Realtor Nicholas Lerner, right, of McGrew Real Estate helps families with buying and selling homes.

There is no shortage of choices when it comes to finding a realtor, and selecting the right one for you can be overwhelming. Here are some tips about how to navigate the early stages of your realtor search from Nicholas Lerner, a realtor at McGrew Real Estate and winner of the Best of Lawrence Best Realtor award for 2015.

Many people start their realtor search by asking around for recommendations. According to the National Association of Realtors’ latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 40 percent of both buyers and sellers find their agent through word of mouth. While relying on recommendations from friends and family members is a great place to start, Lerner said it is important to ask the person recommending why he or she is referring the agent. Some people simply recommend realtors who are friends or family members, Lerner said. A solid recommendation will come from someone who has worked with the agent in a home sale process.

Once you have a solid recommendation, the next step is contacting the potential realtor. Lerner said that the number one complaint clients have about their agents is that they don’t communicate well or don’t communicate often enough, so paying attention to this initial point of contact is key.

“This first attempt at communication is probably a good indicator of how efficient communication will continue throughout the process,” Lerner said. “Did the agent answer the call or did you have to leave a voicemail and wait for the agent to get back to you many hours later?  Did the agent respond to that first email within a few minutes, or did it take a day to for the agent to get back?”

And while finding an agent who communicates with a timeliness that suits you is very important, so is finding an agent who can communicate in a style that suits you.

“Are you the type of person who prefers to text and email, but your agent doesn’t respond to anything except a phone call?,” said Lerner.  “A good agent will be a master of all communication channels.  I even have some clients that Facebook Messenger is our primary mode of communication.”

If the initial point of contact goes well, the next step with an agent should be an Initial Buyer Consultation (for a new buyer) or a Home Sale Consultation (for a potential seller). Lerner recommends that clients use this meeting to get to know the agent and make sure they are a good fit.

“The home seller or buyer should view the agent as somebody interviewing for the job,” said Lerner. “Before anything gets put in writing, this is a good way to feel everyone out and make sure they are ready to enter into an agency relationship.”