STEP 2 TO BUYING A HOME

COMPARE THE SERVICE, THEN HIRE THES BEST!

iMPORTANT qUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE HIRING A REALTOR®?

First off, congratulations on your decision to buy a home and put down roots! It’s a big step and you’re starting off on the right foot by interviewing several agents before picking one to represent you. Finding a real estate agent is an incredibly important part of the process.

If you don’t know where to start, ask friends and family for referrals to agents they’ve used and loved. Even then though it’s still important to meet several agents and pick the agent who is going to be best for you. Then reach out to the agent and set up an appointment. Take note of how quickly they get back to you. If they don’t return your email or phone call within 24 hours I’d move on and find someone else. In real estate, getting back to someone quickly, particularly when you’re negotiating a deal, is crucial. If your agent can’t be bothered to get back to you quickly what else is he or she not going to bother to do?

When it comes to the actual meeting, if convenient for you, we recommend meeting the agent at their office to see what kind of environment they work in. Is their office professional? Is the receptionist welcoming as this can say a lot about the office in general? Is the agent on time to meet you?

As a buyer, here are the questions we think you should ask a prospective agent:

1. What do you know about me?
2. Are you a full time REALTOR®?
3. How long have you been in real estate?
4. How many clients have you worked with this year?
5. What tools do you have especially for first time home buyers?
6. What areas do you primarily work?
7. Will you be showing me homes or will your assistant?
8. Are you willing to work with me if I find a home FSBO?
9. How do you negotiate deals?
10. Do you attend the home inspection?
11. Do you handle the inspection negotiations?
12. Do you attend the walk through?
13. Do you attend the closing?
14. How do you feel about dual agency?
15. What qualities differentiate you from other REALTORS®?

Here are our responses so you can see how the REALTOR® you’re interviewing stacks up.

Need additional help? Feel free to email us anytime at andi@andidyer(dot)com.

Best of luck!

Questions? Contact us at andi@andidyer(dot)com or 360-734-6479.

This content is not the product of the National Association of REALTORS®, and may not reflect NAR’s viewpoint or position on these topics and NAR does not verify the accuracy of the content.