Protecting Your Assets - The Values
of a Stellar Agent
By Maureen Griffin, Tara Stark Real Estate Group - Keller Williams Realty
E
veryone in Parker County knows
how hot the real estate market is
right now, especially in many sought-
after price ranges and neighborhoods.
We’ve probably even heard stories
about a neighbor who listed their
house on Monday and by Tuesday at
5:00 p.m. had multiple offers to buy
it. Or perhaps an uncle who decided,
after living in his house 30 years, that
“he knew his house inside-and-out
and could sell it the best himself!”
And perhaps that uncle did, but did
he maximize his return on invest-
ment?
Buying and selling property
requires a legal contract between
buyer and seller. For many of us, it
is the largest financial investment we
will make in our lives. Our home is
more than just a roof over our head,
it is a place of refuge at the end of
a busy day, a place where families
gather to create memories, where we
watch our children grow year-after-
year. There is both emotional and
economic value to our properties,
so it makes sense to maximize our
return on investment by protecting
your assets. Tara Stark, owner of
Tara Stark Real Estate Group - Keller
Williams, explains the values of a
stellar real estate agent, when it’s
time to buy or sell.
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Honesty & Integrity
“First and foremost, it ’s important to
align yourself with a real estate agent
who is known for their honesty and
integrity. Ask around, an agent with
strong ethics will be known as such
in the communities they serve,” Stark
advises. “No amount of experience,
market knowledge or negotiating
skills will make up for a lack of integ-
rity. It is the most important value
you want to seek in an agent, they
are your fiduciary.” Agents with high
integrity not only serve their clients
diligently, but also the communities
they live and work in. Commitment
to community is a strong measure of
a dedicated servant leader.
Market Experts
Have you ever visited one of those
online real estate sites and entered
your desired neighborhood, only
to find their “estimate” obviously
flawed? Maybe you entered your own
address into a national valuation site
and the response was quite different
than you expected? “The value of
working with a top-performing local
real estate agent is that he/she has
demonstrated they know the market
well. That’s important because sellers
want to price their property correct
for their market, right out of the gate.
Big websites don’t dictate the value
of a property, only the local market
determines the price that buyers
are willing to pay.” Every market is
unique, you can literally take the
exact same floorplan and put it in
two different locations and prices
will differ. A market-leader real estate
agent has access to the Multiple
Listing Service (MLS) and will provide
you a comparative market analysis
(CMA). That “comp” will compare
like size, like age, like neighborhood
homes and provide a true cost analy-
sis of properties listed and sold in
your market, with the most compara-
ble measurement of price per square
foot. Market experts maximize your
return on your investment.
Marketing Experts
Once you’ve aligned yourself with
a real estate agent whose ethics
and market expertise are top-notch,
you want to make sure they’ll pres-
ent your property in the best way to
the right audience. The first sign of
great marketing is usually an agent’s
website. How are they showcasing
their current listings? Are the photos
professional, highlighting the most
desirable qualities? Quick tip - you
should never see a toilet seat up or
cluttered vanity in a quality bathroom
photo. What about descriptions?
Do they simply tell you how many
bedrooms and living spaces there are
or do they create an experience for
you as you read it? Can you “feel”
yourself in that home? “Experience-