We don’t need to tell you that it can be a little wild out there in Southern California’s real estate market without a trusted real estate agent by your side. Between the sniper-style bidding wars, seemingly endless demand, and a dwindling housing inventory, every move can feel like a monumental risk. And bringing in an agent, even an experienced one, who has little to no familiarity with the region and its housing markets can further compound those risks. It’s conditions like these in which local REALTORS® tend to shine. By working with well-versed local REALTORS®, you have the added advantage of a neighborhood expert who can use that insight to guide you to a successful closing.
Why Knowing a Neighborhood Matters
If you’ve worked with local REALTORS® before, you’ll know that they’re not just knowledgeable about the neighborhoods they serve. They’re bona fide community fixtures. Where does Silverlake end and Echo Park begin? People who have lived here for decades will argue, but your REALTOR® will know. Where are the highest-rated schools? What’s the easiest freeway onramp for the nervous merger? Which streets have the prettiest flora? Some of these may seem intensely specific, but trust us, local REALTORS® will know! But more than that, they’ll know how to use these answers to help you find the right home and negotiate the right price.
Now, prospective home sellers might be thinking: doesn’t an agent from anywhere pretty much know how to set a listing price? Do I really need to stay local? The choice is always yours, but an agent who isn’t familiar with a neighborhood is likely relying heavily on comps to steer that particular ship. Local REALTORS® pound the pavement, door-knocking, using up-to-the-minute market analysis to know what’s happening on the very block you live on.
And this approach gives local REALTORS® another advantage when it comes to homebuyers. By talking to neighbors, they can identify listings before they hit the market, giving you a head start you’re not likely to enjoy with an agent who doesn’t know the community.
Local REALTORS® Know How to Leverage Networking
Being dialed into a community is about more than head starts and listing prices. Local REALTORS® also recognize the best services and vendors that a neighborhood has to offer. And they’ve probably spent time building a relationship with these service providers. Need a plumber? They know someone. What about a contractor? They know someone. Looking for a reputable inspection company? They know someone. REALTORS® are most in their element when they’re networking and connecting, so they know everyone in your neighborhood worth knowing.
But they’ve also likely known them for years. Maybe even all their life! And local REALTORS® often tap into this trusted network of professionals to help make your transition into or out of your home as quick, smooth, painless, and affordable as possible.
Speaking of trusted professionals, one of the most helpful service providers your local REALTOR® can know is other local REALTORS®. Because there’s a good chance that one of these REALTORS® ends up on the other side of the deal. When competition is stiff, long-standing rapport can give you the advantage that pushes you to a successful closing.
How Local REALTORS® Offer a Custom Real Estate Experience
The alternative to working with local REALTORS® is often to trust large corporate brokerages working on a national level or relying on tech platforms for their reach. It can be easy to feel like your dream is just a cog in their massive system. But when you work with local REALTORS® from local brokerages, you’re typically building a lifelong relationship with a highly invested professional who sees your success as their success. You’re not a faceless transaction that they’ll never see again. You’re their future neighbor! This means you can often look forward to unmatched accessibility and patient communication that demystifies the buying or selling experience.
Local REALTORS® are more likely to drop what they’re doing to rush out for a last-minute showing or burn the midnight oil to get complex paperwork filed accurately and on time. They’ll listen to your wants, needs, and fears, customizing a unique strategy that fits your scenario snugly. And when they offer you counsel, it’s built on insight and intimate experience, not on pure analytics and algorithms.
A Local REALTOR® is Your Only Option
Moving at the speed of real estate requires you to be on your A game at all times. One wrong move could jeopardize an entire deal. And the market is changing by the hour. Since local REALTORS® pretty much live in the field, they’re directly tuned into market trends even as they’re unfolding. This can offer a crucial advantage when executing the timing of a home sale or purchase. Add in their connections, their first-hand understanding, and their commitment, and it’s easy to see why using a locally-based REALTOR® should be your only option. If you’re looking for the advantage of a local real estate professional, peruse our talented real estate agents by neighborhood!
With a brand that says as much as JohnHart’s, Senior Copywriter Seth Styles never finds himself at a loss for words. Responsible for maintaining the voice of the company, he spends each day drafting marketing materials, blogs, bios, and agent resources that speak from the company’s collective mind and Hart… errr, heart.
Having spent over a decade in creative roles across a variety of industries, Seth brings with him vast experience in SEO practices, digital marketing, and all manner of professional writing with particular strength in blogging, content creation, and brand building. Gratitude, passion, and sincerity remain core tenets of his unwavering work ethic. The landscape of the industry changes daily, paralleling JohnHart’s efforts to {re}define real estate, but Seth works to maintain the company’s consistent message while offering both agents and clients a new echelon of service.
When not preserving the JohnHart essence in stirring copy, Seth puts his efforts into writing and illustrating an ongoing series entitled The Death of Romance. In addition, he adores spending quality time with his girlfriend and Romeo (his long-haired chihuahua mix), watching ‘70s and ‘80s horror movies, and reading (with a particular penchant for Victorian horror novels and authors Yukio Mishima and Bret Easton Ellis). He also occasionally records music as the vocalist and songwriter for his glam rock band, Peppermint Pumpkin.
