How to Interview a Realtor When Buying a Home

Hiring a quality buyer’s agent is an essential step when purchasing a home. This person will provide expertise in the world of real estate and serve as your advocate, guide, and negotiator. Buying a home is one of the largest financial transactions of your life, and you need to feel confident in the person navigating you through the process. 

Recent changes to real estate commission structures make selecting the right agent even more important today. Your agent should treat you fairly and look out for your best interests. 

This guide will cover how to interview a Realtor when buying a home and how to choose the best one. Here’s everything you need to know to find a professional real estate partner.

What is a Buyer’s Agent?

A buyer’s agent is a professional who represents a purchaser’s interests during the real estate transaction. When you want to buy a home, you will hire a buyer’s agent. You might call the person you hire your Realtor or real estate agent, but for clarity, buyer’s agent is their official title. Similarly, the agent the seller hires is called the seller’s agent or listing agent. 

Your agent has a legal obligation to protect your financial interests throughout the purchase process. They will provide market expertise that isn’t readily available, look for listings that would be a good fit for your needs, and identify property issues that you might have missed in potential homes. They should be available to answer any questions you have, review contract documents, and help you understand every step from the first showing to the closing appointment. 

You need to thoroughly trust that your Realtor is advocating for you and acting in your best interests. This way, you can feel confident when taking their advice. 

What is Dual Agency?

Sometimes, a real estate agent can represent both the buyer and the seller. For example, if a buyer without an agent attends an open house, they might decide to work with the Realtor managing the listing. The real estate agent needs to act in the best interests of both parties – the buyer and the seller – to strike a fair deal. 

Dual agency can create conflicts of interest because it is hard for people to be objective. Real estate agents are human, too. Dual agency is illegal in eight states because it is hard to be ethically unbiased. Dual agency is illegal in Alaska, Florida, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Texas, Vermont, and Wyoming.

When to Begin Your Agent Search When Buying a Home?

The hiring process for a real estate agent when buying a home should happen after you have set a budget and are ready to make offers. Many experienced real estate professionals will not show homes unless their buyers already have pre-approval from a trusted mortgage lender.

This way, they can submit offers with confidence that the financing will go through. Here is where hiring a Realtor falls in your buying timeline. 

• Identify how much you can afford or want to spend on your house. This usually means seeking pre-approval from mortgage lenders to see what size loan they are willing to give you. 
• Choose your ideal neighborhoods to search. This could mean driving around your ideal communities or attending open houses to see which homes fall in your price range.
• Set your priorities. Know what home elements are non-negotiable. (For example: the school district, the number of bathrooms, garage space, etc.)  
• Interview real estate agents. Talk to multiple Realtors about where you want to buy and what your budget is.  
• Hire the best agent and start touring homes. Once you have an experienced real estate agent on your team, you can move forward with the showing process. 

Most people spend a week or two interviewing real estate agents before hiring the best one. Many agents will find time to meet with you because they want to win your business. You can meet with a few agents over a few days and hire the best one based on your discussions.

How to Find Potential Agents to Interview

You can decide how many agents you want to interview before moving forward with the purchase process. Buyers should interview at least three agents, but some people prefer to talk to more. Interviews can last between half an hour to more than an hour, depending on the Realtor, the questions you have, and the discussions you have. 

FastExpert is one of the best places to find real estate professionals in your area. You can review the profile of a potential real estate agent to see if they have experience bidding in your target neighborhood or working within your price range. 

You can also seek personal recommendations from friends and family who recently bought homes. They might have a Realtor whom they enjoyed working with and can connect you with. Additionally, ask your mortgage lender for agent referrals. If your lender and agent already work well together, they can help you close on your home in a timely manner.  

If you are searching for real estate agents online, know what to look for. Here are a few good signs that a real estate agent is trustworthy and someone you might want to interview: 

• The agent has a strong online presence and social media profiles. 
• They have positive ratings and reviews from objective websites (like Google and Yelp). 
• They display their real estate license number and other credentials, like membership with the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

You also may decide to work with an ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative) who works specifically with buyers to tour homes and make offers. This will avoid dual agency conflicts and ensure your Realtor is qualified to negotiate on behalf of buyers.

Essential Questions To Ask About Experience and Expertise

Every real estate agent interview is unique, but there are a few baseline questions you can ask to learn about a Realtor’s experience, goals, and buyer strategy. Here are a few ways to start the conversation.  

• How many clients do you work with right now? 
• Are you a full-time or part-time agent? 
• How long have you been working in your specific market?
• How many transactions have you completed? 
• Do you work independently or as part of a team?
• What is your availability for showings, including evenings and weekends? 

You can also discuss specific neighborhoods that you’re interested in to see how well they know the local market. Some potential buyers also discuss current market conditions and what it means for the purchase process. An agent’s response to these questions says a lot about their experience, knowledge, and personality. Look for people who speak honestly about uncertainty and respect that the economy makes some buyers nervous. 

Evaluating Communication and Compatibility

The next set of questions will help you understand the communication preferences and expectations of both you and your Realtor. Start by discussing their preferred methods of communication. Some Realtors prefer phone calls, while others will communicate via text and email. You can also ask about expected response times to questions and concerns. Some agents turn off their phones at certain times, which means you might not get a response when you want one. 

This is also a good time to ask about previous clients that the agents have helped with the home buying process. You can get an idea of how agents work with people based on their reputation with other clients. Your Realtor should be able to provide client references that you can contact for objective insights into their workflow.  

Additionally, not all communication is verbal. During the interview, look at the body language and facial expressions of your candidates. This can tell you a lot about the agent’s energy and whether you will work well together. By the time your conversation is over, you should feel excited about working with them to make a home purchase.

Questions About the Home Search Process

The next step is to move into questions about the home search and bidding processes. Here are a few things you can ask to start an open conversation about what buyers should expect when touring and bidding on properties. 

• How do you identify and filter potential properties?
• What is your process for showing homes and coordinating visits?
• What do you do when inventory is limited in certain areas?
• How many times do you recommend visiting a home before making an offer?
• How do you identify potential issues during showings?
• What do you normally ask listing agents about properties?
• How do you access off-market or pre-market properties?
• What is your network of connections with other agents like? 
• How do you make bids stand out in competitive markets?

If your area is currently in a seller’s market, you will need to make competitive bids. Make sure you feel confident in your Realtor’s ability to find homes and share them with you. Otherwise, other agents might get their clients in to see and bid on listings first.

Understanding the Agent’s Negotiation Skills

A good real estate agent isn’t just experienced in finding homes, they also know how to fight for them. They can make sure the offers of their clients are noticed and continue the negotiation process until everyone sits down at the closing table. Here are some questions you can ask to see how competitive your agents are. 

• How much earnest money should I put down when I am serious about a house? 
• How do you make a bid stand out without going above a home’s purchase price?
• What happens if there is a bidding war, where multiple offers are submitted?
• How have you helped other home buyers make competitive offers in the past? 

Some real estate agents will provide data on their success in negotiating below the asking price on properties. Others might have anecdotes about creative solutions they have had in the past.

Almost any Realtor, even a new agent, should be able to discuss how they balance getting a good deal with closing successfully. It is important to be both aggressive and accommodating when working with sellers to make sure the deal closes. 

Contract and Compensation Questions

It’s important to understand what kind of contract your agent would like you to sign before working with them. They should ask you to review a buyer representation agreement and go over each section and what it means. Never work with a real estate agent who expects you to sign something without reading it. They are not looking out for your best interests. 

Within the agreement, look at options if you’re not satisfied with their service. Your Realtor should not try to lock you into an agreement where you have to work with them. Both parties should be able to walk away if the partnership is not a good fit. 

You will also want to review the agent’s commission and fee structures. In most cases, the seller pays the commission for both the listing and buying agent. However, there may be clauses where the buyer has to pay. Know how much commission your Realtor expects for working with you. (Commission is also negotiable. You can try to propose a different pay option, and your agent may accept the terms or walk away from representing you.) 

The Home Buying Process and Support

This is also a great opportunity to learn about the home-buying process and the support you can expect from your real estate agent. Here are a few additional questions you might want to include in your discussions. 

• Can you provide mortgage lender recommendations? 
• How do you determine whether a property is fairly priced?
• How do you research a property beyond reviewing the MLS posting? 
• Will you be at the inspection and help me understand the inspection report? 
• How do you handle repair negotiations? 
• How do you handle contingencies, or recommend offering them? 
• What are your final walkthrough best practices? 
• Do you offer any post-closing assistance if I have problems with the home?

Your agent might answer these questions naturally as you go through other discussion points. An experienced Realtor will want to assure you that they will be there for every part of the buying process and can make you feel confident in your decisions.

Red Flags to Watch for During Interviews

You can decide whether you ask some or all of these questions during the interview process. The main goal is for your potential real estate agents to showcase their experience and build trust with you through their answers. You can also use the discussion to look for warning signs that a real estate agent isn’t as trustworthy or skilled as they want you to think. Here are a few things to look out for. 

• They provide vague answers. You feel their responses are incomplete, incorrect, or avoid the question. 
• They don’t give you their full attention. A quality agent should set aside their phone and focus on you. 
• Their strategy is to push you to work with them. You should never feel forced to hire a Realtor.
• They want you to waive inspections or important contingencies. This shows they are not acting in your best interest. 
• The agent has limited availability or scheduling difficulties. This could be frustrating when you want to tour homes or schedule inspections. 
• They have too many clients. This could cause them to make mistakes or neglect you as a client. 
• They refuse to provide references. It’s a bad sign when past clients will not vouch for an agent. 

You should feel like your agent is listening to your needs and responding honestly to your requests. They should not push you toward homes that are out of your budget or poor fits, just so they can land a commission.

Making Your Final Decision

You have the final say in the right real estate agent, whether you connect with a Realtor on a personal level or find someone who has enough experience to help you find a home. Once you contact the agent and let them know they have the job, you both can start house hunting and making waves in a competitive market. 

Clearly communicate your homebuying criteria and timeline, along with your budget. This way, your Realtor only shows you homes that would work for your needs. You can also provide feedback to your Realtor if they are not communicating or sharing relevant homes. 

You may need to sign a representation agreement to work exclusively with that Realtor. This confirms that they will receive commission if they help you purchase a home. Even if you sign this document, you can still change real estate agents if you need to. Most Realtors don’t want to work with clients who aren’t happy with them. 

Find Trusted Real Estate Agents at FastExpert

The perfect agent combines market expertise, negotiation skills, responsiveness, and a genuine commitment to representing your interests. The agent’s personality should also match well with yours. Trust your instincts along with the information gathered during your interviews. You need to know that in a competitive market, your Realtor will help you find a home you love. 

Visit FastExpert when you are ready to buy a house. You can find several agents in your local market who are ready to work with you. This is a good place for exploring your options before you start the interview process. Let us pair you with Realtors who have hundreds of satisfied clients. Try FastExpert today!