This week we’re interviewing real estate agents to find the one best suited to help the Hayleys make their first home purchase.
We feel like such grown-ups!! (Or at least I do, anyway!)
We’re waited for a long time to purchase a home, which allowed us a more simple overseas move and has given us plenty of time to save for a wise purchase. Who knew that the housing market and the current interest rates would be at a perfect place for our first purchase?!? It truly is a great time to buy a house – especially when you are prepared financially to buy a house.
Speaking of prepared, I like to have my “ducks in a row” before I get too far into a process that is new to me. We’re eager to start house hunting, but we really want to have a good agent that we can trust to do the best job for us. We’re conducting three interviews, based on referrals from a source we trust.
But there was still a nagging question in the back of my mind: What on earth are you supposed to ask a prospective real estate agent when you interview them?
I did a bit of research and developed the following list of questions based on the advice of folks I trust and the National Association of Realtors:
- How long have you been licensed as an agent?
- Will you work with us personally or will we work with an assistant or associate?
- How many homes did you sell last year and for what average price?
- What is your typical list-price-to-sales-price ratio?
- How many homes have you sold in our target neighborhoods?
- How many buyers and sellers are you currently working with?
- What are your fee and commission structures?
- What guarantees do you offer?
- Will you be representing us, the seller, or both?
- Can we review documents that we will be asked to sign beforehand?
- How can you help us find other professionals?
- How can you help us buy the home we want?
- How do you plan to meet our needs?
- How many homes will we likely see before finding a home we want to buy?
- How do you handle multiple offers?
- Do you present offers independently?
- Why are you better than your competition?
- Is there anything we haven’t asked you that we should know?