How to Choose The Right Luxury Realtor in Tahoe

Chris Fajkos is a personable realtor in the Tahoe region and a member of the California.com Recommended Business Program, which highlights only the best businesses in the Golden State. To be featured, each business must be highly regarded, have a unique California story, and make a positive impact in their community. 

Tahoe is a dream destination with unmatched resources and opportunities. Long ago, the beaches, mountains, valleys, and fresh mountain air established Tahoe as one of California’s most desired places to live, even if only part-time.  

Just a quick trip from San Francisco or L.A., Tahoe’s ski resorts and alpine lakes are full of endless adventures and yet a calming sense of serenity at the same time. One trip to Tahoe is typically all one needs to fall in love—and when they do, a journey to own a little slice of Tahoe begins by looking for that perfect home in the mountains. 

While the allure of Tahoe is quite simple, the luxury real estate options are pretty complex. There are private amenity-rich communities, lakeside retreats, slopeside chateaus, and golf course estates, all tucked away in Tahoe’s relatively small and community-oriented footprint. 

Not only is luxury real estate a niche market that works under an entirely unique sales approach and operation than other real estate markets, so is Tahoe real estate, given its vastly diverse offerings. So when you’re looking for luxury real estate in Tahoe, partnering with a local and knowledgeable real estate agent should be your top priority. 

Here are five qualities to look for in a luxury real estate agent in the Truckee-Tahoe region.

Proximity  

This might sound like a given, but many real estate agents think their knowledge in one area will easily translate into another in the luxury real estate world. And that’s simply not a good strategy. Instead, ensure your agent lives and works in the Tahoe region, allowing them to have easy access to new listings, local happenings, and insider knowledge of the local real estate etiquette and practices. In addition, Tahoe is a unique real estate market with unique processes and policies which constantly evolve—your agent should be your eyes and ears, providing you with all of the market, regional, and policy information possible to make the best-informed decisions. 

Connections

Proximity typically brings stronger and more established relationships. Your luxury real estate agent should know about off-market sales, coming soon homes, the history of each community, and the data-driven projections for the market. Strong luxury real estate agents should have an extensive and equally knowledgeable network that can be easily tapped into. Agents should not only be connected with other luxury agents in Truckee-Tahoe but also with their local chamber of commerce, developers, lenders, HOAs, and builders. Real estate agents should make these connections easy for you to find on their website (if not, that's a red flag) but do not hesitate to ask a potential agent to give you an overview of their network and differentiators from other Tahoe agents as well.  

Accreditation and Affiliation 

Another way to ensure your luxury real estate agent is reputable and knowledgeable is their accreditations and affiliations. As we’ve learned, luxury real estate is a niche market that requires agents to have a much more in-depth understanding of their buyers, market, and intricate details involved in luxury real estate transactions. Look for affiliations with top-tier media partners for specialized marketing, membership in exclusive real estate organizations, a solid track record through public testimonials, as well as special designations and community accreditations (like a California.com recommended business!) and being on boards of directors, and other areas of community involvement.

Market Knowledge

Again, this might sound elementary, but Tahoe’s luxury real estate world is a fast-paced, data-driven industry, and market knowledge is vital. Not only should your luxury real estate agent be able to give you a quick and comprehensive overview of the Tahoe market, but they should also be able to back it up with facts and figures. Ask your agent for a year-over-year analysis of the market, a breakdown of comparable properties within your search criteria, and a complete overview of the cost-to-own, including HOAs, membership fees, and specialized taxes often associated with luxury properties in Tahoe. This information should be comprehensive and easily shared for any qualified luxury real estate agent in Tahoe. 

A Plan

Upon meeting a luxury real estate agent, you should feel confident that an agreed-upon plan is in place and your timing, budget, and search criteria were fully understood. If an agent doesn’t take the time to get to know you, your family, your needs, and your property right off the bat, they will probably put in that same minimal effort throughout the relationship. Your agent should be fluent in Tahoe’s current trends and inventory and able to provide you with a comfortable plan of attack to either sell your home or buy a new home within the first meeting. Many luxury homes in Tahoe are sold off-market so you’ll want to ensure your agent is equipped to handle these types of transactions smoothly and walk you through what to expect from the get-go. 

Looking for a luxury real estate agent in Tahoe? With a myriad of accreditations, luxury affiliations, and 5-star rating testimonials, Chris Fajkos can help you both buy and/or sell the home of your dreams anywhere in the Truckee-Tahoe region.