Locating and securing a premium Realtor is the equivalent to patiently waiting for the Toronto Maple Leafs to successfully win the Stanley Cup – it is extremely rare that it happens.  Evidently, choosing the right Realtor is one of the most important decisions that anyone makes when one decides to start their new chapter in their lives by purchasing a home.  With the abundance of options available in the market, I focussed on the following competencies which resulted in utilizing the services of Tom Albrecht:    Excellent Communication:  As you are aware, it is extremely rare to have control over the exact timing of the market when you decide to purchase a new home.   Unfortunately, our family decided to purchase a home during a seller's market, so the market was flooded with multiple offer situations.  During these times, it’s paramount that your Realtor is available during flexible hours and work with the sense of urgency to execute your decisions.   Ever since working with Tom, we have been in constant contact about listings that satisfied our extremely difficult needs,  provided us with real-time updates throughout the process, and provided us with a plethora of information in a clear and concise manner.  Further, Tom provides you with the additional leverage you need as a buyer to have the competitive edge over others in multiple offer scenarios.     Strong Market Knowledge:   Every market is different and finding someone that knows the local market trends and patterns like the back of their hand can help guide you through the process and turn a seller's market into something more manageable that will mitigate your risk.   Tom has proven countless times that he maintains a strong pulse on the markets which assisted us with the timing of our decisions and informed us when to wait or proceed to secure the best price for our home.   As we were moving from another province outside of Alberta, Tom provided us with the knowledge we needed on the markets to make our decisions with confidence and turn the entire process into a walk in the park.  If you are moving from another city or province, Tom will be able to provide you with the leverage you need to make educated decisions.   Brutally Honesty:  It is rare to find a Realtor that prioritizes your needs as a buyer and gets you the best home possible for the best price possible.   Despite everyone having their own agendas, it is difficult to having someone share your same goals – not just to close a sale.  There have been numerous times when Tom has provided us with advice or information that may not have been what we wanted to hear.  It’s very easy to get emotionally attached to a potential home and resort to compromise, but Tom provides you with the voice of reason to ensure your decisions are made with the utmost confidence and ensure all your needs are met which will actually result in securing your dream home.  During the process of purchasing our home, we provided Tom with extremely specific needs and what we wanted in our home.   It goes without saying that he places your priorities and goals ahead of his own which ensures you truly purchase the home of your dreams.    In short, there is no magic formula for finding the perfect Realtor; however, you can either begin interviewing potential Realtors and invest your valuable time in reading reviews online before making your decision, or benefit from my version of the magic formula which consisted of extensive research and the time I had invested in locating Tom.  In retrospect, I take back what I said – that the most important decision you will make is choosing the right Realtor; instead, the most important decision leading up to the purchase of your home is to decide if you will be calling Tom or sending him an e-mail.   The decision is yours.