If you want to buy or sell a home, hiring a real estate agent is a must. With an expert real estate agent at your side, you should have no trouble getting the best results.

A real estate agent can teach you the ins and outs of the housing market and ensure you can make informed buying or selling decisions. In addition, a real estate agent will go above and beyond the call of duty to assist you throughout each stage of the homebuying or home selling journey.

Although many real estate agents are available nationwide, it is important to remember that not all of these housing market professionals possess the same communication skills. And if you hire a real estate agent who is an ineffective communicator, you may miss out on opportunities to buy your dream home or get the best price for your current residence.

Ultimately, there are many signs that a real estate agent is a great communicator, including:

1. A real estate agent keeps in touch with clients via emails, phone calls and texts.

A real estate agent who understands the importance of effective communication will be able to stay in contact with you via emails, phone calls and texts. This housing market professional is happy to work with you in any way possible, and as such, is ready to lend a helping hand time and time again.

Furthermore, a great communicator understands the importance of timely, accurate messages. This means a real estate agent who strives to maintain open lines of communication should have no trouble keeping you informed throughout the homebuying or home selling cycle.

2. A real estate agent listens to your concerns and questions.

Let's face it – buying or selling a home can be stressful, particularly if you're operating in a competitive housing market. Lucky for you, a real estate agent who acts as a great communicator can listen to your concerns and questions and help you alleviate stress.

A real estate agent understands what it takes to assist a homebuyer or home seller. He or she also recognizes the importance of active listening and respond to your concerns and queries instantly. That way, this housing market professional can do whatever it takes to help you remain calm, cool and collected as you buy or sell a home.

3. A real estate agent is unafraid to be honest.

Although the homebuying or home selling journey should be simple, problems sometimes may arise. However, a real estate agent who serves as a great communicator will provide honest, unbiased recommendations to help you overcome any challenges.

A real estate agent is proud to assist his or her clients. At the same time, this housing market professional is unafraid to deliver bad news. Therefore, a real estate agent who is an effective communicator can share good and bad news with clients, provide consistent support and help clients mitigate homebuying or home selling problems as quickly as possible.

Employ a real estate agent who is a great communicator, and you can work with a housing market professional who can help you overcome the challenges associated with buying or selling a home.

If you've spent much time online seeking ways to sell your home, you've probably run across "professional home staging" options. While many of these are a great choice, they can be cost-prohibitive if your agent doesn't include those services with your sale. You aren't left in the lurch though, you can do a variety of things with your existing furnishings to clean up your home and make it more appealing to buyers. The hardest part of this process is to take yourself out of the house. It no longer matters what you love or what each room means to you, its now about creating a blank but appealing canvas that your potential buyers can see ways to make their own.

Properly staged homes, and that usually means neutrally staged, often sell up to 50% faster and for up to 10% or more over the asking price. Want in on this extra profit?

It’s easy as 123…

1. Clean and Neutral Colors: give your rooms a fresh coat of paint in neutral tones. Creams, warm grays and sand tones can brighten up your rooms without going all the way to white which creates an inviting look. It's not just the paint though, apply the same rules to your furniture and window coverings. Try to get as much natural sunlight into each room as possible and use bright and light tones to reflect that light around the room. Don't forget the bathrooms here, going for brighter neutral patterns on shower curtains, rugs and towels as well.

2. No More Hoarding (at least not in public): Yes, those pictures of your wedding or your kids are incredibly important to you, but this is about your buyers. Too much clutter or too many personal items in a design can make it difficult for potential buyers to decorate in their mind. You want your buyer to see themselves in the space, not you. That means removing family photos, trophies, kids' art and basically anything that speaks to your family life in the home. If you’re living in the home and showing at the same time, try going through your belongings and packing up things you don’t need into a storage unit. Keeping your closets only comfortably full and storage spaces empty of holiday decorations makes them more appealing to buyers.

3. Simple Spaces for Anyone: Remember that storage unit? Use it again for extra furniture. Keep only the items that work best in the space. Remove over-sized or extra-personal items to help your buyers see the house and what they can do with it. Stick with furniture that goes with the home itself, rather than the pieces you have for sentimental value. Also, remember to remove all or the majority of items that make a space age-specific where possible. Unless you're explicitly showing off a nursery, make the rest of the home design work regardless of children or buyers' ages. 

Your real estate professional can give you specific advice based on your particular possessions and home layout.