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Buyer's Tips
Your real estate agent protects your best interests as you make what is probably your biggest and most important financial investment. Going with an experienced pro costs the same amount as does picking an unknown real estate agent from an ad or the phone book. Even so, most homebuyers don't interview before hiring their real estate agent. It pays to shop around and ask the right questions before selecting the best real estate agent to represent you.
Relationships
Your real estate agent should have strong relationships with lenders, title and escrow companies, insurance brokers and home inspectors that you can leverage to save you time and money. The more successful the real estate agent, the stronger these relationships often are. For example, successful real estate agents refer so much business to one lender that this lender will bend over backwards to give his buyers the best rates and terms possible on a loan.
Reputation
When a real estate agent with a strong reputation writes an offer on his buyer's behalf, the listing agent for that property can feel confident that the transaction will go through. For this reason, an offer from a buyer with good representation may be more carefully considered than other offers, which can give you the edge over competing buyers.
Operational Support
It's important to meet with a prospective real estate agent in his office and ask questions about how they operate. For example, technology makes it possible for your real estate agent to respond to you and listing agents in a timely fashion, which can mean the difference between you getting or losing the home of your dreams. Does your agent have the latest technological tools at his disposal? Having a personal staff to take care of administrative work frees your real estate agent to spend his time looking for your perfect home. Does your real estate agent have the support staff needed to be highly productive on your behalf? |
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