Choosing a real estate agent is one of the most important decisions a home buyer or seller can make.  Before []

Choosing a real estate agent is one of the most important decisions a home buyer or seller can make.  Before the home shopping season gets underway, here are some tips to help find an agent thats right for you.

1. Research

Do some legwork. Literally. Take a walk or drive around your neighborhood and check out the for-sale signs.  Does one company dominate the area? Are there fliers or other marketing materials available? Most importantly, do SOLD signs go up after days, weeks, or not at all? If you need help, theres a real estate app to help with most of this.

Stop by open houses to view other homes on the market. This is a great way to see the agent in action, and meet them in a casual setting.  Are they friendly, informative and professional? How do they respond to other people coming to the open house?

2.  Check Out Ratings and Reviews

Online agent ratings and reviews are the next best thing to a personal referral.  Knowing the experience that lots of  other people had with a particular agent is valuable information to have.  Zillow allows you to search a specific area to find the agents with the highest ratings and best reviews. OR, after youve walked around your hood and gotten a few business cards at open houses, you can search for agents by name and read their reviews.  Either way, online research should be a part of  the process.

3. Interview Multiple Agents

Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial events of your life so take the time to interview at least three agents before deciding whom to hire. You want to find someone who demonstrates knowledge of your area and expertise in the buying/selling process,  that is, familiarity with all the technicalities such as title, appraisals,  financing, negotiation, inspections, etc.  Above all else,  make sure youll feel comfortable having this person guide you through an overwhelming and stressful process.

4. Ask the Right Questions

There are hundreds of  things you can ask during the interview process.   Separate the good agents from the great ones by comparing the answers you get to these questions:

How many deals did you complete last year?

How many of those deals were in the area I am interested in?

How will you prioritize and strategize for my needs?

If you are a buyer,  find out how the agent will search for homes for you, how many homes you can expect to see before finding the right one, who will come up with pricing, and how multiple offers are handled.

If you are a seller, ask how the agent will market your home both on and off-line, how many photos are typically posted with a listing, what kind of photo equipment will be used (for high-quality photos), where your home will be advertised and how often? Finally, can this agent tell you what current buyers are looking for in a home these days? See other questions to ask a real estate agent .

5.  Set Communication Expectations

One of the most common complaints from buyers and sellers is about the agents lack of communication. Make sure youre on the same page from the get-go.  Discuss how the agent will keep you informed and how often you expect to hear from them.  If you prefer email but the agent is most responsive to phone calls, you may not be a good fit for each other. Or, if you know youre going to have lots of questions about the process and expect quick responses,  but the agents MO is bi-weekly updates,  you may want to find another agent.  It doesnt matter how fantastic your agent is if your communication styles dont mesh.