Why Your Agent Should Be A Local Expert

Hi All,

Today I want to talk about why your agent should be a local expert.

Choosing an agent that does not base their business in the geographic area you are interested in doesn’t make good financial sense. Real Estate is a local business, so it stands to reason that the best person to choose for the job is a local expert.

A Beverly Hills based agent is the perfect choice if your home, or the one you are interested in, is on Sunset and Camden but not such a great choice if the home you are interested in is on Baseline and Mills.

Why does that matter?

Because California is a big place and no matter how well traveled someone may be they can’t know it all. Sure a California Real Estate License allows them to sell Real Estate anywhere within California’s borders, but just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should.

There is more to helping someone buy or sell a home than just driving a buyer around, placing a sign in a seller’s yard and filling out the paperwork.

As a buyer, you need a REALTOR® who knows more than just the square footage of a home. They should also know where the schools are in relation to the property, where the grocery stores are, the closest gas stations, where the parks are, what the traffic is like… Basically they should know the area like the back of their hand. You are relying on them to help you find not just a home but a neighborhood that will be a good fit. They need to know the area like a local and the best way to ensure that they do is to choose a local area expert.

As a seller, you need to have someone who not only knows all of the ins and outs of the Real Estate transaction and can get you successfully from contract to close, but who also knows how to effectively market your property to the buyer’s and the agents that will bring the buyer’s to your home.

An agent can be a REALTOR® and have all the rights and privileges that title conveys but if they don’t base their business in your area of interest some of the tools that they should be using on your behalf just won’t be readily available.

The California Association of Realtor’s® is made up of many different boards. Each covers a specific geographic area and they don’t all freely share information with each other.

An agent that is based outside of your area of interest may not have the ability to market your home in the MLS (Multiple Listing Service, a sort of classified ad specifically for Real Estate Professionals) that actually services the area your home is in.

An agent that does most, if not all of their business in Orange County, California can take a listing in Claremont, but may not choose to advertise that listing in the MLS that services Claremont. That would mean that unless the buyer or their representative drove past your home and saw the sign they would have no way of knowing your home was for sale.

Also, an agent that is not in the area you are interested in may not be as available to show you properties as a buyer or to make sure that you have plenty of flyers as a seller. They may also not be as motivated to do an open house for you should you want one if your home is too far away for it to be practical.

They may also not be aware of the significant difference in value between a home that is located in Claraboya and an almost duplicate property that is below the 10 Freeway. They are both in Claremont, but a three bedroom home located above Baseline will most likely sell for more than one on San Jose or American will.

In a city like Claremont a one block distance in any direction can sometimes mean $100,000 difference in the value of the home. A local area expert will know what different areas are worth and will be able to help you compare apples to apples as a buyer or a seller and not apples to airplanes.

So, when the time comes for you to consider buying or selling a home, choose a local area expert. You will be glad you did.

Take care,

(Your Local Claremont Area Expert