You should look for an agent with the following characteristics:
- Trust. Selling your home is one of the biggest financial transactions of your life. The assets tied up in your home represent years if not decades of your blood, sweat, and tears. Its imperative you work with someone you can trust to look out for your best interests even if those interests don’t align with the Agent’s interests.
- Experience & Competence. How many years does your agent have in the real estate industry? How broad is their experience? These are important factors to consider as many agents may have several years of experience in handling transactions but that is the extent of the breadth of their experience. Look for an agent and firm that values investment and management experience. This is especially important when purchasing a home. An agent with investing experience will be able to advise you on the long term financial implications of purchasing your chosen property at a given set of terms and price. If you need to move in three years, will your property produce a positive cash flow if you have to rent it? Your agent should be able to tell you.
- Marketing Knowledge. A solid understanding of the local market is just as important during the purchasing process as it is during the selling process. Your agent should know what the market norms are for offer terms in your area. Your agent should also prepare a comparative market analysis (CMA) of the home you decide to purchase. The CMA assists you in determining a fair market value for the property and your offer price by showing the listing price to closing price ratio and average days on market as well as other factors for similar properties in the neighborhood. CMA’s aren’t just for sellers!
- Responsiveness. Business moves at a faster pace than it did 20 years ago. Buyers and Agents look at and purchase properties everyday of the week. Your Agent better be prepared to get the deal done whenever the opportunity presents itself. Buyers and Sellers often manage transactions from hundreds or thousands of miles away. Your Agent should be comfortable working across time zones and be able to respond within 24 hours at a bare minimum.
- A Good Team. As the saying goes, “Two is One, and One is None.” People are capable of amazing things, but inevitably there will come a time when events overwhelm them and they fail. Your Agent should be part of a team that is familiar with your transaction so they can step in if needed. Furthermore, teams allow for greater specialization and skill depth so that you receive the best service and value possible.
OUR DIFFERENCE
Military First is committed to offering our clients the best possible service. This is how we accomplish our commitment to you:
- Professional Representation. Our Team knows what it means to accomplish the mission and is prepared to do just that.
- Candid Communication. You may not always like what we have to tell you but the best way for us to advance your interests is by giving it to you straight. We don’t do sugar-coated powerpoints, its a waste of your time.
- Market Knowledge. We will ensure that you understand the Tampa-Hillsborough market before we start seeing properties so you are able to judge the true value of a property in relation to other available properties on the market. Talk to one of our agents today to schedule a consultation and review of the current local market.
- Commitment to Serving the Military. We will beat any military incentive program out there. Show us in writing what the competition is giving you and we will beat it. Service Members deserve the best and we will deliver it.
- Satisfaction Guarantee. If for any reason you’re unhappy with our relationship, let us know and we will do everything we can to fix that. If we aren’t able to fix it we won’t charge a fee or penalty to cancel your contract with us.