Kathy O'Neal

If you are using the Internet to screen and eventually select a real estate agent in Northern Virginia, or anywhere else, this series is for you.

Brief recap: I started by suggesting you should first know the level of experience of the prospective agent. Then we considered the matter of solo agent vs a team. Last time we looked at the issue of quality.

This time around I'd like to take a brief look at personal chemistry. By that I mean the sense of comfort and confidence you have with the experience of working with the person you select as your agent.

It is a joy when you work with someone who has well refined interpersonal skills. Even more so when it is someone that you are relying on to get you through as big a transaction as buying or selling a home.

And you don't need to be a trained psychologist to factor this into your selection process.

How do you do this? First, as mentioned previously, check out the agent's website and - if they have one - their blog. Take a few minutes to see if they have anything like a statement of their service philosophy. If you look at their website you will typically get some cues on what they are about.

Next, make a personal contact. You could start with an email. You can also make a phone contact. You can either mention that you are considering working with an agent and would just like to interview them to learn more about their approach. Or, you can keep that as a telephone contact, and then proceed to a face to face meeting if your phone conversation warrants the next step.

If this seems like just a bit more effort than many people will go through in order to make an exceptionally good choice, it is! But it is worth every minute of your time.

From my perspective, I think at least three "chemistry" factors are extremely important in terms of ensuring you have a good end result with your home sale or purchase

The first, predictably, is your agent's listening ability. Your agent should ask good questions and they should listen attentively. Good agents will do this masterfully. But don't assume it is practiced universally.

The second chemistry factor I'd consider is respect. Hard to precisely define, but you know it when you see it. It includes understanding and appreciation for you as a mature adult, and it avoids over-control.

The third chemistry factor is your perception that this person genuinely cares about you as an individual. This is another "know it when I see it" kind of thing. It shows up in all kinds of ways, but the main way, I believe, is always having the client's financial best interests as the foundation for all the decisions made during the transaction.

Personal chemistry does not necessarily mean similar personality sytles. Of and by itself, personality sytle compatibility won't get you a great agent. You can have a perfectly wonderful experience with someone who has a very different personality, as long as they measure up on the other main criteria we have been discussing.

You don't have to settle for anything less than the right agent for you. With just a little due diligence you can work with someone who is straight "A" on all the things that matter to you.

It is definitely worth the effort to find that right person.

If you’d like to see this series in video, visit our VIDEO CENTER and scroll down to "The Right Real Estate Agent for You."

Feel free to Contact Us with comments or questions. And…if you want to get each new post from our other blog, "The Straight Scoop," we invite you to SUBSCRIBE.

If you are loooking for a nice Thai restaurant in the Chantilly area this one is definitely worth a try. There are other good choices as well, but I came across the Thai Palace some months ago and have been wanting to share it with you.

Thai food can be addictive. With its subtle yet distinctive flavors, it keeps drawing you back for that next entree that you have not yet tried..or for that favorite you know will be good, so why risk the unknown? Either way, the Thai Palace is satisfying. It has an extensive and creative menu of choices, along with the more typical Thai standards.

All in all, a terrific choice! We did a more complete review of the Palace along with more photos of the restaurant and a few of its tasty entrees on our other blog, The Straight Scoop. Please visit there if you'd like more information.

[The Kathy O’Neal Team serves home buyers and sellers in Northern Virginia, with special focus on Chantilly, Centreville, and the communities of the Western Fairfax region.]

If you are using the Internet to screen and select a real estate agent to work with, this series is for you. There are Sign Posts on the way to a great agent. I want to share them so you'll make a choice that is right for you.

Brief recap: I started by suggesting you should first know the level of experience of the prospective agent. Then we considered the matter of solo agent vs a team. Now we'll consider the issue of quality.

In just about any field you will have a spectrum of quality, from low to high, with many shades of variation along the way. My my, is this ever true in real estate! And, the consequences of a mis-handled transaction can be huge, so your judgments about the agent's quality are important.

With just a little bit of effort you should be able to get a reasonable sense of whether your approach to quality is matched by the agent's approach. But where do you look?

If you don't want to have personal contact with anyone before you have a better sense of what they are all about - a common preference especially among Internet empowered consumers - start with a careful look at their website. The website is one of the primary technology tools in the agent's tool kit. What does it reveal about their approach to working with tech savvy consumers? Moreover, what does it say, if anything, about their business philosophy and approach to working with clients? Does it inspire confidence, or is it just OK?

In the same context, does the agent have a blog? The answer to that question tells you something about their technology approach. If they do have a blog, you may find lots of revealing information within the content that will tell you about who this person is and what they are about. Take just a little time to review the blog content. If it is maintained with current content, it may tell you a lot about the agent and their quality sensibility.

If you have progressed to the step of having a conversation with the agent you can, of course, ask a few questions that are important to you about what you want to know. My questions would include both of the first two "sign posts" we previously discussed (experience and team) as well as those we have yet to discuss in this series. Regarding quality, I would simply ask an opened-ended question that lets the agent discuss how they work to ensure a quality experience for their clients. Something like, "Can you tell me about the approach you take and the things you do to make sure we get a good result?..tell me how you work with your clients?"

Listen carefully to their answer. And factor this into the other sign posts. Be honest with yourself about your assessment. You may like the agent's personality - and this is important, you need some chemistry - but I want to emphasize that you should not make this decision on personality alone.

A great agent will welcome your level of interest, and will want to share all the many things they do behind the scenes that many consumers don't know about.

By the way, if you’d like to see this series in video, visit our VIDEO CENTER and scroll down to "The Right Real Estate Agent for You."

Next time around we’ll cover the fourth big sign post on your road to making a great agent selection.

[The Kathy O’Neal Team serves home buyers and sellers in Northern Virginia, with special focus on Chantilly, Centreville, and the communities of the Western Fairfax region.]

EPISODE 1 - REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY RADIO

In this episode of Real Estate in Chantilly Radio we interview Kathy O'Neal.

Kathy answers the question, "What strategies actually work to get your home sold well in a challenging market?"

In responding to this question, Kathy does not offer silver bullets or quick fixes. Why? Because there are none!

But the good news is this: there are proven strategies that are working every day. Mastering the fundamentals is what sells property. Yes, some are "New Fundamentals" appropriate to the Internet age, as well as the realities of the current market.

So what separates the successful home sellers from those that are stalled? In this series, Kathy O'Neal discusses seven strategies that characterize successful home sellers in the current environment.

These are solid strategies that produce real results. When carefully applied, they put sellers at a huge advantage over their less prepared competition. This series of shows is for all home owners, especially those that anticipate the sale of their home during the next year.

TO LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE, PLEASE CLICK HERE.