How to Choose a Buyer's Agent

The choices you make when buying a home will help you determine your financial future for years to come.

How to choose a buyer’s agent can be tricky, but is is a critical choice in the process. Anyone who has ever bought a home knows the transaction is about way more than just money. Buying a home involves stress, fear, hope, and trust. It also involves a lot of your money. Purchase price, closing costs, and home inspection fees are just a handful of costs a buyer will see.

If you are in the market for a new place to call home, make sure you perform a self evaluation. Then, the next step is choosing the right agent. This will go a long way toward achieving a better home buying experience. Here are some considerations you should make when searching for that right buyer’s agent.

Check a Buyer Agent’s Reviews

A buyer can take recommendations from friends who have had great experience with a specific agent. Recommendations from someone you trust can be great. However, don’t stop there. Sites like Transactly, Google, and Yelp can give buyers a sense of an buyer agent’s track record.

When looking at reviews, pay attention to the most recent reviews, as well as any information that indicates the price range of homes or types of homes the agent has the most experience with.

Check an Agent’s License and Disciplinary Actions

Real Estate is a highly regulated profession and it’s easy to choose a buyer’s agent with a bad record. Each state has a government body that regulates how licensed agents must act and work. A Google search will typically help you find this government body’s website. Once you’ve found their website, you can typically look up a specific agent’s disciplinary record.

If there is no disciplinary record, that’s a good thing!

Consider What Technology the Buyer’s Agent Uses

Technology has a large influence on the home buying experience. For example, emailing and text messaging have become preferred ways of communication. Additionally, FaceTime and Skype give out of town clients a face-to-face experience with their buyer’s agent.

With Transactly, the client receives a better buying experience, and it is only available to top agents. Transactly partner agents are provided with a new piece of technology that brings the entire home buying experience online for the buyer. It provides transparency and can keep the buyer up to date on all things happening with their real estate transaction.

Make Sure the Buyer’s Agent is Available and Responsive

When the housing market is strong, homes new to market tend to sell fast. You don’t want to choose a buyer’s agent who does not respond quickly to schedule showings on homes your interested in, because you can easily lose out to another buyer. When buyers lose out to other buyers, frustration can set in quickly.

A top buyer’s agent makes their client a priority, and is flexible to schedule a showing quickly when your dream home comes on the market.

Make Sure You and the Agent are Compatible

Buyers spend a significant amount of time with their agent. There are showings, inspections, and even just talking on the phone a lot. If you meet with an agent and feel as though you don’t “click”, you might be in for an intense and stressful process.

You must vet the buyer’s agent thoroughly, and then give yourself a gut check to see if you both are compatible with one another. Just because an agent has a few fantastic reviews doesn’t mean you will find joy in their style of dealing with clients.