The 7 Habits of A Highly Effective Realtor

A day in the life of a Realtor is a hectic mix of meetings, coffee, showings, emails, property tours, open-houses, offers, more coffee, negotiations, and a million other little tasks that keep the real estate buying and selling process looking seamless for our clients.

Following are the 7 traits of a top-performing agent, and the one that you should be seeking out for your next real estate deal.

A GREAT AGENT IS

Proactive and creative

Selling a home today requires a special combination of pricing, marketing, and in most cases, staging. A great agent will approach your sale with unique ideas to showcase the best aspects of the property and generate buzz.

An excellent communicator

You should never be left wondering where your agent is and what step you are in the process (whether buying or selling). A great agent keeps you in the loop, is proactive on follow-up and ensures that you are never overwhelmed.

Highly knowledgeable

A great agent will know the city, town, district, or neighbourhood like the back of their hand. And if for some reason they dont, they will make it their duty to learn it all for you! You should be able to get the full scope of the lifestyle that comes along with a new home; schools, neighbours, services, transportation. Beyond being a neighbourhood guru, a good agent knows exactly whats going on in the market and how to react appropriately based on whether you are buying or selling.

Friendly and positive

Your agent is someone you will be spending a lot of time with during the sale or purchase of your home. They should make the process as enjoyable as possible for you with a positive attitude and approachable demeanor.

100% trust-worthy

A great agent is someone you can trust whole-heartedly. They give you all the facts, they are honest about negative aspects of your transaction, and they look out for your best interests, not theirs.

A savvy negotiator

The sale/purchase negotiation is perhaps the most important step in the real estate process. You want a tough negotiator on your side who knows exactly what will entice buyers/sellers, and what will turn them off when to push, and when to retreat.

Incredibly organized

With so many moving parts: showings, marketing, preparing documents, running open houses, negotiating, market comparisons, the list goes on and on! A great agent has a step by step plan for executing each step, is clear in sharing their approach with you, and does not let any detail slip through the cracks.

*Key photo: TheHitBoard

This entry was posted on May 21, 2016 by Jim and Iris

Words of Appreciation

“Thank you for the memorable sales and closing experience of finding the cottage of our dreams. A perfect fit for our needs.”

I & E – Lake Muskoka cottage buyers

“Jim and Iris Gardiner were both amazing to deal with. A truly professional team. They shared a great deal of knowledge with us and really shed important light regarding potential Island Cottage ownership – all the pros and cons. Not only did they sell our existing cottage in 24 hours for much higher than our asking price they helped us find our new slice of paradise on Lake Muskoka in a very tight market. We are thrilled with our new cottage and love being on Eilean Gowan Island! We would highly recommend either Jim or Iris for any of your Real Estate needs!”

J & D – Sold on Echo Lake and bought on Lake Muskoka

Jim did me a favor 20 years ago and I wanted to return the favor – I approached him and Iris at the cottage show and, even though I already had a real estate agent, he recommended a cottage property that I purchased and enjoyed for those 20 years. I therefore, tracked him down and had him be our agent in selling that property. Our priority was to find new owners that would be friendly and fit in well with the neighbors and Jim and Iris found the perfect couple Jim and Iris made the entire sale most enjoyable. The experience was so smooth and enjoyable that the sellers, the buyers and the real estate agents all got together for supper the following summer at our old cottage!

K & L – Lake Muskoka

It is with great pleasure and appreciation for me to recommend the services of Jim Gardiner and the entire Gardiner Team. Jim’s awareness of community by-laws and market related activities extracted incremental value for us when we were finalizing the purchasing agreement.

JB – Mirror Lake

Just want to tell you that you did a fine job for me on the cottage sale on Lake Muskoka. The sale has removed a huge load from my shoulders. Iris, just a note to thank you again. Money is in the bank!!!!!!

BJ – Lake Muskoka