The Best Real Estate Agent Near Me in Northwest Indiana
Most home sellers are looking for the top selling real estate agents in the area to sell their home. Who wouldn’t want the best Realtor to sell their house? This post will help you identify the best real estate agents near you. Also, I included my opinion on the best real estate agents in Northwest Indiana for homeowners looking for the best real estate agent in Northwest Indiana to sell their home.
Top 10 REALTORS Near Me in Northwest Indiana
Here is a list of who I believe are the top real estate agents in Northwest Indiana. I have experiences as a real estate agent with each of the agents on this list. If I were looking for top selling REALTORS near me in Northwest Indiana, I would hire someone from this list.
1. Chuck Vander Stelt – Listing Leaders, Quadwalls Real Estate Team
That’s me! I own the real estate website you’re on, and I’d like to think I am the best real estate agent in Northwest Indiana.
Since becoming an agent in 2017 I have participated in over 320 real estate transactions with production over $89,000,000. I help home sellers and buyers throughout Northwest Indiana. I am a Zillow Premier Agent partner, have amazing reviews, and I offer the lowest cost advertised full-service listing service in Northwest Indiana.
2. Valerie Rosenblum
Valerie is a very experienced real estate agent with lots of added professional credentials, years of experience, and has had an amazing career with over $50,000,000 in production over the last 10 years. I have worked with Valerie on transactions. She is professional and knows the ins & outs of getting a transaction done. Consider contacting Valerie if you are looking for one of the best estate agents near me in Northwest Indiana.
3. Matt Evans – REMAX/Lifestyles
Matt owns and is the managing broker at REMAX/Lifestyles based in Valparaiso. Matt’s experience goes back years. Matt is also quite involved in his local community in Valparaiso. I have worked as Matt’s opposite number on a transaction and spoken with him many times. He is a really nice guy and runs a great brokerage. Matt is one of the top rated REALTORS near me in Northwest Indiana.
4. Shawn Spaw – Stray Dog Properties
Sean is a total professional. Currently, he owns and is the managing broker of Stray Dog Properties. Shawn has sold over 900 homes in the last 10 years totaling over $234,000,000 in closed sales. I haven’t yet done a deal with Shawn, but I have worked with some agents at his company, and I have spoken to him many times. Shawn is a total pro and one of the best real estate agents in Northwest Indiana.
5. Laura Konizcny – REMAX County Wide 1st
Laura K. is one of the best real estate agents in Northwest Indiana. She works mostly in the LaPorte area. I have been on the other side of the table as Laura a couple times. She is an excellent Realtor. Over the last 10 years she has closed 375 sales for over $75,000,000 in production.
6. Claudia Forrest – Century 21 Circle
Claudia Forrest is the managing broker at Century 21 Circle in Valparaiso. Over the last 10 years Claudia has closed over 430 transactions for a value over $110,000,000. I have been Claudia’s opposite number in transaction. She was excellent to work with, and I would consider Claudia to be one of the best real estate agents in Northwest Indiana. Claudia is a top selling Realtor in Northwest Indiana.
7. Karl Wehle – Realty Executives Premier
Karl has had a long career in real estate in Northwest Indiana. He has over 1,400 recorded home sales totaling over $325,000,000 in real estate sales over the last 10 years. I’ve never worked in a transaction with Karl, but I have spoke to him several times. I know Karl is a top-notch agent and with production like that he is one of the top REALTORS near me in Northwest Indiana.
8. Jason Utesch – Realty Executives Premier
I have worked on a transaction with Jason where he brought the buyer for one of my listings. Jason was really easy to work with, and there were no issues. Looking back 10 years Jason has closed over 700 transactions with over $175,000,000 in production. Jason has been a real estate agent for quite some time and does an excellent job for his clients.
9. Susie Jaskowiak – @properties/Christie’s International Real Estate
Susie brings the energy! I have not yet done a deal with her, but I have spoken with her many times. Susie pushes her listings out to agents regularly holding broker opens. I really like her energy and how committed she is to making sure everyone knows when her clients’ homes are for sale.
10. Lindsey Ditchcreek – Realty Executives Premier
I have been in a transaction with Lindsey, and it went really well. Lindsey brings a good energy to the transaction and demonstrates a great commitment to her clients. I enjoyed working with her. Among agents on this list Lindsey has been an agent the least amount of time, but she is doing a great job building a notable business.
Are You Looking for A Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home in Northwest Indiana?
You can get my listing services brochure instantly! No email or contact information is needed. Just click the image below to get a pdf downloadable copy of the Quadwalls Real Estate Team Listing Services brochure. You can learn more about me, my services, my low real estate commission fees, and read testimonials from Northwest Indiana home sellers who have hired us.
Choosing the Best Real Estate Agent for Home Sellers
Defining the best real estate agent is subjective. What might make someone the best agent to you doesn’t mean the next person would agree. Some sellers might think the agent who sells the fastest is the top selling agent in the area whereas others may feel the agent who gets the highest price is the best real estate agent.
I’ll share commonly mentioned metrics you can use to find the best real estate agents. More importantly, I’ll share what these metrics actually mean and how the data can be misleading. This will help you decide who is the best real estate agent in my area.
Lower Cost Real Estate Agents Will Save You Money
Some of you might say the best real estate agents near me are the ones who can get the job done at the lowest cost. Home sellers should consider costs when choosing the best REALTOR to sell my house.
Over the last several years we have seen many successful, low-cost models come to the market. Many of these are placing downward pressure on real estate commission fees.
If a low cost service is important to you, well, I am happy you found me. I offer the lowest advertised real estate commission fee for a full-service, all inclusive listing in Northwest Indiana.
Selling Homes Quickly
Some people think the best real estate agent near me is the one who sells homes the fastest. However, look out for the pitfalls of hiring the agent who simply sells homes the fastest.
Underpriced homes sell quickly. Price has a heck of a lot to do with how quickly the market buys your home. Some fast selling agents might not be the best overall, but they might be the best at getting their sellers to list at a discount resulting in a quick sale for the agent and less proceeds for you the Seller.
The most inexperienced real estate agent can sell a home quickly if it’s priced low. Just because they’re fast doesn’t mean they are the best REALTOR near you.
Selling the Most & the Production Myth
Many home sellers search for the top selling agent in their area. This is meaningless and a misguided way to look for an agent to sell your home. Here’s the problem: Just because an agent claims the production doesn’t mean he or she did anything to sell the home. Let me explain.
Managing brokers or team leaders often take the tally for their team members’ or agents’ production. So, the person in charge gets the credit, but the person in charge may not have done a single thing to sell your home. Instead, the agent you hired did the work.
So, what can you do? First, ask the agent if he or she is a managing broker or a team leader or records a share of some other agent’s production. If so, ask about how many transactions directly was the primary contact for the home seller in the last 12 months.
Selling Above Asking
If you’re asking the internet for the best REALTORS in my area you might want to look for a real estate agent who routinely sells homes above the asking price. Again, I’d recommend some caution making your decisions based on this metric.
Agents who routinely are selling homes above asking price are likely listing their clients’ homes on the low side of fair market value. Homeowners looking for a quick sale and to get to choose from a set of immediate offers should list their homes on the lower side. However, hiring an agent simply because of a long track record of selling above list price is a mistake.
Recommendations on How to Find Top Real Estate Agents Near Me
Too often, I see homeowners taking the most familiar path. Many people know a real estate agent and phone in the decision making by hiring that family member, friend, or friend of a friend who sells a few homes here and there or hiring the real estate agent who helped you buy the home.
The person you are most familiar with is a great choice if they are a great agent. Unfortunately, few home sellers know what to really look for in an agent. My recommendations will help you identify who are the top REALTORS in my area.
Only Hire a Full-time Real Estate Agent
Top selling REALTORS in an area have made being a real estate agent their primary profession. Full-time real estate agents can more quickly respond to inquiries about the property. An agent who makes selling homes their primary profession will be more ready to show your property. Most importantly, those of us fully reliant on selling homes for a living are the most committed.
Communication
Top selling real estate agents near you are excellent communicators. The most common complaint upon hiring a professional service provider is poor communication. When interviewing real estate agents how the agent will respond to your requests and what communication you can expect from the agent.
Listing Services Costs
Listing agent services account for thousands of dollars in transaction costs. As you interview agents ask about the following items:
- Their total listing commission
- How much of the listing commission will be offered to a cooperating brokers and why that amount
- Additional fees such as an office administrative fee
Marketing Your Home
The best real estate agents have a marketing plan. Marketing your home properly is a major part of the home selling process. Ask specifically about marketing assets including the photography and whether any virtual tours will be provided. Learn about the agent’s marketing plan for your home. Additionally, ask how they will know and you will know whether or not it is working.
Client Friendly Listing Terms
The Old School of Real Estate has a lot of not-so client friendly terms in their listing agreements. Many real estate agents still try to sneak these past unsuspecting home sellers.
These common unfriendly listing terms include unnecessarily long minimum contract listing terms. Many real estate agents will aim for a 12 month listing contract. Additionally, some agents will try to make it appear that during that term if you terminate the listing you can not re-sign with some other real estate agent until the term expires.
The best real estate agents have client friendly listing terms. We do this because we know the likelihood of getting fired is low. My client friendly listing terms include no set minimum listing contract term. Instead, we find an amount of time which is agreeable to both you and me. Also, I include an early termination, no fee clause in each of my listing contracts.
Balance
Be wary of the top selling REALTOR near you who states they only work with home sellers. I would encourage you to hire an agent more balanced between working for buyers and sellers. The agent who has worked with buyers in a while may be a bit out of touch with what homebuyers are looking for.
Wrapping Up the Best Real Estate Agent Near Me in Northwest Indiana
If you’re looking for the best real estate agent near me, look beyond simply who sells the most homes, sells homes the fastest, or who gets the most above the seller’s asking price. Each of those metrics are valuable, but can also be manipulated.
The best REALTOR near you is the one who is the best for you. Interview REALTORS and choose the one who has the skills, knowledge, and experience working for other clients with a similar fact pattern as you. Learn about the agents listing terms, communication, marketing, and costs.
Give me a call if you are looking for the best real estate agent in Northwest Indiana to sell your home. My phone number is (219) 309-6098. I have a ton of experience, amazing reviews, and I offer the low real estate commission fee in Northwest Indiana.