Agents

Satisfied Clients Choose Seattle´s

Best Real Estate Agents

estate agents for advice and guidance. But with over 14,000

real estate agents in the greater Seattle area, how do you find

someone who knows the market, represents your interests and operates

with an emphasis on integrity and service?

partnership with Crescendo Business Services, an independent

research firm, to find out which real estate agents have most consistently

wowed their clients.

Last August, Crescendo mailed nearly 20,000 nomination

ballots to Seattle residents who had recently purchased

homes. An additional 350 ballots were sent to

mortgage and title companies, who are often best able to judge a

real estate agent´s technical skills and knowledge.

On the ballots, recipients were asked to nominate only real estate

agents whom they knew through personal experience, and to

evaluate them based upon nine criteria: customer service, communication,

finding the right home, integrity, negotiation, marketing

the home, market knowledge, closing preparation and overall satisfaction.

Only original ballots-no copies-returned in their specially

designed envelopes were accepted as valid. By September, stacks of

ballots had arrived and Crescendo began carefully scoring and

screening each nominee with the Washington State Real Estate

Commission database to make certain that licenses were up to date

and that no disciplinary actions were pending.

Then, before finalizing the list, nominated real estate agents were

reviewed by a blue-ribbon panel of local industry experts.The

panel consisted of reality company executives, professional and

trade association officers and others directly involved in housingrelated

businesses.

Although panelist comments were incorporated into the final

score, safeguards were built into the review process to reduce

the ability of panel members to influence the composition

of the final list on the basis of company affiliation.

The resulting list of Five Star Real Estate Agents is an

elite group, representing less than 7 percent of licensed agents in

the greater Seattle area.To make the list more user-friendly, agents

have been grouped based upon their city of focus.

Throughout the nomination process, respondents told stories of

lasting friendships that have emerged from what is most often a

stressful business transaction. Several even wrote essays on why

their particular agent excelled.

Although this list will certainly be a useful tool for anyone buying

or selling a home, it should not be considered exhaustive. Undoubtedly,

there are many other excellent real estate agents who,

for one reason or another, are not on this year´s list. But don´t be

surprised to see them next year.