Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Finding a good realtor, one that you can really “click” with, is a bit like finding the right person to marry - takes a bit of searching, perhaps you kiss a few toads, but one day, you meet the right one, and “bam” it’s simpatico!
Finding a realtor is made easy with AgentMatch © Kurhan - Fotolia.com
The only problem with approaching your search for an agent in this manner is time. You want to buy (or get out from under) a house now, not later, and you are busy living your life so you really don’t have the time, or the inclination, to “try on” every realtor in your neighborhood.
Aren’t you lucky to be living in the time you are now! The online residential real estate website NeighborCity® is offering a service called AgentMatch®, which is kind of like an “E-Harmony” for the real estate world. This service provides ratings on just about every active residential real estate agent across the country, matching up individuals with quality realtors who are the best fit for the needs of that individual buyer or seller.
The difference between this service and many such services which merely provide the listing realtors of particular properties is that a buyer or seller can search through the company’s database of agents and select the best performing agents in their region. They can search for those who possess the expertise that the client needs - for example, a realtor familiar with distressed sellers, first time home buyers and even investors.
Ratings are given to each agent according to a number of criteria, for example the historical data on their previous sales and listings, which is then analyzed according to criteria deemed most important by consumers. After reviewing an agent’s performance, an overall score is determined, which is then provided along with graphs and other metrics which offer a visual picture of that agent’s effectiveness in the marketplace.
The score takes in information such as the agent’s success rate in sales, number of days on the market, the difference or “spread” between asking price and sales price, average price per square foot, neighborhoods, types of listing and cities where agents work. The information is then compared to peers (as established by the rating service) to determine a “NC Agent Score” which buyers and sellers can use to when reviewing the agents’ performance in the marketplace.
Knowing an agent’s score eliminates a lot of the guesswork when it comes to knowing how well an agent will meet your needs. AgentMatch saves customers time and work by matching individuals with the agent that best suits their needs based on the property that they are buying or selling. Click here to see a sample page.
The founder and CEO of NeighborCity said:
"Buying a home is one of life's most important decisions, but until now the data necessary to make an informed decision was unavailable to the general public and reserved for industry insiders and well-heeled hedge funds. Many in the industry believe the data should remain behind lock and key and the current 'buyer beware' environment should remain unchecked. However, based on my first-hand experience, having the right broker can mean the difference between a transaction being successful or financially disastrous. Our goal is for our customers to avoid those pitfalls and experience the benefits that come from working with a top rated professional."
Much like the “matchmaker” of times gone by, AgentMatch acts as a liaison between clients and agents. AgentMatch users are able to communicate via text and email with top agents of their choosing, without giving out personal information. The first agent to reply to the interested individual has the opportunity of winning the client’s business, however the client can choose whom they will hire and if they are not satisfied with the agent they chose, NeighborCity will terminate the relationship and connect them with another realtor.
In some localities, where state law does not forbid, NeighborCity offers users of the service a Feedback Bonus at closing which is in essence a rebate on a portion of the agent’s commission.
Finding a good match isn’t always easy, but I think that NeighborCity has a pretty good thing going with their AgentMatch service. Getting money back isn’t so bad either. After all, the closest you’ll get to getting money back after the honeymoon is returning the wedding gifts.
