When buying a home, finding the right realtor is the difference between a great experience and one that is more stressful than it needs to be. You want to hire a real fireball who plays the game strategically, keeps you informed and up to date on what's going on, and knows the industry inside and out.
You'll be spending a lot of time with this person, so you want to make sure you gel with them enough to be around them for long periods of time and discuss about high stress situations comfortably.
Here are some important interview questions you should ask all potentials:
How long have you been a licensed agent? Are you a member of the National Association of Realtors?
How many homes did you sell last year? What is your typical list-price-to-sales-price ratio?
Do you have a price range, home style or neighborhood specialty?
How do you stay up on current trends? Do you take classes or frequently attend training?
What is the make up of your team? Do you have an assistant? Who will I be talking to when I want to schedule a showing?
Are you aggressive with bidding? What are your negotiation techniques? How do you handle multiple offers?
What are the average closing costs your buyers have had recently? Are there possible hidden costs might I encounter?
Will you be representing other buyers who are looking for homes in the same area and price range as I am? How many clients do you work with at one time?
Can you instruct me as to how to find the right properties online? How do we schedule a showing for a house we want to see? Do you expect/allow us to look at homes on our own? Will you show us houses that are not in the MLS (FSBO)?
If you recommend other professionals, do you receive compensation for any business I may do with them?
Can we review all documents before we sign anything?
What expectations do you have of me as the buyer?
WIll you provide references from past clients?
Do you offer any sort of guarantee? Can we break our commitment with you if we are unsatisfied?And always ask for the following documents up front:
Buyer's broker agreement (is it exclusive or non-exclusive?)
Agency disclosures
Purchase agreement
Buyer disclosures
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Interesting. We just bought a house and went w/ an agent recommended by several friends. We did not interview anyone else. We soon discovered that her high-octane personality was a real challenge, and spending time w/ her was exhausting, as my husband and I are both introverts who get worn out by exuberance and pushiness. She also didn't get us on a personal level and was constantly surprised by our tastes and requirements. We came home from every outing on edge and upset, and we thought several times of kicking her to the curb.
HOWEVER, we ran into very serious problems with an offer we made, and she was a godsend. She handled everything beautifully and got us out of what could have been a really terrible situation and a property that would have been all wrong for us. We couldn't have done it without her. In the meantime, we dealt w/ listing agent after listing agent who was dishonest, lazy and/or uninformed. By the time we began round 2 of the househunt, we were ready to nominate her for sainthood.
All this to say: it's unlikely you'll find a perfect agent. In the end, we realized that her most important quality was her dedication to and pride in her work. She really, really wanted to find us a good home, and to recommend her to our friends. That's why so many people recommended her to us, and we're glad they did.
When I was house shopping, I knew what kind of house I wanted, several general areas I wanted to live in and what was on the market.... all from my own research and knowing my medium-sized town (250,000 pop.). I turned to a friend who is an attorney and a licensed realtor because I knew he would help me get the best deal. Definitely a tough negotiator, and he got me into a property I had dismissed as too expensive. Go with a realtor who will fill in for your weaknesses, in my case, how to make an offer, paperwork and tough, gut-wrenching negotiations.
We recently bought a house. Prior to this we had no idea how to go about finding a good realitor. We found the house we wanted but not a realitor. The house was out of our price range but we really wanted it. We asked friends and family about who they would recommend as an aggressive smart realator that could get us into this house we wanted. Through friends we found the perfect person to help us. Not only did she get the owners to drop the price $40,000 but they also paid our closing costs. She also helped us out when our lender was being flaky and wasn't doing his job. She hooked us up to another lender and the paper work flew through and we closed a lot sooner than expected. So the moral of my story is... Word of mouth!
Get the agent you need, not the agent you want. We all want to get along with the people we work with, but this won't always get the work done. Sometimes the hardest workers and the most successful workers are people who aren't the kind you would consider your best friends - but when it comes to such a huge purchase like a home, you need someone who will work on your behalf no matter what, who won't back down, and will help educate you in home buying, and help you adjust your expectations according to your budget.
I'm from New York, agents there can really push the envelope of ridiculousness... A friend I graduated College with told me his Dad always helps people find whatever kind of apartment they need. I have moved 3 times since I graduated and I ALWAYS call Lou, and always reccommend him. He's been living in the city most of his life and feels like he knows exactly what I'm thinking.
Best agent I have ever dealt with, hands down, and will be the only one as long as I'm in NYC!
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