How to Choose the Best Pleasanton Real Estate Agent

Secure your investment when you seek the help of the best real estate agent.

Like many other Americans, your Pleasanton CA home is probably the biggest financial investment you've ever made. If you're thinking of selling it, considering how valuable it is for you, you obviously would only want the help of the best Realtor® in Pleasanton.

But there are plenty of agents and Realtors® in Pleasanton, so how do you choose the best one?

Choosing means having options, so start by narrowing down your options.

Selecting the best real estate agent. 

You need to have a basis of comparison. Just like finding the best restaurant or best drinks, you need the right selections.

Here are five things you can do to find the best Pleasanton Realtor®.

1. Create your shortlist. Ask referrals from people you know who have sold homes. Ask recommendations from your friends and family members.
Search online!

Great Realtors® have a strong online presence and previous customers aren't intimidated to give feedback or reviews of how they think the agent performed.

2. Take the time to talk to the agents. Learn how long they have been working. You want someone who has been licensed for more than five years. It can be difficult to entrust your hard-earned investment to someone who is new.

You have to know how they work under pressure, their current listings, about homes they’ve sold, their marketing plan, etc. You want to have first hand knowledge on the agent's communication and social skills, and more importantly, find out if they connect well with you.

3. Ask for any professional awards or recognition. An agent can proclaim himself or herself as the best agent, but without any awards or recognition to back up that claim, you'd know he or she isn't the best one.

4. Choose the one with the right credentials. Like doctors and lawyers, agents also have specialties. Some of the designations are :

CRS means Certified Residential Specialist, someone who has completed additional training in real estate.
ABR means Accredited Buyer's Representative, someone who has completed additional education as a buyer's representative.
SRES means Seniors Real Estate Specialist, someone who has completed training in helping clients age 50 and above.

Of course, you know that a Realtor® means an agent who has sworn an oath to work within the parameters of a code of ethics, and a member of NAR.

5. Choose someone who is continually educating herself, learning and adapting to the constantly changing real estate market. Find an agent who does not stop learning, who doesn’t just rely on what she knows, but still aims to improve and get better.

You want to hire me Rhonda Fee, the best Realtor® in Pleasanton.

I’ve been in the real estate business for 14 years. I earned my Broker’s degree in 2011 and received the Grand Master’s Award in 2014 and 2015 from Bay East Association of Realtors®.

I firmly believe in integrity and honesty in dealing with clients. I can try and convince you that I’m the best in this town, but I think it’s better to let my former clients do the talking. Visit my testimonials page here : http://HomeValuesPleasanton.com/Testimonials/.

Call me, Rhonda Fee, at 925-200-0827. Allow me to let you experience the best real estate transaction you’ll ever have.

Should I get a home appraisal BEFORE selling my home?

You've decided to put your Pleasanton CA home up for sale.

You've had a couple of real estate agents come by and provide you with your home's value based on the comparative market analysis (CMA). However, the prices you were given were drastically different from each other. Which one should you choose?

This is a common issue among many home sellers. You know you need to price your home right so it will sell successfully, but no two agent can give you the  exact same price.

You've probably considered getting a third opinion, maybe from another real estate agent.

Or if you have extra money to spare, you may have thought of getting a home appraisal.

The benefit of home appraisal

An appraisal determines the current market value of your home by sending a professional state licensed appraiser to check your home's physical properties.

The appraiser compares the sale of several similar real estate properties within a couple of miles from your home. He or she will then make adjustments based on the condition of the home, upgrades made, location etc.

One benefit of getting a home appraisal is you, as the home seller get an assurance of your Pleasanton home for sale's value.

Another benefit is knowing that the value was given by someone who is an expert and professional and who can back up that value by an appraisal report.

But should you get a home appraisal before listing your home?

I don't normally suggest getting a home appraisal before listing your home.

Here are my reasons why:

1. Before listing your home, an appraisal is just another opinion of your home's worth.

You can use your money however you want, but don't think the value will be transferrable to the buyer. The buyer will not use that appraisal because the lender will order another appraisal from their end. The appraisal, therefore, will only be for your use.

2. Appraisals are based on comparables of homes sold. But what if there are no recent sales in your area? The appraiser will then use old sales from last year, sometimes as far back as three or four years to get a good comparison. Sometimes, insufficient data can affect the appraiser's value, especially since he or she relies heavily on comparables.

You would be better off asking assistance from an experienced real estate agent like me, Rhonda Fee, since I can help determine your home's worth based on comps and market trend. Also, it is likely that since I may have already visited the home several times that I know more about the updates and changes.

3. Appraisals are subjective to appraisers, therefore, you will always get different value. Like with the two real estate agents, no two appraisers will give you the exact same price.  

I can help determine your home in Pleasanton’s value using the CMA and it’s free!

4. Sometimes, you can get so stuck on the appraisal that you don’t want to negotiate because you expect the value from the appraisal.

There have been some occasions that the sellers I am helping refuse to consider a good price from a buyer because they wanted the value from their appraisal.  Though you set the home's price,  I hope you'll remember that it in the end, you'll have to mutually agree with the buyer when it comes to your home's value.

Getting an appraisal before listing your home really depends on you. If you have the money to spare, do it for your peace of mind, but also know it is not a necessity.

**In case you can not view this video here, please click the link below to view Should I Get a Home Appraisal Before Selling My Home? on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cr0kDe-Pvk&feature=youtu.be**