Crescendo Business Services and Sarasota Magazine surveyed recent homebuyers and other industry experts to find the best real estate agents in the Sarasota Bay area.


TEAM VITALE IS PROUD TO HAVE RECEIVED THE "FIVE STAR BEST IN CLIENT SATISFACTION" AWARD FOR SIX CONSECUTIVE YEARS

Satisfied clients chose Team Vitale
as Sarasota Bay area "Five Star Real Estate Agents."

Experts say that at least 90 percent of homebuyers rely on real estate agents for advice and guidance.  But with more than 8,500 agents in the Sarasota area holding real estate licenses, how do you find someone who knows the market, represents your interests and operates with an emphasis on integrity and service?

SARASOTA Magazine can help.  The magazine recently formed a partnership with Crescendo Business Services, an independent research firm, to find out which real estate agents have most consistently wowed their clients.

The Selection Process
This past January, Crescendo mailed nearly 19,000 nomination ballots to Sarasota area residents who had recently purchased homes.  An additional 250 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.  They were 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 February, stacks of ballots had arrived, and Crescendo began carefully scoring and screening each nominee with the Florida State Real Estate Commission database to make certain that licenses were up to dtae and that no disciplianry actions were pending.

Then, before finalizing the list, norminated real estate agents were reviewed by a blue-ribbon panel of local industry experts.  The panel consisted of realty company executives, professional and trade association officers and others directly involved in housing-related businesses.

Although panelists' 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.

Best in Client Satisfaction
The resulting list of Five Star Real Estate Agents is an elite group, representing less than six percent of licensed agents in the Sarasota area.  To make the list more user-friendly, agents have been grouped based on 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.