We are often asked for referrals for REALTORS® located outside our area of expertise, areas like Calgary, Edmonton, Phoenix or California, to name a few. As a REALTOR® with over 23 years of experience, I will share my top priorities for locating an area expert.

At first glance, it appears that the choices are infinite, but do you really have that much choice?

There are probably only a handful of top realtors in your specific area, and those are the ones I will target.

First, I will search online  for a list of top performing REALTORS®, review their websites and personally call at least three, but no more than 5 realtors.

Then I look for a personable REALTOR® who I can reach by phone in  a timely manner, and  who shares my old fashioned hands-on values. That realtor will have a minimum of 10 years experience and focuses solely on the identified area; they will be a specialist and not a generalist; they understand up, down and sideways their market because selling in each of these markets requires different tools and strategies.

I want hands-on service, from getting the home ready for sale to completion and possession. That means the REALTOR® I choose will be at all showings with keys in hand. My home will be their top priority.

The REALTOR® will live within a 15-20 minute radius of my home for convenience. Remember, every time that REALTOR® shows your home, there is time travel each way, home set up, and then the showing time. How likely are you going to be a priority on a Tuesday evening at 7pm, or Sunday morning at 11am when travel time is 45 minutes or longer? Sometimes there are no-shows, when the buyer cancels 10 minutes before the showing and the effort has gone to waste.

“I look for hands on, old fashioned personable service because I deserve it”.

Computers, the internet, Twitter, blogs, and cell phones have made the process of buying and selling homes accessible to the public in a fast and efficient way. However, the core of real estate has not changed. The personable relationship you create with a trusted REALTOR® should last a lifetime from generation to generation because those are the values and qualities in a REALTOR® we believe you deserve.