When you’re on the hunt for a new home, it matters who you choose as your real estate agent. In this guide, I’m sharing the top 3 real estate agents in North New Jersey.
by Kimberly Pangaro | Kimberly is a mom of four daughters and the owner of the lifestyle parenting media company Atomic Mommy. When she’s not running her company or momming all day, she’s writing about family life. She’s been featured in Parents magazine and Voyage Savannah magazine. She’s considered to be an expert in parenting and entrepreneurship. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @atomic_mommy.
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When it comes to buying a house, you’ll want to work with the best real estate agent in the business. But how do you choose when there are so many? Well, it’s actually pretty easy to choose. Take it from someone who used to be one, who’s used several for her real estate purchases, and from someone who is extremely hard to please.
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the best and worst. And the best all have a few hard-to-come-by qualities that allows them to provide above and beyond service. In this guide, I’ll share with you the qualities that are must-haves when choosing an agent and which ones to steer clear from. And then, I’ll name the top 3 real estate agents in North New Jersey that not only impressed me, but down right made it impossible not to recommend them over and over again! Let’s get started.
Top Must-Have Qualities
#1 Communication
The real estate agent you pick needs to be a pro at communicating. Why? Because they are literally handling the largest purchase of your life. So, it’s important that they keep you in the loop on every detail, consistently. More than that, they need to make you feel like they’re with you every step of the way and that requires a high level of communication. Beware though, this does not mean that they have to respond to you at 2 A.M. or if it’s not an emergency. Remember, they are humans beings, which means they have personal lives. Additionally, they are running a business so more than likely, they have more than you as their client. The busier the agent, the better, because that mean’s they’re good at their job.
#2 Attention to Detail
You want a real estate agent who is going to notice the things that most people never pay attention to. Things like mold in the corner of a basement ceiling, water stains on basement flooring, windows that don’t open, etc. You also want an agent who is going to recognize which details are important enough to have concern over and which ones are worth putting on the back burner. For example, cracked sidewalks or ugly wall paint are not good enough reasons to walk away from a great house.
#3 Strong Network of Partners
A real estate agent is only as strong as his network of partners. Buying a house requires more than one type of expert, and these can range from handyman to mortgage brokers to lawyers to insurance agents to land surveyors, and more. The point is, a great real estate agent should have an extensive network of trusted partners that they’ve personally worked with before and can recommend if you need any one of them during your home buying process.
#4 Humility
A humble real estate agent is not that easy to find, but it is an important quality to look for. A real estate agent with humility will acknowledge that they are a good at what they do, but will not over promise on their skills. You will want this because in the home buying process, like in life, there are many rejections and/or pitfalls, and you don’t want an agent’s arrogance getting in the way of you finding your dream home.
#5 Honesty
This is a huge quality and it needs to be said. Not every real estate agent is honest. There are many who use the industry as a means to only make money. They disregard the bylaws of their code of ethics or they pretend like they’re above it. In the cross hairs of it all, you the home buyers are the ones who pay for it. In other words, your time will be wasted on agents who do not care about helping you.
#7 A Certain Air of Arrogance
Above we mentioned the need for humility, but you also need a dose of arrogance. Without this level of confidence, a real estate agent will not be viewed by anyone as someone who has the experience needed to be in the industry. Additionally, an agent without confidence will be seen as weak by other agents, therefore, likely to lose at negotiations. And that’s not a good thing for your home buying process.
Qualities To Avoid
#1 Sloppiness
If an agent looks sloppy with their appearance, has sloppy record keeping, or is sloppy with remembering your home needs, then they’re probably not the agent for you. You want an agent who cares about their appearance, because it means they want to impress you. You want an agent who keeps good records because then that means they have good business sense. You want an agent who remembers your needs, because that means they’ve been listening.
#2 Lack of Communication
Without communication from an agent, you will like you are in the dark. How do you know if your agent stinks at communication? If you text them at 9am and they don’t respond until the next day, that’s a pretty good sign. It normally takes ten seconds to respond, even if an agent is busy, they should still communicate to you that they’re busy and offer you an alternative time to speak with you.
#3 Absence
If an agent schedules appointments to show you homes or apartment rentals, then doesn’t show up, and instead has the listing agent show you the property, is usually a bad sign. Now, if this happens every time you want to go see a home, then something is wrong. A great real estate agent wants to be present at the home showing appointment. If an agent misses it, it should be for a really good reason like they got stuck in traffic, they’re sick, their kid is sick, or they had a car accident.
#4 Nasty Attitude
I cannot tall you how many times I have run into this as fellow agent and as a home buyer. There are just some agents with very bad attitudes. This makes the whole home buying process a negative experience, and can make you feel like you’re doing something wrong by simply asking a question.
#5 Too Busy
This is my biggest pet peeve of all! If I choose a real estate agent, it’s because I put in the work to research that agent. I went over their reviews and looked into how many homes they’ve sold recently. If I happen to know anyone who’s used them, then I ask them for their opinions. So, when I do finally make the choice to pick an agent, and that agent is too busy to even respond to me, or to meet for a consultation to go over my real estate needs, or to email me back or to respond via text, then those are clear signs that they are too busy for me. Another clear sign is if the agent is consistently sending me to their assistant for every little thing.
Top 3 Real Estate Agents in North New Jersey
The agents below are my absolute top picks. They’re not in any specific order, but they all have every single one of the must-have qualities I mentioned above. I recommend you go through this list, meet and consult with them, and then make your own choice. Without further adieu, here’s my list of the top 3 real estate agents in North New Jersey.
#1 Matt O’Hare
If salesmanship was a sport, Matt would be a gold medalist! He’s received dozens of 5-star reviews and is often referred to as the “Best Realtor, Hands Down!” which says a lot about him. He’s an expert in the industry with a huge network of trusted partners, and he’s great at communicating honestly. To reach out to Matt, you can contact him on Instagram or via Email.
#2 Kristen Knight – EXP Realty
Kristen immediately captured mine and my family’s heart because she had a wide array of helpful knowledge. She’s humble and has a great attention to detail, which is extremely helpful when buying a home. She has over thirty-five, 5-star reviews on Zillow, and you can check her profile here. You can also send her an Email.
#3 Dave Kwon
With over thirty, 5-star Zillow reviews, Dave is quite a treasure in the real estate industry. Not only is he a great communicator, he’s also humble and provides an excellent level of expertise. You can contact him on Facebook or on Zillow.
The Takeaway
Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home, choosing the right real estate agent can either make or break your deal. So, use this guide to help you pick an agent– Happy house hunting!
