Considering buying or selling in Destin are we? Great, hopefully you have spent time doing your homework and are now ready to go. After being involved in over $50M in real estate transactions, I am going to share some tips for you.

5% Of Agents/Brokers Are Awesome…. 95% Of Them Offer Little Value

I know that is a harsh statement but I have really found it to be true both in Destin and in every other real estate market in which I have participated. In this article, what I will do is assume you are looking to buy a property with a Destin using a realtor.

Here is my challenge to you. Go to Google and type in the search term “Destin
Realtor”. After you get back 14 bajillion results, now start clicking from Google to their web sites…. What do you see?

Destin Realtor Ads

For most, boy they all look exactly the same. So, let me see if I can summarize the typical web site. There we be a smiling picture, there will be a “search the MLS”, there will be a my listings, has about me, and has about the community. What more could a visitor possibly want, right?

As someone that has hunted for real estate agents across the country, let me tell you what is missing…… I HAVE NO IDEA IF THAT PERSON KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT OR NOT. I absolutely know that any agent can show me properties on the MLS, I absolutely know that they will take me around looking at properties, etc. etc.

But why would I want to enlist an agent or a broker if I didn’t know if they were awesome at what they do and they know the market like the back of their hand…. That is who I want to hire.

How Do You Find The Top 5%

So while there here are a number of ways to find a REALTOR or agent in Destin, how do you go about finding a good one? I know this will sound counterintuitive but the simple most important step you can take is to FIRST, EDUCATE YOURSELF ON THE MARKET. Recently I wrote a blog post where I suggested that the potential buyer spend some time on realtor.com really studying what is for sale, what does it cost, where is it located, what features come with what dollars, etc.

Why do you do this? Simply so that when you talk to a potential agent or broker to hire, you already have an idea of what is going on in the Destin market at that time. Then, tell them what you are looking for and shut up….. let them talk. If they are good, what they say will line up with what you already know but then they will add so much more value. If they are not so good, very little that they say will make sense to you and quite frequently, you will find them “pushing” one or two properties/developments.

Even if you think you have the best person on your first call, don’t stop there. Interview a few more until you are absolutely convinced you have the right person. Now you are in a position to really start working hand in hand with person finding the right property for you in Destin.