You Should Always Work With a Local Agent

ALWAYS WORK WITH A LOCAL AGENT

There are too many reasons to be working with a LOCAL agent. Yet, we see the opposite more and more lately in this Seller’s market. Locals listing with out of town reps, specifically GTA reps. They drive to our area to tour their Buyers, and sometimes don’t even make the trip up here and just send their Buyers in to get a tour with a Local Rep but not sign a Buyer’s Agency, and then they write up the offer. How fair is that?

Sometimes there is a good reason – like an agent has been with the family for 6-7 moves so there’s a trust built overtime, or they are related, and the rep is willing to travel and do their due diligence to best represent these people. So whatever, fill your boots, but in any event, do it right and do your research!

They don’t live here.

They don’t know the region like we do and they don’t know the sales history like we do.

Therefore, NOT an expert in pricing your property!

Some will convince you to list exclusively on the TREB board, to get “maximum exposure“. This is bullshit. Do you think all the Realtors in Toronto are looking for a house for their Buyers in North Bay… on the TREB board? NO. Essentially, all boards have the power to do the same thing, list the property publicly on Realtor.ca where everyone can see it as a consumer. Through our boards, we – the agents have the power to see them first and then send them through search portals set up with our Buyers. But, if you don’t have your listing showcased on our local NBREB board, then 160+  Local Realtors aren’t going to send it to their clients the morning it gets listed and won’t know it exists.

As a Buyer, when you’re asking questions about the neighbourhood, want to know more about the schools, or neighbours, do you think this agent is the right fit for the job in representing your interests? Or what about when you want to see a property on short notice? Do you think they can be there within a half hour to show you the house if they live hours away? Or how about when you go to submit an offer, and you’re competing against 7 other Buyers, do you think they have the knowledge to give you the recent sales and list-price to sale-price ratios so you can make an informed decision about what to offer within minutes? Probably not. 

Moral of the story. Don’t list with an out of town Realtor. Just don’t do it. And if you’re shopping in our region, but you have a Realtor from your neck of the woods, ask them to refer you to someone trusted and knowledgeable in OUR region. It doesn’t have to be me. But for the love of God, just seek out someone local to help you make informed decisions. I promise you, you won’t regret it.