How to find the best real estate brokerage in Oceanside, CA

When it comes to buying and selling real estate, you need to be able to put your best foot forward to snag that dream home. Real estate agents excel in helping their clients make the right decision at every step of the process.

Whether you’re exploring the Oceanside, CA, real estate market or elsewhere in Southern California, it’s important to work with a top-tier team of real estate professionals. Below are a few tips on how you can find the best brokerage or firm for the job.

Check the company’s track record

Before anything else, make sure you check a real estate company’s track record. If you’re doing an initial online search, see if any promising results come up. Do they have a dedicated website? Are there any other reputable sites that mention their company or any of their team members?

If names like Keller Williams and Coldwell Banker Realty explicitly mention their names, you’ll know you’re dealing with the best of the best.

Don’t forget referrals from family and friends too. Previous clients will have nothing but good things to say about a brokerage that consistently delivers top notch service.

Check past client reviews in various platforms

Don’t just rely on the reviews that a real estate company publishes on their own site. Some firms often post fake reviews to give themselves a reputational boost.

Check out other platforms as well, like Zillow and Redfin. Real estate agents usually have profiles on these sites, where you can see average rating and the most common type of feedback from verified past clients. Agents also have Facebook pages where you can read plenty of reviews from various users.

Look for certifications and designations

Apart from their decades of experience, the best real estate agents have professional certifications and designations that attest to their skills.

An Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR), for instance, specializes in supporting buyers who are exploring the residential market. A Certified Commercial Real Estate Advisor (CCREA) will most likely be more valuable to someone who is planning to invest in revenue-generating properties.

Whatever your real estate needs are, make sure the firm you work with is qualified to address them.

Ask them about their knowledge of the local market

The top real estate brokerages will have agents that have in-depth expertise on the local market, whether it’s Oceanside, CA, real estate or elsewhere. They’ll be updated on the latest data on home prices and housing inventory.

When meeting the team for the first time, don’t hesitate to quiz them and ask area-specific questions. For example, inquire about nearby amenities or facilities that you care about.

Seasoned agents should also have knowledge about the various communities in any given market. They should be familiar with the little details that are within a particular neighborhood to give you the best home buying advice possible.

Are there any noisy neighbors? What are some of the stringent HOA rules that may dissuade you from buying? Consider these types of questions when you’re interviewing agents.

Examine team composition

It’s not unusual to find part-timers in the real estate profession. Although there’s nothing wrong with this, you’ll typically get more value from a full-time professional.

Simply put, a full-time agent works to help you find the best homes and put forward several offers, day in and day out. They’ll be on top of calls and queries so that you’ll have more time to focus on work and other aspects of your life.

If most of the agents in a real estate company are part-timers or if you’re assigned to one, chances are it’ll take a bit longer to meet your buying or selling timeline.