Author: David Hitt
Source: ezinearticles.com

To start your San Fernando Valley real estate home buying process, you will want to choose a good San Fernando Valley Realtor to assist you with locating the right property that meets your criteria, needs and price range. Finding the right agent will save you time and money and ensure that your home buying experience is smooth and enjoyable.

How to Find a Good Agent?

Referrals. One of the best ways to find a good San Fernando Valley Realtor is to get a referral from a friend, family member, business associate, attorney or CPA. Real estate professionals stay in business by obtaining referrals from past clients and through repeat business. You can expect to receive excellent customer service from a real estate agent that has been referred to you from one of their past clients.

Driving the Area or Open Houses. If you are interested in Sherman Oaks real estate or the surrounding areas of Encino or Van Nuys, you may want to drive around those neighborhoods and look for signs of Realtors who predominately work those areas. Visiting open houses allows you to speak to the Realtor face to face and form an impression of how they do business. The way the agent treats and greets potential buyers is a good indication of the type of service you can expect from that person.

The agent should be knowledgeable about the homes for sale in the area and about the current market trends. An experienced and well informed agent will bring information to their open houses about their other listings as well as other properties in the area in case a buyer like you walks in and is looking for a slightly different property. Realtors not only conduct open houses to market and sell their listings, but also to meet potential new buyers and sellers.

Internet. According to the National Association of Realtors, 87% of buyers start their home buying process on the Internet. For instance, if you Google San Fernando Valley real estate or Sherman Oaks real estate, several Realtor websites will come up on the page. By browsing through a number of websites, you can get a sense of whether or not you would like to do business with that person. The easiest way to find out is to contact them, and see how long it takes them to respond, or if they even respond. The agent should respond to you within 24 hrs. either by email or telephone. The real estate business is a customer service oriented business so if the person does not have the courtesy to acknowledge you, then move on to someone that does.

Newspapers or Real Estate Magazines. The local Saturday or Sunday real estate section of the Los Angeles Times San Fernando Valley section is full of information about San Fernando Valley homes for sale. The major real estate brokerage firms and individual agents who work for those firms advertise their listings and services on a continuous basis. They also advertise in such publications as the Homes & Land Magazine and other real estate publications and magazines. You should be able to find a San Fernando Realtor by using these resources as well.

Characteristics and Qualities of a Good Real Estate Agent