What Should I Look for in a San Diego Real Estate Agent?

If my sister were moving to San Diego and had to pick an agent who wasn't me, here's exactly what I'd tell her.

Start with this: buying or selling a home is a very personal transaction. Whoever you work with, you're going to be in it with them for months. You should get along with them. You should feel comfortable with them. If that's not there in the first conversation, it doesn't get better at inspection.

That's the gut check. Here's the rest.

1. They talk you through every single step

Not "we'll cross that bridge when we get there." I mean they sit you down before anything happens and walk you through the whole process, start to finish, so you know what's coming.

There are a lot of documents in a California transaction. A lot of disclosures. You want somebody who can go line by line with you and explain what each one means.

Here's the harder truth: if they can't do that, it means they don't know what they're doing. It's not a communication style difference. An agent who can't explain a disclosure to you hasn't read it closely enough to explain it. Ask them to walk you through one. Watch what happens.

Besides knowing the documents, agreements, disclosures, timelines, and contingencies, we're supposed to know the market we're working in well enough to make sure our clients win. Both halves matter.

2. They can explain the market you're actually buying in

Not "the market is crazy right now." Anyone can say that.

Ask them how sellers in that specific area are pricing right now, and what strategies are behind it. Are listings coming out low to draw multiple offers? Are they sitting and then cutting? What's actually happening with the last ten sales in that zip code, and what does it mean for how you should write?

If they can't answer that with specifics, that's a red flag.

3. They're bringing you things you didn't find yourself

This is the one people miss.

If you're the one sending your agent listings off Zillow and they're just unlocking doors, you have the relationship backwards. Your agent should be sending you off-market properties, coming soons, and the odd specialty home that fits what you told them you wanted.

The agent is supposed to be working for you, not the other way around.

An agent who only reacts is a door opener. That's a different job than the one you're hiring for.

4. They actually know the area — including the parts people get wrong

I work all of San Diego County plus Temecula and Murrieta, but East County is home for me. Alpine, Campo, Lakeside, El Cajon.

Here's what I hear from agents who don't work out here, and what's actually true:

"You'll need a well and septic." Not everybody has a well. Not everybody has septic. Some properties do, plenty don't. Find out about the actual house instead of assuming based on the zip code.

"Fire insurance is going to kill you out there." Insurance is something to look at carefully on any home in this county right now. It's not an East County problem.

"It's such a long commute." This is the one that bugs me most, because the math just isn't what people think. Downtown to Alpine is a shorter drive than downtown to Escondido or Oceanside — with less traffic. If you're looking in Temecula and working in the city, a home in Campo is about the same amount of driving with fewer cars. The 15 can be a nightmare on a Friday. The 8 is usually clear.

Coming east isn't some different world. You get a little more room. You can also get more room in North County. The real difference is what you'd rather drive and what you want your day to feel like.

The point isn't East County specifically. The point is that a good agent gives you the real picture of an area instead of repeating what everyone says about it.

5. Fit beats volume

Somebody's going to have more sales than the agent you're considering. There are agents who've been doing this since before I was born.

That doesn't make them the best fit for everybody.

For me, a lot of what I bring isn't sales count — it's what I've done in my own life. I got licensed in 2010 while my husband and I were flipping houses in San Diego. I own a triplex and three single family homes. I used my own VA loan and every benefit that came with it. So when I'm talking to a veteran, or an investor, or a first time buyer who's scared of the whole thing, I'm not repeating something I learned in a class.

Ask an agent what they've actually done — not just what they've sold.

The red flag list, short version

• Won't walk you through the process before you commit to them
• Can't explain a disclosure line by line
• Can't tell you how sellers are pricing in your specific area
• Only sends you listings you already found
• Won't tell you plainly how they get paid
• Pushes for an exclusive agreement before you've seen how they work
• Talks more about their numbers than your situation

And then trust yourself

Interview more than one. Ask the hard questions. Notice how you feel in the conversation, not just what they said.

Find somebody who is the best fit for you, and go with that gut feeling.

Questions about buying, selling, VA loans, PCSing, or investing here? Reach out. I'm always happy to sit down and talk it through — there are a lot of options in San Diego, and I like helping people build something with them.

Sarah Newcomb | Dean Aguilar Group 619-321-8393 | sarah@deanaguilargroup.com sarahnewcombreal.estate | @sarahnewcomb_therealtor