Businessmen by Paolo
You might have heard that during June, Vancouver home sales were up almost 10% and average selling prices were up 9% compared to the same time last year. Obviously, it’s a great time to sell a home in Vancouver. But have you considered who you’d be selling it with?
We are all different and unique, but after some time in business, you start to recognize some typical features. Though there are thousands of real estate agents in the Greater Vancouver Area, they typically fall into a few distinct categories. If you haven’t picked out a Realtor to work with yet, our handy guide can help you choose a real estate agent based on these common personality types.
And if you are a Realtor, don't take it too seriously. We all belong less or more somewhere!
The Eager Beaver will do anything to keep you happy. He’ll arrive at your home with a binder of information for you and three copies in case you lose the first one. He’ll cut his commission with a smile and personally mow your lawn to maintain your curb appeal during the listing period. He’ll insist that you keep his gold pen when you sign the paperwork.
Best way to reach him: Any day, any time, anywhere.
The Newbie just finished her UBC course and has her license framed on her desk to prove it. Even though association fees and dues are slowly bankrupting her, she wears expensive suits and never removes the Bluetooth from her ear, in case someone calls her about real estate. While The Newbie will do everything by the book, she has to ask her manager what ‘everything’ is.
Best way to reach her: REBGV email – she actually checks it.
The Old Hand has been in the real estate game for so long that he knows all about the ebbs and flows. If you express any concerns about current conditions in the Vancouver real estate market, he’ll just wave his hand and grunt. When RECBC comes out with new procedures and rules, he just waves his hand and grunts. When signing forms given to you by The Old Hand, it’s best to check that they date from this decade.
Best way to reach him: Pager. It’s newfangled, but he’s got one.
The Mother Hen genuinely cares about your real estate experience. She smells like baby powder and insists that nothing attracts buyers to your home like the smell of baking cookies. She will pat your hand, call you Dear, and reassure you that the sale of your home will go smoothly. This is the agent that will drop by your new house with a welcome basket of goodies.
Best way to reach her: Just shout and she’ll come to the rescue.
The Suave Gentleman always wears a suit and tie, even in stifling heat, and never has a hair out of place. His handshake is firm, his gaze direct, and he’ll definitely hold the car door open for you when you drive around together looking at homes. But don’t let his pinky ring and cuff links fool you: The Suave Gentleman doesn’t always pay attention to detail when it comes to selling your home. He can be too busy getting by on charm to do the needed legwork.
Best way to reach him: Call his answering service and leave a message with the cute receptionist.
The Team Player sits at the helm of a large staff that carries out the day to day functions of her business. The team consists of buyers’ agents, listing agents, receptionists, admin assistants, tech people, advertisers, marketers, and a host of other professionals to serve you…so don’t be surprised if you never actually see or talk to her. She really does exist.
Best way to reach her: Just speak to someone else on the team. They really can help you.
The Moonlighter is quick to point out that by training, he is a pastry chef/corrections officer/championship fisherman. Real estate isn’t really his game; he just got his license so he could get in on the action and make some money part time. He thinks it’s a trip that people are actually going to pay him thousands of dollars to put a sign on their lawns.
Best way to reach him: Through his non-real-estate-related website.
The Shape-Shifter will be anything you want him to be. Own a multi-unit as-is Victorian that’s zoned live/work? It so happens he’s sold tons of those. Hail from a small town in Poland? Yep, him too, and he knows your cousin. Worried about a possible real estate bubble? He’s a Vancouver sellers’ market expert, though he also specializes in cottage country if you own a cottage.
Best way to reach him: by phone, fax, email or GPS, whichever you express a preference for.
The Distant Relation has her real estate license, so what are you doing interviewing other agents and checking out websites? It’s a foregone conclusion that you’ll have to use her to sell your home, otherwise you’d be betraying other family members and setting off a complicated series of paybacks, starting with that aunt you haven’t seen since you were fourteen.
Best way to reach her: Through your brother-in-law once removed.
The Social Networker has a vast array of contacts on facebook. Her Outlook address book is crammed with everyone she’s ever met (and quite a few she hasn’t) and she’ll be tweeting the results of your home staging before the fluffer is out the door. Unlike door-knocking old school agents, The Social Networker does real estate the new way: online. She might not want to show up in person to evaluate your home’s worth, preferring to send you stats by email.
Best way to reach her: Check her facebook status and then post a comment.