Seeking a Good Realtor

Hi J.,

My husband is a realtor and he works at Coldwell Banker. His name is Dino Patras and he has helped clients in the area you mentioned. His office is in Arlington Hts., but he is always driving to various suburbs.

Feel free to give him a call and you can even set up an interview with him to see if you'd like him to be your realtor (this is free). Sometimes buyers will interview with 2 or 3 realtors before deciding on which one they should hire.

Dino's cell number is ###-###-####. He is a great guy! He is knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and works well with others.

Good luck!

J.

I agree with margo to test a few out. When I sold my house in the city I looked up the names of realtors who had listings in my neighborhood already (just looked in the newspaper). I figured those folks would know the market best and have clients looking already. So I called three of them and had them take a look at my home and prepare a proposal for what they'd want to sell it for. I took the most aggressive of the 3 (they had a high list price, plus did creative marketing things I was impressed with), it also happened to be a man/woman team who I just hit it off with. We were selling near my son's birthday -- they brought my son a birthday present! You definitely want to feel comfortable with who you're working with, but you need to meet a few to know who will be right for you.

Right now is not a good time to sell and honestly the sales person can't do any magic....
I know a couple of people, that have been trying to sell for a few years now and can't sell their houses...
My husband is a realtor and he just gave up his licence.
It's a dead market at this point. Properties are way too overpriced, a lot of people can't pay their mortgage and get foreclosed and even banks are not doing too good.
If you are still interested, the broker that my husband worked with is really good.
His name is Stan, Royal Realty, they have a few offices in the area. His number: ###-###-####

As others advise... interview several until you feel comfortable w/one. I used a realtor, Rafael Vargas, he is with Century 21 out of Chicago. His cellphone number is ###-###-####. He took his time and was always available when we needed him. He sold our property and help my sister find a great bank owned property... which she got for a great deal. Good Luck trying to sell around this time... it is a very hard time to sell.

Hi J.,

I used to sell residential real estate in the city before my daughter was born. I would suggest you interview several realtors before hiring one. Remember, they work for you! A lot of times people want to hire "the best" which basically means the busiest realtors. Then they never see them again and are left to work with their assistants. While there is nothing wrong with that - it sounds like you would prefer to work with a realtor who provides more of a personal touch.

As for selling your place on your own... its a lot harder than most people think. And more expensive. A lot of sell it yourself businesses are in the biz of making money, not actually helping you sell your place. Whereas realtors only get paid once your property has been sold.

Its a tough market right now - so whatever you choose, be prepared for the sale to take some time.

Good luck!

i had a condo in river forest that sold last year but i didnt use a realty company in the area. i used platinum partners in downers grove ###-###-####. ask for sue hazekamp...she was better than great! tell her melizza and brandon say hi!