Hooray! You are finally ready to start your journey into buying or selling your home (or both!) and want to hire an amazing real estate agent. After all, you definitely want someone you like and trust since you might be spending many months together. But liking your agent is not the only factor that is important for a good relationship, your agent must also be willing to work assertively and competently towards your goals. This means that you want an agent with good credentials as well as a likable personality. This can be a tough balance to find.

Before you start interviewing agents, here are a few tips:

1. Look up their license information — I know this one seems kinda obvious but a lot of people never look up license information on the agents they are interviewing. You want to make sure that they have an active license in their state with no unresolved complaints. For Colorado, you can go here to see status and information on licenses. There should be similar websites in each state.
2. Pay attention to each proposal — Again, might seem a little obvious but there can be some pitfalls here. Is one agent telling you they can sell your home for a lot more than anyone else? Be wary, they should be providing a comparable market analysis for your area to back up a suggested selling price. Properties priced too high will not even garner a look from prospective buyers. More is not always better, you want an agent with realistic findings who can sell your house quick and easy. When buying a home, is the agent knowledgeable about the area you want to live in? Can they tell you about schools and any hidden drawbacks? Are they listening to what YOU want? You deserve an agent who truly listens and works with you but will also be honest about what you can expect from the process.
3. Ask about their plan — Whether you are buying or selling or both, your agent should have a plan to get you there. Just putting some ads in the local paper is not good enough anymore, there is a lot of work that goes into meeting your needs! According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), most people start their home search online,  “Thirty-eight percent of buyers that were 35 and younger, 43 percent aged 36 to 50, 47 percent aged 51 to 60, and 53 percent of buyers aged 61 to 69 looked online for properties for sale.” (see full report here). What this means is that the internet plays a HUGE role in buying and selling! Ask your prospective agent how they use this channel to sell or find potential homes. Are they computer savvy? Do they know how to take advantage of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Are they willing to take you to houses on a schedule that works for you? An agent that is only available on Wednesdays when the moon is full may not be the best choice. There is so much that goes into this process that you want to have a concrete, workable, and realistic plan to get you to the finish line. 
4. Ask about updates — How will you be getting updates and how often? One of the most frequent complaints I hear on agents is “they never call back or update me on anything!” Make sure the agent you choose is willing to give you updates as often as you want (even if the update is nothing new) and using the method you like. Are you a texter? Then ask for texts! Do you adore email? Well, your agent should be willing to email updates! We work for you and a good agent should want to keep you in the loop as much as you want. Make a plan with the agent you choose to get regular updates, maybe once a week on Wednesdays or twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. This will help you to know that your goals are being worked on and your agent is taking their responsibilities seriously. 
5. What are their expectations for you?  — A good agent will have some honest feedback and expectations for you. Selling or buying a home is not a one way street (on either side) and the agent you choose should be honest about what you need to contribute to be successful. Do you need to take your bundle of furry love on a long walk every time someone looks at the house since buyers often are turned off by a barking, crated dog? Would it help to update some fixtures in your bathroom even if you truly love that custom faucet made from old pipes from your last car? Do they honestly let you know that it is going to hurt your selling chances if you can only show your house on Tuesdays from 12-1? As much as we wish this process to be quick and painless, there may be some tough love that your agent will impart and it is nice to know that the agent you choose is willing to make sure you hear the truth to find success.
6. Who else do they bring to the table? — A great agent will surround him or herself with equally great partners. Can your agent recommend three knowledgable lenders for you to interview? Do they have a good general contractor to help with repairs? If they are newer to the business, do they have an experienced team behind them ready to help with those weird situations that inevitably pop up? New is not always detrimental (we are all new at a job sometime) but new, alone, and unwilling to ask for help, now that is nerve-racking. One of my favorite quotes by Matthew Kelly says, “No man becomes great on his own. No woman becomes great on her own. The people around them help to make them great.” (full quote here). The agent you choose should have trustworthy people around them, people who can help when your agent may not know the answer or is not experienced in that area. Not one of us knows everything, but combining a whole lot of experts sure does help!

Finding clients the home of their dreams or selling a house for an amazing price is one of the most rewarding pieces of our job. The right agent will make this a fun, albeit sometimes stressful, but ultimately a truly worthwhile endeavor. The list above only touches on some of the areas to investigate and you will certainly add your own as you start the process. Good luck and have fun!