TEN CHARACTERISTICS OF A GREAT REAL ESTATE AGENT

We are operating in and for the communities of Cedarhurst, Woodmere, North Woodmere, Woodsburgh, Lawrence, Hewlett, Inwood and the eastern end of Far Rockaway.

A great agent has time for you. They manage your home sale or purchase personally and are the single point of contact for you. They answer your calls within a few hours (or minutes) and make you feel as though yours is the only home sale or purchase on which they are working. Your sale is never delegated to an assistant for important tasks.

A great agent shows you how they are going to market your house using a completely integrated marketing plan that includes, print, a strong internet presence, and word of mouth. Over 90% of first time home buyers go to the internet first. What kind of internet marketing do they do? How updated and easy to navigate is their website? How many hits does their site get on a daily basis?

The best agents are honest about the price they expect your home to command. The Realtor who tells you your house has the highest value is not necessarily the agent who will get you the most money. It is well known among agents that there are agents who ‘buy the listing’ by telling you an artificially indefensible number you want to hear, not one that the market may bear.

Hire a agent who walks the walk, not just one who talks the talk. It is amazing the number of agents who rent the house in which they live. A December 2008 study by Realtor magazine said only 41% of all Realtors own investment property. Would you hire a stock broker who owned no stock? Until an agent has been in your shoes, they cannot fully advise you.

A great agent belongs to a reputable brokerage. The brokerage represents the agent’s support structure for you. Do they have a market presence that can attract buyers? Do they offer their agents legal support, training and advertising assistance that can insure your house is sold in a legally sound manner and for the highest price?

A great agent earns every cent of their commission and strives to keep it as vehemently as they strives to get you the highest possible price for your home. If Discount Brokers are so quick to discount their own fees, how do you think they will be in standing up for you during a hard negotiation to get you a great price for your home?

A great agent knows your neighborhood. They can quote the statistics of what is selling, why and where. They know the schools, the stores, the places of worship, the traffic patterns and what the hot issues for the town are. They know how far the parks are from your home. In short, they know everything about your neighborhood so they can do the best job of selling your home.

A great agent has a track record of successful negotiations. When you interview an agent, ask them to recount a story or two about a really tough negotiation they have had and how they succeeded in getting what their client wanted. If you get a deer in the headlight type response to this question pick another agent.

A great agent probably has some statistics to prove they're the #1 Realtor in their area. Ask them to provide 3rd party documentation of how many sales they've done in the last year or so, and have them compare it to other Realtors in your area. If they cannot provide this information to you, or don't want to, then they have something to hide.

A great agent gives you a defensible, comprehensive market analysis to support their price and marketing recommendation.

Testimonials

We recently sold our home (by owner) and Chana Bienstock represented the purchasers. She was as friendly, professional, and responsive as much as one could expect from one's own agent, let alone another party's agent. We were especially pleased with her proactive efforts to assist us with the logistics of our sale. She consistently went out of our way to ensure a smooth and friendly process. It is my pleasure to recommend Chana.

Adam Singer

Cedarhurst, NY

I have known Tamar and Donny Miller of FTMR since they moved into the community 12 years ago. They are wonderful and genuine people. So when it came to selling my home that I lived for 15 years, I naturally called the Millers. Tamar and Donny have been insturmental in helping me every step of the way. From the beginning planning and staging all the way to the closing and beyond that. Not only did they help me find a new home, they were always there for me after the transaction, looking out for my best interest. I couldn't have done this without them. They're a pleasure to work with and they go to the endth degree for their customers and clients. They smooth every obstacle and bump along the way. I ALWAYS recommend Five Towns Miller Realty to everyone I know.

Anonymous

Cedarhurst, NY

What can I say? Our experience working with Miller Realty was extremely positive and I would recommend Miller Realty to anyone searching for a home in the Five Towns area. There was never a hassle or a limit to the number of homes we were shown and every detail was straight up and honest. We dealt with prior brokers before switching to Miller, and the care and consideration we received in our home search from Miller cannot be equaled. There was never any pressure to place a bid and their constant availability to show homes on the market was very important and comforting particularly in a trying market. Thank you!

D. Casden

Woodmere

You guys are the best. Good luck!

M. Weiss

Cedarhurst

Donny & Tamar were amazing. They fully researched our home's market value and were realistic with us about the importance of choosing the right asking price. Together, we came up with a marketing plan and an asking price. They were on top of the sale of my home the entire time and they were vigilant in helping my wife and I find a new home. They were successful, in a very reasonable amount of time, in finding a buyer for our home and finding another house for us. Two and a half years later, we are very happy with our new home and we would definitely recommend the Miller's to anyone buying or selling a home.

B. Wolf

Woodmere

We had our Lawrence co-op listed with a major-named brokerage for a period of more than 6 months. We had no offers through them or even on multiple listing. When I personally met you, I could see that we made a mistake not signing with you first. When we finally did sign with your company, we had an offer within 1 month. This proves to me it was not a coincidence, but due to honesty and caring efforts. My wife and I thank you and will definitely recommend your company with pleasure.

R.W.

Plainview

Miller Realty was fabulous in getting our house sold, even during these "tough economic times". Your wise advice and indefatigable efforts on our behalf were very much appreciated, and helped make an otherwise stressful situation almost worry-free. Thank you for the peace of mind. Although, I'm not going to say that we would use your services again (I'm hoping to stay put in our home for a long time to come), we would and do recommend you highly to others.

Y & G Goldfeder

Cedarhurst

Tamar and Donny Miller were a pleasure to work with. Donny facilitated the negotiation and sale of our apartment, and Tamar facilitated the negotiation and purchase of our home. Both Tamar and Donny were patient and understanding of our needs, and clearly had our best wishes at heart throughout the process. We never felt compelled to make any move or decision that we were not 100% comfortable with, and always felt that Tamar and Donny were 100% honest throughout any and all interactions with our buyers/sellers. Additionally, Miller Realty called us with any new listings within moments of their release to the market. We wholeheartedly recommend any buyer/seller to consider working with this winning pair!

TEN CHARACTERISTICS OF A GREAT REAL ESTATE AGENT

Seller

Buyer