QUESTIONS TO ASK
How
long have you been in residential real estate? Is it your full-time job?
Like most professions, experience is no guarantee of skill. But much of real
estate is learned on the job.
Do
you have any designations or certifications?
Real estate professionals have to take additional specialized training in order
to obtain these distinctions. Designations and certifications help define the
special skills that an agent can apply to your particular real estate needs.
One designation buyers should look for is the ABR®, or Accredited Buyer’s
Representative.
What’s
your business philosophy?
While there’s no right answer to this question, the response will help you
assess what’s important to the agent and determine how closely the agent’s
goals and business emphasis mesh with your own.
How
many buyers did you and your real estate brokerage represent last year?
This will tell you how much experience they have and how up-to-date they are on
the local market.
What’s
the average variation between your initial offers and final sales price?
This is one indication of a REALTOR®’s pricing and
negotiating skills.
Will
you represent me exclusively, or might you choose to represent the seller as
well?
While it’s usually legal to represent both parties in a transaction, your
REALTOR® should be able to explain his or her philosophy on client obligations
and agency relationships.
Can
you recommend service providers who can help me obtain a mortgage, make home
repairs, and so on?
Practitioners should be able to recommend more than one provider and let you
know if they have any special relationship with any of the providers.
How
will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction?
The best answer here is a question. A real estate agent who pays close
attention to the way you prefer to communicate and responds accordingly will
make for the smoothest transaction.
Could
you please give me the contact information of your three most recent clients?
Ask their former customers if they would use the
agent again in the future.