4 Questions to ask a prospective Real Estate Agent

Ready to buy a house? That's Great!

Interested in selling your home? Awesome!

Before you sign a listing agreement or enter into an agency agreement with a broker to help you find a home, consider asking a few questions of the prospective real estate agent o help make your home-buying dream come true. After all, a real estate salesperson and their brokerage should be fully on your side in order for you to get the best service and peace of mind in your buying or selling process.

But not all real estate agents are created equal. Some focus only on one side of the market such as a buyers agent who only helps those looking for homes. It is good practice, as you would with any major purchase, to do a little research and ask some questions! In fact, may season brokers I've talked to, and many who I follow through their YouTube Channels, recommend interviewing at least three agents before deciding who you want to work with for one of the single most important purchases of your life! 

To help you in the process, here are 4 questions to ask a real estate agent before you begin working with them in buying or selling your home:

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1. How long have you been a real estate agent?

You want a professional who knows the ins and outs of the business, and that level of knowledge comes only with experience, training, guidance, and connection. 

If the agent is a rookie, like I am, that doesn't mean they can't or won't provide your with great service. But ask them if he will receive hands-on guidance from a real estate broker in their office (a broker is someone who has taken real estate education courses beyond the agent level and often manages a team of agents). If they are then you know working with them means that someone is helping guide and oversee the process as well, which can minimize any potential conflicts, issues, or oversights. 

A new salesperson can be great, just like a seasoned agent can be great. But those who don't work in offices where they are properly guided can commit costly mistakes as they learn...and those could come at your expense!

2. What neighborhoods do you specialize in?

Your agent should be well-acquainted with the areas you're interested in, so search for someone who can easily provide info about your desired neighborhood, or point you to the places where you can find it. Realize that some information, though, cannot be provided by a salesperson due to real estate laws. For instance, we can point you to crime data so you know an area has a lot o home burglaries. But we cannot give you information about the racial makeup of those committing crimes.

Also, understand that while a salesperson may know certain areas better than others, they should be responsive to YOUR requests. If an agent or salesperson is pushing you towards or away from certain areas, because 'you might be more comfortable here' or 'that area has a lot of poor minorities in it, so its best to avoid' that is an illegal process called "steering". 

However, if you are looking at an area, and your salesperson starts telling you about the local amenities such as shops or restaurants that you'd be close to, that is useful information. You might want to know if you can walk to the store or have to drive 15 blocks for a gallon of milk! 

including home prices, schools, safety, public transportation, and cultural amenities.

3. How many clients are you currently working with?

You want an agent who's busy but not too busy: Anyone juggling much more than 10 clients might be too busy to provide you with high-quality, one-on-one service.

Why? Because life happens, issues come up. Realize your salesperson and brokerage may very well have other people they are working with, and that is perfectly fine. But if there are 24 hours in a day and I am working with 30 people all looking for a house at the same time... someone is going to get shorted!

Often times, the brokerage will have more than one sales person who is perfectly qualified and someone will be able to help you, so don't get too stressed!

4. How will you keep in contact with me during the buying process, and how often?

Does your agent prefer to stay in touch mainly by phone, email, or text—and how about you? Generally, it's best if your agent's preferred method of communication aligns with your own. If your agent's a texter while you prefer an actual conversation on the phone (or vice versa), that could drive you both bananas. 

You should also ask how often you two will be touching base. Navigating the home-buying process requires good communication between you and your agent, so you want an agent who will stay in touch and check in with you on at least a weekly basis depending on how quickly you are looking to move. In a fast-moving market, your agent should be touching base with you daily, so you are 

If you're interested in buying or selling your home, please contact me at therealestatepastor@gmail.com today!

~Devin

These questions have been adapted from an article that originally appeared here:
https://www.realtor.com/advice/buy/questions-to-ask-a-real-estate-agent/