I bought two houses before I even fathomed I would have a career in real estate.

With the first house, I found an agent to represent me by haphazardly calling numbers I saw on “For Sale” signs that I drove by. The truth of the matter is that she became my agent by default. Her persistence won me over and quite frankly wore me down.

The second home (which I truly think of as my first home because it was mine alone and no roommates were required!) was a bit of a different story. After learning my lesson the harder way, I decided to do my homework and find an agent whom I thought would be a better fit for me.

What’s the best way to do that, you may be wondering? Well, who knows you best? Hopefully, you have answered that your family and friends do!  Ask them about their experiences and who they would recommend.  With all the technology we have in this world, word of mouth still reigns. The South Carolina Realtors® Association recently published a consumer survey report confirming this:

• 89% of consumers state that they would recommend their agent to a friend or family member … especially those that purchased or sold a home in the past 12 months.
• 77% are very likely to recommend an agent to a friend.
• 48% found their agent through a referral from a friend, neighbor or family member.
• 35% of consumers found their agent through online resources including agent websites, as well as home search sites. Websites are growing in popularity as a referral source.

But don’t underestimate your role in finding the agent for you; be sure to do your research!  What should you look for in a Realtor? Use the technology at your fingertips to help you. While it is always a good idea to look at an agent’s website for more information and resources, you may also want to consider scoping out their LinkedIn profile page where you can see if they have recommendations. A good practice is also to check out the agents Facebook (Business) Page, which may give you an indication of their business reputation and/or their market knowledge. You may discover that some of your friends have even liked that page. How would that affect whether or not you chose to contact that agent?

From a Realtor’s perspective, there are many things that we can do to enhance our word of mouth and referrals, including building our sphere of influence online with connections on LinkedIn, Facebook and maybe even Twitter.

While traditional networking and referral strategies are still in place and important, it doesn’t hurt to move some of your efforts online. Who knows where your next referral may come from!

By Amanda Serra