Buying and selling a home can be a daunting task. There’s so much that needs to be done when selling from adjusting curb appeal, staging, interior & exterior home improvements and getting paperwork in line. Buying a home can be stressful when needing to get pre-approval, saving up for a down payment and most importantly finding the right home to invest in! Not to mention both sides of a real estate transaction should get the help of a real estate professional. We hope these 5 tips for working with real estate agents will help you when looking to find an agent to represent you in the real estate market!
Clarity Around Expectations and Needs
This is a very crucial component of working with your agent. All clients and agents are different, have different communication preferences, different needs and have different expectations for their agents. Being clear and upfront regarding your situation is the best way to ensure your agent will do their best work for you.
Respect Your Agent’s Time
Keep in mind that your real estate agents are people too. Yes, they do work for you but that does not mean you should be calling them late at night or early in the morning. We are still people and have families, friends and other commitments to keep. Of course selling your home or helping you buy one is a top priority as this transaction is their livelihood, they do need to sleep, eat and take time to themselves.
Understand the Commission Structure
It’s important in any agreement to see what both parties stand to gain. Agents generally work on commission which is 3% of the purchase price. Some agents might require an upfront fee or have different payout structures. Commissions are paid out by home sellers. Make sure if you’re selling your home you know how much that is going to cost.
Ask Lots of Questions
It’s alright to ask your agent a lot of questions, that’s what they’re here to help with. Never sign a document if there are parts of it you don’t understand. Ask your agent to explain! This process can be daunting for those who aren’t experienced. I mean who doesn’t love to explain to those who don’t understand more about what they love to do!
Ask for and Be Willing to Sign an Agency Agreement
Agency Agreements are crucial. Agents love when a buyer or seller signs an agency agreement because that means they officially have a client that they’re exclusively working with. Some buyers and sellers are reluctant to sign agreements because they might not be sure if this is the agent they want to work with. Agents want the agreement signed because they don’t want to spend hours and hours working with a client who might end up signing with a different agent. There’s no guarantees of getting paid.
Working with Real Estate Agents
Again, we hope these few tips will help you when working with real estate agents! If you have other tips or lessons learned that you think would be helpful to someone else drop them in the comments!
