Top Real Estate Agents in New Orleans: Finding the Realtor Unicorn
Here are Athena’s top five tips on finding the realtor unicorn to sell or buy your home in the New Orleans area:
1. Understand how real estate agents operate. Real estate agents (technically called “Salespersons” under Louisiana law) are required by the rules of the governing authority in Louisiana, the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, to be affiliated with a real estate brokerage and under the supervision of a “broker.” For this reason, when you list your house for sale, the listing agreement is technically with the brokerage for whom the agent works.
But make no mistake: with most brokerages, agents operate with tremendous independence, rendering your listing contract with the brokerage a mere technicality. With rare exception, real estate agents are independent contractors and “run the show” in their dealings with clients. Of course, reputable brokerages like Athena Real Estate have their agents undergo rigorous training. Just don’t expect that an agent’s broker will be involved in your specific transaction.
2. Education and experience matter. The barrier to entry to becoming a real estate agent in Louisiana is relatively low: you have to be 18 years old, have a high school degree or GED, take a 90-hour course (available online), and pass an exam. Compared to other professional certifications, this is an easy hurdle to jump, enticing droves of candidates to get their real estate licenses with the prospect of making substantial commissions.
3. Beware of an agent’s workload. Give a task to a busy person, and it’ll get done? Not necessarily.
Of course, one of the most significant factors to consider when choosing among the best New Orleans real estate agents is his or her experience and success in the industry.
4. Understand team structures. On a related note, well-informed home buyers and sellers need to understand how real estate “teams” work. In Louisiana, realtors are allowed to form “teams” who work cooperatively together to service clients’ needs. Each team ordinarily has a leader who assigns work on deals to agents under his or her supervision.real estate agent new orleans
5. Insist on robust social media marketing. Like it or not, social media is here to stay. If you have any doubt about this, just check out this site on the pervasiveness of social media usage in our country. Even if you’re not a fan of social media, it’s beyond dispute that social media offers fertile ground for marketing real estate listings. In fact, the “reach” of social media advertising (number of views per marketing dollar spent) blows print advertising out of the water. And with the ability to target particular areas, demographics, and people likely to buy or sell a home, the pin-point accuracy of social media marketing is unparalleled.