Meeting Your Realtor®: What to Ask

Important questions to determine whether your Realtor® is the right fit for you

Interview Your Realtor®

Don’t be shy – your Realtor® is interviewing you just as surely as you are interviewing them!  When you sit down for a consultation with Jamie, he will be asking you some pithy questions to get to know you better and see if you are a good fit to work together, because good agents are selective about their clients.  Real estate isn’t a cookie cutter business – the same agent isn’t right for every client, and every customer isn’t a good match for the way the agent works.  So, a smart consumer will interview their real estate agent before deciding who to work with.

question mark by Karen Eliot

Seven Questions To Ask Your Real Estate Agent When Buying A Home

Ask away – Jamie expects you to!  Here are some questions to ask every Realtor® you sit down with, before you sign anything or agree to let them help you find a home.

How Long Have You Been in the Business?

You might think you want to work with a real estate veteran who does a huge amount of business each year, but if you are a first time buyer who requires a lot of hand-holding through the process, such a relationship may prove disastrous; busy Realtors® who head up huge teams may not be available to answer your questions or spend a lot of time showing you homes.  Freshly licensed agents can be valuable IF they have access to competent mentors; newer agents can have more time to concentrate on you, and have often embraced new technologies that will make your home search easier and involve you more.

What is Your Strategy for My Needs?

Your agent should be able to answer all of the following questions:

• How will you search for my new home? How many homes will you likely show me before I find a home I want to buy? How will you help me compete against other buyers? How do you handle multiple offers?

What Separates You From Your Competition?

A good agent won’t hesitate to answer this question and will be ready to fire off why they are best suited for the job.  A lot of this may come down to personality and your own likes and dislikes, but in general, you want someone who is:

• Trustworthy Assertive A tactical thinker Available by phone or e-mail A clear communicator Friendly

Can I Review Contracts Before I Am Asked to Sign Them?

A professional will make forms available to you for preview before you are required to sign them – preferably, with ‘plain English’ translations.  As a buyer, ask for copies of the following:

• Buyer Representation Agreement
• Agreement of Purchase & Sale
• Working with a Realtor®
• Confirmation of Cooperation & Representation

Will You Help Me Find Other Professionals?

Let the real estate agent explain to you who they work with (lawyers, home inspectors, mortgage brokers etc.) and why. Ask for a written list of professionals and ask if there are any benefits to you for using such partners.

Are There Any Guarantees?

If you sign a buying agreement and later find that you are unhappy with the arrangement, can the agreement be cancelled without penalty? Will the agent stand behind their service to you?

What Happens When You Are Not Available?

Agents work long hours and try to be available whenever and wherever you need them. But however accommodating we try to be, we are not always available. Ask your prospective real estate agents what arrangements they have in place when they are not available.