How to Choose a Real Estate Agent: 10 Questions to Ask

Last year, people bought around 5.51 million homes and built 612,000 new homes. With approximately 1.47 million realtors, determining who to turn to when buying or selling your home can be daunting.

Whether buying a home or selling your home, you’ll want to choose a realtor who is right for you. Learn more about the ten questions to ask and how to choose a real estate agent here.

1. How Long Have You Been a Licensed Realtor?

You want to find a professional who knows the area and has experience in real estate.
If your agent is new, find out if they will receive guidance from an experienced real estate broker. Brokers have more education than agents. They typically manage other agents.

Real estate is a commission-based business, so if someone has been in the industry for years, they must be doing well. You will not find someone who has been doing it for ten years with awful service. Additionally, experienced agents have seen many situations and are less likely to worry if something were to happen.

2. What Neighborhoods Are Your Specialty?

Ensure your agent is familiar with the area, including schools, local home prices, public transportation options, safety concerns, and other relevant amenities. To get an honest opinion, you don’t want an agent who lives far away and searches online for information.

If someone knows the area well, they can recommend the best neighborhoods. You can’t always find everything you want to learn about safety on the Internet. That’s why you want a professional who knows the area well.

3. What is Your Availability and Schedule?

Some real estate agents work only part-time, so reaching them at certain times may be more challenging. You may want to consider a full-time agent to help you with the sale. What if you run into a last-minute issue at closing?

4. Do You Work with a Team or Independently?

Not everyone is a one-person team in the real estate industry. Working with someone in a group, such as an administrative assistant or other team members, has its benefits. If you need to get a hold of your agent, you may be able to get a hold of someone on their team if your agent is unreachable.

A team also has a broader level of experience, so someone may be able to offer advice or a specific solution that another agency is unsure about. You should be aware of how the team works so you know who to contact and when. If you get passed around without any structure, that’s not a benefit.

5. Do You Specialize in Buying or Selling?

Most agents will help with selling and buying, but some tend to specialize in one area. You will want to know upfront if the agent is more experienced in one place, but you may find an advantage in an agent who does both.

An agent who is well-versed in buying and selling can offer a broader perspective, having seen how both sides of the transaction operate. One agent can make your entire transaction more seamless because they know the whole picture.

6. How Many Homes Did You Close Last Year?

Asking how many people the agent has worked with doesn’t tell you how successful they were. You want to know how many homes are sold. People always work with multiple real estate agents, so you want someone with a high closing ratio.

7. How Will You Help Me Find a Home?

It would be best to be prepared – buying a house takes a lot of time. Searching takes about 30 to 60 days. After that, it’s anywhere from another 30 to 60 days from the contract to the actual closing when the sale is contingent on financing.

That’s just a general idea, because people move at different paces. However, if the agent says it takes about a year, you know something could be wrong.

Be sure to ask the agent for advice for home buyers. You should feel comfortable with this agent because you may spend a significant amount of time with them when searching for a home.

8. Do You Have Vendors You Recommend?

A reputable and experienced agent will develop relationships with other industry professionals.

These professionals include contractors, lenders, title companies, and home inspectors.

You ultimately get to choose your vendor, but you know this agent has experience with these companies. The companies also trust this agent – so it’s a two-way street.

9. How Many Clients Do You Currently Have?

You don’t want an agent who has too many clients at once. You won’t be able to get the personalized service you deserve. Any agent with more than ten clients may be too busy for one-on-one assistance.

You can also ask your agent if there is another team member you will work with when the agent is too busy. Remember, they provide a service, so you should feel you are getting the time and attention you want.

10. How Will You Keep in Contact with Me? Ensure that your preferred method of contact matches theirs. For example, does your agent prefer text messages while you would rather talk on the phone? It’s best if your preferences align to avoid any frustration on either end.

Also, ask your agent how often you can expect to hear from them. Your agent should check in with you at least once a week. If the housing market is hot, you may want to talk to your realtor daily or every other day to avoid missing your dream home.

Be sure you set expectations on how you will be updated and your preferred method before signing up with an agent.

How to Choose a Real Estate Agent: Summary

The questions above will help you interview any agents. Be sure you meet with more than one. Choosing the agent who makes you feel the most comfortable would be best.

Looking for More Information on Buying a Home?

Check out Property Talk for articles about selling homes, like boosting property value. Now you know how to choose a real estate agent, so look for more articles about buying a home, like finding deals on real estate.