What You Should Know About Picking a Buyers Agent in a Seller's Market

How do I pick the right agent? Don't all agents do the same things? Do I even need an agent?

These are some of the most common questions we hear all the time when we speak with customers about buyer representation, and I think we should go ahead and answer these questions in reverse order.

Do I even need an agent?

The answer is a resounding YES! Of course, you could say that I'm a bit biased and you would be correct. I am biased for you, the buyer! I want you to be fully represented. I want you to get the home that you want at the price that you want in the time that you want, and I sincerely believe that in order to make this happen you must have qualified representation.

Don't all agents do the same things?

The short answer is "no." In the real estate industry once a licensee passes the state test and chooses a broker, and there is no standard in the industry holding brokers to train their agents, most brokers simply just don't bother. The result of this is here in the industry, we end up with a lot of agents just learning on the job and on their customers, and that is reflected in how our industry is viewed as a whole by the general public.

How do I pick the right agent?

Let's start by looking for an agent. Most buyers meet their agent in one of these ways: open house, online ad or showing call, or a referral from a friend or family member. While all of these ways work to contact an agent, maybe you don't want to just jump in and commit until you've done some homework.

Start by googling the agent and the company they work for. If they are hard to find or have mostly bad reviews, know that they probably lack experience, integrity, or both. If they have reviews, read them to see what others are saying about them. Reach out to past clients via email or phone if they are attached to the review. See what people's experience of them is. Look at the agent's track record of sales in the last 12 months and if you can't find it, ask them to provide it.

Look it's a crazy market out there. You want to make sure that you're hiring a heavyweight prize fighter. If they don't have a track record or can't provide one, that's a red flag for sure.

Most agents only sell 1-4 homes per year. Make sure you are working with a full-time professional agent. Don't just take the referral agent for granted and use them. Research them as well. You want to make sure that you are working with someone who will be able to represent your best interests at all times.

The bottom line is don't just take an agent at face value do your research and your due diligence for any agent that you choose to work with,

If you have any more questions about finding the right agent, give us a call at (714) 406-1414.