Agents are there to provide informative, impartial guidance when the emotional aspect of buying or selling a home can make your goals and priorities cloudy. Thoroughly vet the agent you intend to work with to ensure they are up for the task!
General Questions For Real Estate Agents
- Do they work on a team? Will I be working with them or their assistants?
Every real estate office operates differently. It’s important to know how much work your agent delegates to assistants or associates. Having a team approach doesn’t necessarily mean that an agent is undedicated. However, this could be an issue for you if you value having a singular point of contact. If you have an especially complicated circumstance due to financing or property type, you may prefer an agent with a firm one-on-one approach. - How long have they worked in this area? Local market knowledge is everything. Ideally, your agent has sold hundreds of homes in your market.
- What do they foresee happening in the market over the next one to two years? This question matters because it helps you tap into your agent’s knowledge and approach. Based on what they see happening in the market, they may either be more conservative or aggressive in their efforts to help you get an offer accepted.
- Can they give you references from recent clients? This is the best way to see what a client’s experience has been with an agent. An accomplished agent should be happy to provide you with fresh references.
- Can they send links for their website and social media profiles? If you didn’t find your agent online, ask them for a business card that links all of their digital content. This will give you access to their website and social media profiles, which can give you a feel of their online (and offline) presence and overall attitude.
- How will you communicate through the process? Most buyers don’t ask this question. As a result, they are disappointed or surprised when an agent isn’t as responsive as they expected. Ask a potential agent if their preferred mode of contact is phone, text, email, or direct messaging. First, this helps you see if your communication styles are compatible. Second, it sets you up to get quick responses if you do begin working together.
- What is their availability for showings? How much lead time do they need? Real estate agents may have varying policies for showings based on how busy they are. It’s important to ask how quickly they’ll be able to get you in for showings on average.
Questions For A Buyers Agent
These questions will help you determine if a prospective real estate agent has the expertise you’re seeking when finding your next place to live:
- Which neighborhoods do you recommend based on my list of needs?
- What are the best school districts within my search radius?
- Can you describe a time you helped a buyer negotiate down a price?
- Can you describe a time you helped a buyer close quickly?
- Can you tell me about a time a deal fell through for you?
- What is your negotiation style? Can you walk me through a negotiation scenario based on what I’m looking for in a home?
- Do you recommend waiving any contingencies? Why? If you’re in a hot market, this question is important because you may be in a situation where waiving contingencies can be a make-or-break decision. Getting your agent’s perspective ahead of time will help you be prepared.
- Do you have any mortgage lenders or inspectors you recommend? Research the names they recommend. Professionals can often be judged by the company they keep!
- Do you come to showings with me? Do I go alone? Do you assign out to assistants or others on your team? For many buyers, having a familiar agent come to showings makes them feel more comfortable.
- When I decide to place an offer, how quickly will you write it? This is an anxiety-easing question that will help you to determine if an agent has the availability and responsiveness you need to feel supported as a buyer.
- What is your approach to sharing listings – do you send me things? Do I send to you? This is another question that helps to set up expectations. Based on the answer, you may decide that you need an agent with greater capacity for responsiveness and handholding.
Questions For A Listing Agent
If you’re selling, these questions can help you determine an agent’s approach to getting homes sold:
- What is your commission fee?
- What formula do you use to determine a home’s listing price?
- What steps will you take to sell the property other than list it on the MLS?
- What do you think needs to be done to the property before listing?
- What other properties do you have listed in this area?
- What are my property’s biggest selling points?
- Can you point out anything that might turn off potential buyers?
- What kind of offers do you think I’ll get? This gives you an opportunity to get inside the mind of an agent to get an idea of how they see your selling process going. Ask specifically if they believe your property will get above asking price, asking price, or offers that are full of contingencies.
- What is the average DOM for your listings? By asking an agent their average days on market (DOM) for listings, you’re getting a data-based look at their effectiveness. It helps to research the average DOM in your market to see how an agent’s personal stats compare.
- What is your thought on counteroffers and their effectiveness? With your agent being the person negotiating on your behalf, it’s important to get their take on how negotiations should go. Ask for specific examples of how they’ve used counteroffers successfully.
Overall takeaways
Finding the right agent starts with a conversation. You want an agent who is happy to answer questions. If the conversation is full of vague answers and misdirection, this is a sign they aren’t confident in their ability to serve your needs.
A motivated, confident agent with a passion for the local market will generally:
- Easily volunteer more information than you asked for.
- Have situational examples to share.
- Never derail the conversation.
- Provide detailed, in-depth answers instead of one-word “yes” or “no” answers.
Ultimately, you’ll know you’ve found your fit when you walk away feeling like you learned something from your agent interaction!
Why It’s Important To Interview Agents
Your agent is the person to help you cross the threshold into home ownership or help you bid farewell to your current home. Agents have many responsibilities in the home transaction process and a great agent facilitates all the checkpoints along the way.
Real estate agents responsibilities to you as a buyer or seller:
- Helping you find the right property by listening to your needs and understanding your budget.
- Helping you stage and list your home.
- Marketing your property.
- Helping you finalize your priorities for finding a home.
- Using their resources to access listings and make inquiries.
- Staying informed on the market.
- Educating you on the buying process based on state laws where you live.
- Answering all of your questions.
- Arranging viewings.
- Walking you through each property you view.
- Submitting offers and negotiating counteroffers on your behalf.
- Handling all contact with the other party and the other party’s agent.
- Reviewing documents before submitting them for signing.
- Potentially opening escrow on your behalf.
- Going over your closing disclosures for accuracy.
- Helping you to understand HOA fees.
- Behaving legally and ethically.
