As a consumer, I’ve often wondered what I should be asking my real estate agent when buying or selling a home. At one point, when I was purchasing my first home, I wondered if I even needed an agent – how hard could it be after all? I did try to purchase a home without agent representation, but the transaction went sideways and fell apart.  Did you know that buyers of previously owned homes and buyers aged 18 to 24 were most likely to report using a real estate agent?

The agent that I attempted to use in my first transaction did not meet my expectations. Sure, she was nice enough, but she was not consistent in her communication. In one week, I would hear from her everyday and the next several weeks I heard nothing from her at all. Her schedule was difficult to work around and it always seemed that when I was available to look at homes, she wasn’t. It wasn’t because she was working with other clients, but rather she had very active kids and their sports schedule did not jive with my schedule.

I had done multiple searches to find the “right questions” to ask. How could our relationship have gone so wrong?

The questions I found and used were all very similar to:

• How long have you been in the business?
• Do you have a web page?
• Do you have a staff?

While all of these questions are relevant, I, as an informed buyer, already know all of this information because I’ve found it online, asked friends, or maybe even called the office. What I really want to know is:

• Do you have other obligations that will hinder your availability when we can look at homes? If so, tell me those upfront, because when I am ready to see the inside of the house…I am ready now.
• How often should I expect to hear from you? I have a certain expectation in my mind about when I want to hear from you. Even if it’s just you checking in with me.
• How should we communicate? I’m a texter. Text me – it’s the best way to reach me, but if I need to reach you what should I use?
• Can you provide me a list of homes that meet my criteria a few days prior to us going out? I don’t want to waste my time or yours looking inside homes that I would not consider because of the street or neighboring houses. Give me a list of homes a few days prior to getting in your car and I will do drive by’s. If we do this together, I feel obligated to go in.
• What do you specialize in?  If you specialize in farm houses and land, we may not be a good fit if I am looking for a suburban home in a live/work community.
• If I am unhappy with your service or don’t feel like our relationship is working out, what is the escalation process? I want to know if we aren’t jiving, can you handle me telling you that, or do I need to call your manager and then what should I expect after that.
• After we have written a contract on a home, what can I expect from you? I really want to know how things are going, so keep in touch with me is important even after the offer because I want to be assured things are going smoothly.
• If we run into a “bump” during the appraisal or inspection process, what is your role and what is mine? If I have made an offer on a home, I REALLY want it and I want it to work.

Buying or selling a home is a big step and one that deserves the utmost of attention. Make sure that you arm yourself with the right questions. I hope this helps you start your relationship with your agent on the right foot!

By Regina Walter