Buying a Home → Build Your Team
Choosing Your REALTOR®
Whether you find your REALTOR® online, at an open house, through an advertisement, or via a friend or family recommendation, it’s important to do your homework. When you’re choosing a REALTOR® to work with, you want to be sure that they have the right mix of experience, knowledge, and personality!
As with any major purchase, you want to start out by carefully reviewing your options. This might mean that you start with a couple of agents you’re interested in, meet them in person, and from here you can determine which agent is the best fit. The same way you’d interview someone for a job you’re hiring for, you’ll want to make sure you ask agents a few key questions that will help you know whether they’re right for the role you’re offering.
Here are a few examples of questions you might ask:
- How many homes have you sold in the area we are looking to purchase?
- Do you have strategies for winning in a multiple offer situation?
- What is your process for helping buyers?
- What is your communication plan?
- How many homes do you sell per year?
- What percentage of your clients are buyers vs sellers?
- How many buyers do you work with at one time?
- How can you demonstrate your knowledge of the market I am looking to buy in?
We also believe it’s important to do a gut check. While someone’s experience is a key factor, it’s also important to ask yourself if you like the agent! REALTORS® and their clients spend a great deal of time together during the buying process, so why not pick someone with whom you can enjoy your time with? Having a good connection will also be helpful—it’s highly likely that there will be difficult conversations to have, good news and bad news, and challenges along the way. You’ll want to choose an agent you can be straightforward with, and you’ll want to make sure you’re working with someone who can protect you and guide you each step of the way.