I get a lot of emails and calls from prospective buyers who ask me what type of Real Estate Agent they should hire when they are looking to buy their first home. The most common question is how they should go about finding a Realtor and what sort of questions should they ask when talking to an agent.
Besides reading my previous article about 10 Questions to Ask Your Agent, you should be aware that not all Realtors are the same.
Some specialize in Listings only, some concentrate on short sales and foreclosures, some only sell high-end properties or new construction out in the suburbs, and some may only be part time agents who don’t offer you the necessary experience or time-commitment. You want to make sure they are someone who knows the types of loan programs you’ll be using, knows the area or types of houses you’ll be looking at, and someone who knows how to communicate effectively with you. If your agent only lists Million-Dollar Homes on Lake Minnetonka, they might not be the best person to help you buy a $150,000 house in South Minneapolis.
Be very careful choosing an agent from an Open House–if they are the listing agent of the house they are working on behalf of the seller, and may not be able to help you negotiate if you do in fact want to make an offer on that particular house. Open Houses are a fun way to start the searching process before you’ve chosen your Real Estate Agent, but be aware that they are a prospecting tool for agents to meet new buyers. Obviously there’s nothing wrong with that, and many buyers have met a nice and competent agent from open houses. But don’t necessarily just settle on the first agent with a pulse you come across. It’s always best to ask them some questions to determine if they can help YOU with your buying experience.
At the end of the day it comes down to a comfort level with you and your agent–you’ll be spending a lot of time looking at houses and writing up offers with them. So it’s best if you pick someone you like, and someone you feel has the knowledge to help you through the biggest purchase of your life!
