What To Look For In Real Estate Brokerages In Toronto
Real estate in Toronto has become one of the most sought after things in the Toronto area. Only Vancouver approaches the same real estate market of Toronto and homes are going for almost eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars as of 2019! This has made the real estate market for that great metropolitan city the most lucrative in all of Canada. This also means that people are looking for reliable real estate brokers to help them either buy or sell a house on the market. So, what should people look for in a real estate brokerage?
First, realize what a real estate brokerage is. Many people use the term broker and agent interchangeably, but there is a difference. Real estate agents and real estate brokers both have to undergo training to be able to enter their trades, but a real estate broker is essentially higher trained than a real estate agent. In most cases, one will find that an agent works for a broker, or a brokerage.
What people need to look for in a real estate brokerage first, is that training. A real estate brokerage proudly displays its credentials for all to see. They’re proud of them and want everyone to know the level of training they’ve received. It’s the flimflams that will try to hide what credentials they actually have.
Next, look for experience. A brand new broker might have the credentials to ensure that they are trained to buy and sell homes, but if they have months of experience as opposed to years, it might be better to opt for the company that has the latter.
Ensure that they have an actual brick and mortar location. Sure, there are many businesses that only require an online presence, but there are also other businesses that really do need to have an actual, physical location to function. In this case, a real estate brokerage needs to have a building in which to do business. This doesn’t mean that a person has to visit that location, but a simple street-view on a map app can show if that business actually exists. If a street-view shows no such business at that location, then it’s best to pass on it.
Next, it’s a good idea to look at that online presence and see what they have available. This is a great place to see what kind and number of agents a brokerage has. It’s also a good way of getting to know an agent and their listing before one even walks through the door! It’s online where a lot of research can be done and it starts with that website. No website? Move on. Everyone has a website now, especially brokerages. They want everyone to know what properties they have available. This is also a great place to look for those credentials and a site usually includes a good amount of information on the company’s past and experience which are all invaluable towards making a decision on which brokerage to go with.
It’s also a good idea to expand one’s research into seeing what kind of online presence a brokerage has. This is where people who’ve used that brokerage give out reviews on their experiences with the business. By all means, don’t take reviews on the website, itself, as gold! Look across the web and find other websites that offer reviews on real estate companies. It’s bound to be listed there and it’s on those kinds of sites that one can find a good overall average of what experiences people have had with that brokerage. Always realize that every business has a few bad experiences with its clients, but also realize that a lot of bad experiences might indicate a problem. A good average though, is a good indication!
It’s also a good idea to check with friends over social media and ask if anyone’s had any dealings with that brokerage. Chances are that a few of them have and they can give in-depth reviews of their experiences with that business. They’re also able to answer questions, something that those other reviewers probably can’t.
Once some online research has been done, it’s time to move on to that first visit. This is the time where a person realizes that a brokerage looked good online and now it’s time to see how they are in person. This is the best time to interview for the perfect real estate brokerage. At this point, one can ask the relevant questions that are on their minds and decide if that brokerage is the right one for them.
After that, one has narrowed their search down to a short list of real estate agents. With the help of what one has already discovered online, they can then decide on that final, perfect agent for them from that list.
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