What's Up Magazines
5-Star Real Estate Agents:
Who Are the Best Real Estate Agents in the Greater Annapolis Area?
It may be obvious, but buying or selling a home is the largest and most stressful financial transaction you are likely to make.
Because the vast majority of consumers rely on a real estate agent to help in this process, it's important to find a good one. You want someone who knows the market, provides great customer service, has professional integrity, represents your interests, and genuinely cares about you.
With over 4,000 licensed real estate agents in the area, it's not always easy to find the right agent for your needs. Research indicates that nearly 3 in 4 consumers rely on a referral from a friend or family member to hire a real estate agent.
What's Up? Annapolis formed a partnership with Crescendo Business Services, an independent research and services firm, to create another kind of referral network for our 217,000 readers. Each agent on our list of "FIVE STAR: Best in Client Satisfaction" real estate agents has been strongly recommended by the consumers who have worked with them.
The Selection Process
In March of 2004, Crescendo mailed over 10,000 nomination ballots to consumers in the greater Annapolis area, including 9,000 to recent homebuyers (almost anyone who had purchased a home in the greater Annapolis area over the last seven months); 1,000 to readers of What's Up? Annapolis magazine; and over 300 ballots to area mortgage and title companies, who know skills of real estate agents that a consumer may not always see.
Each respondent was asked to nominate only real estate agents whom they knew through personal experience, and evaluate them based on nine criteria: customer service, integrity, market knowledge, communication, closing preparation, finding the right house, marketing of the home, and overall satisfaction. Only original ballots (no copies) returned in their specially designed envelopes were accepted as valid.
By mid-April, stacks of nomination ballots had arrived and Crescendo began scoring and carefully screening each nominee with the Maryland Real Estate Commission database to ensure each agent holds a current real estate license and has had no disciplinary actions.
Before finalizing the list, nominated agents were reviewed by a blue ribbon panel of local real estate industry experts. Panelist comments were incorporated into the final score for each agent. Safeguards were built into this review process to reduce the ability of panel members to influence the composition of the final list on the basis of realty company affiliation.
Best in Client Satisfaction
This year's list of "FIVE STAR: Best in Client Satisfaction" real estate agents represents less than 7 percent of actively licensed real estate agents in the greater Annapolis area.
Throughout the nomination process, we heard numerous stories of how these agents have provided exemplary customer service that goes well beyond what one would normally expect. A surprising number of respondents told about long-lasting relationships and friendships that have developed from what for some is simply a transaction. One person even wrote a three page essay on why their agent is so great.
How to Use This List
As you look for a real estate agent, ask your friends and family for referrals, and then look at the following list of agents who scored best in client satisfaction for independent confirmation of your referral. You can also use this list as a starting point and interview several listed agents to find one you're comfortable with and meets your specific needs.
Is this list exhaustive? Of course not. There are many other excellent real estate agents that did not make the list this year. You are certain to see many of them on next year's roster.