Who is your agent?

The role of real estate agents and agencies in the world of selling, buying, renting and leasing real estate:

How to choose the right agent? What do you need to know about an agency and an agent before deciding who will represent you in the real estate market?

And do we really need agents? :)

 

 

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE AGENCY IN THE SALE OR PURCHASE OF REAL ESTATE?

In Serbia, there are 1,768 registered intermediaries, i.e. agencies dealing with mediation in the sale, purchase, rental and lease of real estate. A very large choice, but before we share with you what are the best selection criteria, let's first answer the question you may be asking yourself: why should I choose an agency if I want to sell my real estate?

 

WORD OR TWO ABOUT HISTORY

According to dr. Slavisa Peši?, Serbia is one of the youngest countries in terms of experience in real estate mediation. In the circumstances of the former socialist organization of the state, most of the newly constructed buildings were owned by state enterprises or institutions, and the apartments were assigned to the workers of those enterprises.

In the nineties of the 20th century, the purchase of apartments was carried out to a significant extent, where a large number of apartments found their owners, and sales became more and more frequent, which led to the appearance of intermediaries, that is, agencies. The number of new investors, as well as the buildings they build, is growing, but the system is still not regulated during 2000s, both for recording traffic of sales and purchase, checking documents, and for opening real estate agencies.

 

The development of modern technologies has provided the opportunity for many (both registered agencies and others) to advertise the sale of real estate, without major consequences. But only with the adoption of the Law on mediation in real estate transactions, October 31 2013, the importance and need of which were pointed out by agencies that were serious about their work, the way agencies operate, as well as consumer protection, is regulated!

 

WORD OR TWO ABOUT LEGISLATION

To begin with, in order for an agency to become registered in the official state register, it must meet a number of conditions and obligations determined by the competent Ministry. As legitimate legal entities for the performance of mediation activities in real estate transactions, agencies strictly harmonize their operations with the Law on Mediation.

In addition, the agencies must have only licensed real estate agents in their ranks who obtain their license from the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade. Both the agencies and the agents representing them must be registered in the Register of Intermediaries, where you can check important information about them at any time.

Transparency and compliance with the letter of the law, therefore, constitute the basic elements of the agency's operations. Let's see the others!

 

WORD OR TWO ABOUT EXPERTISE

In order for an agent to engage in mediation, as we have stated, he must have a license. And the license is obtained by passing an exam for mediators, which requires knowledge of several essential areas:

• Legal framework
• Financial and tax aspects of business
• Management
• Spatial planning, construction, housing and legislation

It may sound a little dry, but it's a wealth of useful information for the agent and his future clients. In addition, the agent must know the basics of marketing, must be up to date with legal regulations and modern technology, and know the psychology of people...

Ok, before you think we are exaggerating, we will simply say the following: in order to successfully and professionally deal with his work, an agent comes with pre-acquired knowledge and develops and improves his skills daily, all with the aim of providing the best service!

 

We add expertise, professionalism and training as the basic elements of agent and agency business :)

 

THEN HOW TO CHOOSE AN AGENT AND AGENCY?

In fact, the most important criteria are already listed above⇑⇑⇑! Now you know what agencies and agents must have before meeting with you, and you can check all that information on the sites whose links you have here.

This is quite a competitive and lively profession, and whether you choose an agency based on a recommendation, research, or previous experience, let's go through some basic things that you can definitely check to confirm your choice:

1. The conversation is a two-way street: You checked the information about the agency, the agent, confirmed the license number and the number in the Registry, as well as the agency's presence on the modern real estate market. Regardless of whether you decide to sell or buy a property, it will be necessary to have a meaningful conversation with the agent about the details. But, conversation is ←→ street! Apart from the ready information about your real estate or your wishes as a buyer that you will communicate, ask the agent everything that interests you about the sales process, about how the agent chooses to do business, what is his experience with selling real estate in your location, about the current state of the market etc.
2. Live meeting: it is certainly possible to have a conversation online, over the phone, by e-mail... But a live meeting and direct contact give both parties the opportunity to get to know each other better and to quickly determine options for further cooperation!
3. Terms and value: each agency operates on pre-defined terms that you will be informed about, but what value do they bring with those terms - let your agent convey to you! While there are certainly common elements of business, value is what each agency and each agent brings individually and is defined both by previous business and the approach to each future client.

As we said, the choice is large, and the profession is very competitive, so why choose us?

Call us, values are best discussed over spring coffee :) :) :)