Choosing the Right Real Estate Agent

 

It’s a big deal. Seriously. It could mean actually purchasing the home of your dreams, the home you never really wanted, or maybe even having the deal fall through all together (not to mention the emotional stress and turmoil it could potentially put you through).

I was inspired to write this blog after having some in depth conversations with one of my closest friends. She is currently under contract on her home, while also being under contract on the home she and her husband fell in love with. I just got off the phone with her (well- Marco Polo….it’s the new thing) and she is terminating her contract with her Realtor as well as the contract on the home they were wanting to purchase (and for good, legal reasons as well).

It all comes down to the beginning; she never really resonated or “jived” with her in the first place.  Long story very short, her Realtor represented both sides of the transaction and did not have my friend’s best interest in mind. It got so bad that her agent ended up spraying bleach to “mitigate” the serious mold issue in the crawl space of their new potential home instead of requesting that the seller hire a professional to attend to the job. Crucial contract dates were not met and the lack of communication was…well….lacking, substantially.

My point is this: make sure you are hiring someone you completely resonate with, like and TRUST. This is most likely the biggest financial transaction and life change you will ever make and having the right agent by your side is crucial in making it the experience you want and need it to be. Don’t settle for less, trust your gut and do your research to back it up!

Billings Montana Schools

Montana Winter Wonderland

As a real estate agent here in Billings, MT I think the most commonly asked question I get from my relocating clients is “How is the weather?” which really translates to “How freaking cold are the winters?”. I mean, we do live in the Northwest so you can expect to invest in a warm coat, gloves, ear muffs, hand warmers and a face mask (OK- it’s not THAT bad…most of the time).

Billings typically has more mild winters than other areas in Montana. We also tend to get less snow and stay a bit warmer. Having said that, this year has definitely been on the frigid side and we have been dumped with the snow. I personally LOVE all of the snow and am still giddy about it even though we are already well into January. A few weeks ago we received over 20” of snow in a 24 hour period breaking a record from 1977! We definitely had ourselves a very White Christmas.

Our sleds from last year took a turn for the worse, so my 6 year old daughter and I had to get creative since we desperately wanted to go sledding (and we weren’t going to wait around for a trip to the store).  Although it was a bit tricky to figure out how we could blast down the hill together on my husband’s old snowboard, we quickly figured it out and flew down our neighborhood coulee laughing hysterically- frozen tears and all.

We have about 3 more months before it starts warming up around here, so we are going to make the best of it and enjoy our beautiful winter wonderland.

And yes- do invest in a warm coat (and everything else I mentioned above, just to be safe ;) ).