No matter if this is your first time buying a home or if you have bought a home before, home buying is the largest purchase that many Americans will make in their lifetime. That is why the purchase of a new home is so incredibly stressful.
That is why there are professionals who have studied and worked hard to make it their number one priority to help people like you to navigate such a large purchase. A real estate agent is there to help you and you alone make the right decisions for you and your family.
So how do you go about choosing an agent? It isn’t as easy as looking one up and going with the first one you see. In order to make sure that your agent is the right one to help represent you there are steps that you must take.
Selling Your Current Home
First, before you can even buy a home, you must make sure that your current home is going through a sale. Finding a real estate agent who will help you sell your home is just as important as finding one to help you buy your new one.
Remember that purchasing a new home before you sell your old one can be financially devastating. Even if you have an interested buyer in your home currently and have started negotiations you never know what might happen.
You could end up purchasing your new home and then before the sale of your old home goes through you find out during the inspection that there are some big problems with your old home. Something like that could potentially scare off the potential buyers and leave you with 2 mortgages to pay every month and with no additional money to fix your old house.
This is why the timing of the sale of your old home with the purchase of a new home is very important. When choosing your home buyers agent they must understand that and know how to handle it.
Does Anyone Know a Good Real Estate Agent?
Agents work off of referrals more than you might think. Don’t hesitate to ask your friends or family members what agents they have worked with, good or bad. Knowing what agents to avoid is just as important as finding ones that you do want to work with.
But remember to take their referrals with a grain of salt. A real estate agent who meshed well with someone that you know might not necessarily fit with your personality or with what you are looking for. Just remember to be open and honest about what you are looking for.
Interview Three Agents
Pretty consistently in the real estate industry it is recommended to interview at least three real estate agents before settling on one that you like.
- How long have you been a real estate agent?
- Do you typically represent buyers or sellers?
- How familiar are you with the area?
- How many homes do you help buyers purchase every year on average?
- Do you work part time or full time as a real estate agent?
- How many clients do you have right now? And are they mostly buyers?
- What kind of references do you have?
- Do you currently have a real estate license? (Always make sure that they are currently licensed. If they have had their license in the past but have allowed their license to expire then do not work with them. There are many reasons why you shouldn’t work with a non licensed real estate agent both legally and morally.)
Setting Expectations
Not just for home buyer agents but for selling agents alike, making sure to set clear and concise expectations is going to be key.
Explain why you want to buy a new home and ask how they can help you through the home buying process while considering whatever your particular situation might be. Making sure that your motive behind buying your home is clear with your possible real estate agent from the very beginning. Understanding why you want or need to buy your new home and what makes your situation unique will help the agent to better represent you and your particular needs.
If the agent is not comfortable or not experienced enough with whatever situation you are dealing with that might be a good sign that you need to look elsewhere.
Communication is Key
Depending on what you are looking for in a home, complications with selling your old home or whatever else might be going on, you need to be able to communicate with your agent.
Understanding the importance of communication is going to make the process a lot less stressful. Let your agent know from the very start how often you want to contact them and that you want an open line of communication to them.
Also, it will be just as important for you to understand that real estate agents very rarely only have one client at a time. They will not always be able to answer your call or get back with your right away. Allowing a respectable window of time in which they need to respond to you should be clearly dictated from the beginning of working together.
Here at R.E. Appraisal Associates of SWFL, Inc we care about our clients and their home selling and buying experience. If you need a home appraisal during the home buying process our excellent staff will help you with a quick and accurate appraisal either in-home or online. To learn more about what we can do for you give us a call today at 941-743-3700.
