet comes a new topic of discussion no matter what product or service you are looking for: The push to be at the top of Google. How does a company get there?

It’s really simple. The more that’s paid, the more often the site is at the top. The very top of Google is reserved for ads. Then, the search results (that are not ads) are determined by algorithms that few people understand. These top of the search results are often referred to as ‘organic’ and most relevant to your search, although Google recently stated that they have changed the algorithms a bit, but still few understand. In addition, these results are usually derived by very experienced “techies” managing their sites. It’s really actually simple to understand the concept though. The one who’s behind getting the page to the top usually isn’t done by the person who is going to provide you with that product or service you are searching for.

Additionally, Agents are now sending out gift cards in exchange for reviews. Whereas, the customer often leaves out any negative feedback just to get the gift card and not look like a jerk. In another new trend, Agents are paying these large online Real Estate Marketing companies to connect with you. They post ads online, and then they charge Agents thousands of dollars for the connection. Even though some of these places claim to only use highly experienced Agents, we found that to be a large glass, half full. 

Because the cost of online marketing have become so high, the Agent then relies on high volume. There are many coaching programs that are teaching Real Estate Agents to create a Large Team. The system is, they hire an Inside Sales Agent to speak to you initially, then they pay brand new Agents a small fee to go show their clients houses. Meanwhile, they negotiate on homes they’ve never seen, claim to provide “excellent services” with their large team. 

The more clients they have, the more money they make. This allows the Agent to continue the cycle of gaining as many clients as possible, usually at your sacrifice. This disturbing new setup is the result of a domino effect of big tech. So, in end, what you may actually get is: what you pay for.  Sound familiar?

What we’ve found:

There’s a new progression that’s misleading to consumers in the Real Estate Industry: Low commission matching companies, like Ideal Agent. While this concept sounds great, in end, our opinion is that it really only hurts the industry and you the consumer. It may sound great to be able to sell for 1%, but it isn’t doing consumers or Agents any favors.

Most don’t know that Real Estate Agents are usually heavily taxed, have Brokerage fees E&O and B&O, transaction fees, desk fees, Realtor fees, technology fees, and more depending upon the company they contract with. All of these fees are only increasing. When you try to stiff on Agents, you end up with poor service and little  spend on marketing your home. How can they be a good negotiator if they can’t even negotiate a realistic commission? And, yes, most Realtors spend plenty of money on marketing your home, just usually not for 1%. 

Another piece of ugly truth:  “Low-Fee Real Estate Matching Companies” claim they aren’t discount Brokerages, which is a bit bogus, but partially true.  In reality, they aren’t Brokerages at all. They are marketing companies, and their goal is just to take a piece of YOUR pie, and dip into paychecks from the ones who actually sell your home. If the buyer doesn’t like any homes for 6 months of looking, that Agent goes 6 months without getting paid for many months of work and being at your beck and call to view a home you just saw come on the market. 

The Conclusion

Some of the best Agents are actually ones that receive all of their business from word of mouth, because they are really that experienced and well versed. These Agents don’t need to pay large fees for business, the business comes to them. And, of course, we will always use the internet to search for products and services.

The key to finding the Best Realtor is to ask around and then look online at past sales, read the reviews, do some research and ask the right questions.

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About the Author: Debra Teal is a Top Producing and highly recommended Realtor in Seattle, WA at Coldwell Banker Danforth, with 5 locations to serve you. Having spent her entire life in and around the Real Estate Industry, she is well versed in past and current trends in Residential Real Estate in the Pacific Northwest Region.

Area of focus: Residential Real Estate, Listing Agent, Buyer’s Agent, Estate Sales, Short Sales, Investment Properties, Pre-foreclosures, Quick Sales, Cash Offers, Bank Owned, First Time Home Buyer Programs

Areas of Service: Seattle and Puget Sound, WA

Recommended by: Attorneys, Past Clients, Mortgage Brokers, Real Estate Agents

Experience: Debra Teal has personally sold hundreds of homes, and in 2018 Debra Teal’s number of units sold was a whopping 51 homes

Average Rating: 5 Stars, Favorable

States Debra Teal is licensed: Washington & Arizona

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Debra Teal Real Estate Broker | Seattle, WA | Coldwell Banker Danforth
425-343-7581 | Copyright © 2024 | All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: This article shall be deemed reliable but cannot guaranteed, and is not intended as legal advice. Individual results may vary.