In any good relationship, communication is key. The same can be said when choosing a real estate agent.
You must feel comfortable asking your agent questions, and in turn, your agent should listen to your needs and answer accordingly.
But what questions should you ask? Below, we’ve compiled a list of three must-ask questions for any future home buyer looking for an agent.
With these queries, you can get a feel for an agent’s experience, customer service skills, and whether they are the right professional to help you buy or sell a home.
When interviewing someone for the first time, it’s important to remember that they are not trying to educate you on buying a house. The consultation is an opportunity for both parties. If they don’t offer a consultation, then probably consider working with someone else.
Use the opportunity to interview them and ask them these hard-hitting questions.
1. Why should I hire you?
The first question you should ask the real estate agent is, why should I hire you now? I know this is a typical question but it is a good one. It’s a good indication of how they think and their mindset when answering questions during an interview with potential clients or customers.
The answer you should be looking out for is not necessarily something particular, but, hopefully, they go and talk about a passion of theirs or about what’s important to them.
But the real trick here is that most realtors are not dumb. They’re not going to answer you with their real intent.
So try to analyze what they’re telling you because if it’s something you may relate to, the conversation flows. Just remember that your real estate agent should be the person you trust the most in the entire real estate transaction.
You may also ask a follow-up question if they are full-time or part-time realtors. Because working with a part-time realtor is not always the best option. If you’re looking to buy or sell your home, working around their schedule can be difficult if they don’t have regular business hours as most brokers do.
2. How are you going to handle the negotiating part of it?
Question number two, to ask the real estate agent you’re interviewing is how will they handle the negotiating part of it?
Negotiations are a part of any real estate purchase. You’ll have the initial offer that allows you to do the inspection and appraisal, which will form most aspects of what you’re trying to get in the contract for closing day.
The key here is balancing these two vital stages: making sure the offer stands out against other competing bids while ensuring there isn’t too big a gap between the list price and the offer.
The list price in the contract is the price that you’ll happen to agree to. But the primary source of negotiations in the real estate transaction is the appraisal.
Meaning, there’s always an appraisal that must take place before anything can be agreed upon by all parties involved.
This determines whether your purchase will cost more than necessary because of low appraisals while ensuring equal treatment under the law if someone has been overrated during the sales process but still manages to get a good deal through negotiation skills alone.
Well, then there’s some negotiation to be done. So as they’re talking about negotiating, make sure they’re touching on these things, but more importantly, if you’re not satisfied with the answer, a follow-up question should be asked, for example:
- How are you going to handle a low appraisal?
- How are you going to handle a bad inspection? How are you going to take it?
- How are you going to handle it if there are multiple offer situations?
So, each one of these includes the worst-case scenario. If they don’t give you a well-thought answer, then really dig deep and ask how they will go about handling these things.
Remember that a good realtor is going to talk with experience. Everyone has their way of doing things.
So just really lookout for someone who’s going to be on your side and work hard at finding solutions in any situation. Not only when everything goes smoothly but also when there may come some volatility or uncertainty.
You don’t want an agent whose job would solely depend upon whether the deal goes through without hiccups; instead, seek one skilled enough to handle both sides.
3. What is your primary focus?
And the third question to ask your real estate agent is their primary focus or, in other words, what’s your primary source of clientele?
So what is a realtor’s primary focus? Think about this question because it could differ from what the average person might believe.
In other words, why are they doing all of these things, and how will they help you buy your house or sell it if you’re trying to move somewhere else. This will give you an excellent idea of what their business is about.
The way you can spot a good realtor from the start is by looking at their clientele. If they have hundreds of clients but no referrals, that might be because all these people are using Zillow to find homes and sell theirs instead- which means nothing else will work either way.
I always say that the best ones are all business because they’ve been doing such a fantastic job, and referrals are their number one source. If you’re looking for someone who has plenty of experience but also gets half of it through other sources, this might be somebody worth checking out.
Conclusion
Use the questions above as a starting point to ask your potential real estate agent. By doing so, you’ll be able to get a better idea of whether or not they have the experience and skill set necessary to help you buy or sell a home.
Remember, it’s essential to feel comfortable with your agent, so don’t hesitate to interview more than one professional before deciding.
Have you asked these questions when interviewing agents? What other questions would you add?
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