How to find a Realtor that will Work for You


When the decision is made to purchase a home, the buyer sometimes can become emotionally charged with energy. Many first time buyers think if they work through a realtor, it automatically means the realtor is working toward their best interest; when in fact, many realtors are seeing a potential buyer as an easy sale and will turn certain facts around just to get them to buy. When the saying states, “Buyer beware,” it speaks the truth.

Not every realtor sees new home buyers as inexperienced and an easy sale but what characteristics and circumstances can give hints that a realtor only has their own interest and profit in mind, and not yours? Realtors are salespeople; no matter of your past experiences being good or bad they make their income and living by selling homes and taking a percentage of the sale.

The first thing to do before even calling a realtor is make a list of everything you are looking for in a new home from the area you want to live, the type of property, if there is public transportation within walking distance, to the price. Once the list is made, next decide which factors you are willing to give up or negotiate. After these decisions are made by the individual buyer, then call a realtor and tell them exactly what you are looking for in a home and refer to your list.

The list is set and the top priorities are the area which you want to live, public transportation within walking distance from your new home, and the highest amount of price. Secondary, you decided that you are willing to look at town homes and not just single family homes. When you meet with the realtor, all these factors have been given to them and when they find properties, you agree to go around with them.

A week goes by and you receive an email from the realtor saying they found properties with all your preferences and could you meet with them tomorrow. You respond yes and the appointment is set. Usually buyers will meet the realtor at their office and the realtor will drive to the properties they are showing. Instead of having copies or a whole packet of all the MLS listings, she hands them to you one at a time as you are approaching the home. The first home is not in the area you want to live but you decide to go in anyway since the realtor did make the effort to bring you. As soon as you walk in, you know instantly this is not the place for you. When you ask her about the public transportation she doesn’t even know the answer! At this point, when you get back into her car, ask for all the MLS listings she plans on showing you that day and see if any are in the area you told her and ask about the other factors important to you.

Unfortunately you find out that this realtor did not take your requests seriously and in conversation, you found out that the homes she showed are homes she is the listing agent for. When a realtor is the listing agent and the buyer’s agent, the realtor gets the full commission and doesn’t have to split it with any other realtor. For example, a home is listed at $400,000 by Realtor A. Realtor A finds the buyer for this home and gets the full 6% commission. The realtor makes $24,000 off this sale. Now if Realtor A doesn’t find a buyer and Realtor B finds a buyer, then the two realtors decide on how the commission will be spilt. Either they spilt it 50/50 or give 2% to the buyer’s Realtor B and takes 4% for herself, Realtor A.

Remember, not all realtors will take advantage of potential buyers but realize that not every one has your best interest in mind. Decide yourself first about the important factors when buying a home before meeting any realtor. All realtors will ask what factors are you looking for in a new home but how they execute finding them is what makes the helpful, honest realtors stand out over the dishonest ones.

Choosing a Realtor when Buying your Next Home

When it’s time to buy or sell a home, you need to shop as carefully for a realtor as you do for your new home. Choosing a realtor should be something you undertake only once you have done some research. After all, this person is going to help you make one of the most costly decisions of your life, so take some time to make the best decision you can.

How to Choose a Realtor

1. Talk to family and friends. Get the names of realtors who are known and trusted.

2. Check local listings to learn which realtors represent properties like the one you wish to sell or buy. Some realtors specialize in condos. Some specialize in high end properties or helping first time buyers.

3. Learn if you are dealing with a buyer’s realtor. Some realtors will say they represent both the seller and the buyer but this simply is not true. A realtor cannot fairly or equally represent both parties. You need a realtor who has only your interests at heart.

4. Make appointments with three realtors. Let them know your goals in terms of budget and timeframe. Explain what kind of dream house you are hoping to find.

Ask for some suggestions on properties currently available. These appointments will help you to learn more about the personality of each realtor as well as how comfortable you are with their suggestions. Do they listen carefully and respond appropriately to your stated price range or do they attempt to sell you something bigger or more expensive?

5. Never ever pay an agent for services. The fees are not to come out of your pocket but out of the commission of the sale of the home.

If you find a great realtor who helps you to find a great home then you might want to send a “thank you” note and maybe a small appreciation gift. Though, the best “thank you” to a realtor is when you offer the names of family and friends who are looking to soon buy their next home!

Categories Buying a Home, Real Estate

31 thoughts on “How to find a Realtor that will Work for You”

  1. These are great insights for choosing a good realtor. It is always best to hire a realtor referred by a friend or relative.

  2. These are great tips for choosing a realtor. I definitely agree that it’s important to ask family and friends for references. You want to find an agent that you can trust, and it’s comforting to know that family or friends have already had good experiences with a realtor. I also loved your tip about being upfront with the agent about your budget. Setting clear guidelines from the beginning can help the process of selling a house go smoothly.

  3. I thought it was interesting that you should make a list of what you want, then find a realtor. I’m sure this helps you find the realtor for you, and helps them out too. I’m a big fan of hitting the internet and checking out reviews when looking for any kind of service. I think asking friends and family is the best way to go though. They aren’t going to let you down.

  4. I like your advice on checking local listings to help find which realtors are representing properties in your area. I would imagine that getting a list of local realtors would be helpful in choosing which to use. My husband and I want to sell our home so when we find a real estate agent to help us we’ll have to be sure to find one that is local.

  5. I really like your point on making appointments with three different realtors. It is a great way to make sure that you can work with their personality, like you said. Plus, it will help you get a better idea of what a realtor can offer you. Sometimes it is hard to know all the services when you just talk to one person. That’s why three appointments is such a better idea!

  6. You advised making a list of all the things you want in your new home. My husband and I are planning on moving soon, and will be hiring a real estate agent. I’ll have to sit down with my husband and start drafting up a list of everything we want in a home. Thanks for the great tips.

  7. I like what you said about how a realtor cannot fairly or equally represent both the seller and the buyer and that you have to find a realtor who has only your interests at heart. I’ve heard that some realtor’s will offer discounted rates to their clients if they’re able to refer the agent to a friend or family member. That’s pretty neat! We’re going to be buying a house soon, and we’ll definitely keep these tips in mind so that we choose the best type of agent for us!

  8. In your article, you stated that realtors are salespeople; no matter of your past experiences being good or bad they make their income and living by selling homes and taking a percentage of the sale. My cousin has been trying to sell his house but has been having a lot of trouble closing the deal. I wonder if most realtors have a network that helps them find potential buyers.

  9. It’s smart to make a list, like you said, of things that you are looking for in a new home. I think this is a very good idea because it will help you remember everything and help you find what you are looking for. I’ve been seeking to buy a new home, but I’m not sure if I will find what I want.

  10. Thanks for the tips for finding a realtor. My wife and I really want to buy our first home this year, but we are unfamiliar with the process and feel pretty lost. I like that you mentioned to make sure you find a realtor who takes your requests seriously and only shows you homes that meet your needs. We will be sure to find a realtor like that.

  11. I agree that it would be a good idea to make sure that you know what you want in a house before you decide to buy one. Once you know the kind of house you want, you should think about neighborhoods that you would want to move into. Then you should find a realtor based on the neighborhood that you want to move into. If you choose someone who lives in or near that same neighborhood they will be able to help you learn more about the area.

  12. It makes sense that you wold want to meet with a few different realtors before you choose one. It would seem that you would want to find someone who is the best of the best and meeting with a few different real estate agents helps you do this. I’m looking to buy some land so I’ll have to find a few realtors before I choose one.

  13. Thanks for your comment on how you should meet with a few realtors before you hire someone. It would make sense that you would want to find a few different real estate agents before you hire one. I’m looking for a realtor to help me buy a home so I’ll have to find a few realtors first.

  14. I agree that friends and family can be a great source of referrals when looking for a good real estate agent to work with. It is important to remember that consulting with those how have had similar experiences can help you get the best suggestions. The way I see it, It is always good to consult with several companies and find the one that has the best tools to help you sell or buy property.

  15. When we bought this house, we hired a realtor that’s referred by my sister and she’s really effective; she helped us through all the process and took charge of all the paperwork. Get a reliable realtor that you can trust, start by asking from your friends and family just like what you said. A realtor should know the market and must have a lot of connections in order for you to have a wide range of choices.

  16. My husband and I would love to buy a home, but we know we really need some help since it will be our first time. We don’t know how to find a good realtor though. That is a good idea to make appointments with three realtors! That would be a great way to see if we like the realtor’s personality and their practice. Thank you for the suggestions!

  17. I’ve been looking for a good real estate agent, and I think that being able to get some help in getting a new home would be good. I’m glad that you talked about being able to talk to family and friends, and I think that would be a good place to start. I’m going to have to see if we can find a good real estate agent and hopefully get us a great home!

  18. I can’t agree more with what you said that it’s important to have a thorough research when choosing a Real estate agent since they will be the ones guiding you in purchasing or selling your home which can be very costly if done wrong. I’ll be sure to do your guideline on how to get the best Realtor for my needs. We’ll be moving pretty soon in 2018, thus I am preparing for it. Hopefully, my fiance will appreciate me hiring an agent to aid us. Thanks!

  19. I think it’s important to have an experienced real estate agent on your side for all your real estate needs. If I were to buy a house for my family, I wouldn’t think twice of calling a real estate agent to assist with the whole process so I can make sure that I’m getting the best deal for my budget. I reckon that it’s not just because someone you know recommended an agent should be the reason that you hire them, it would be best to perform an interview and/or a background check first — to really assess if they are cut for the job that you require. But actually talking to their previous clients is an absolutely brilliant idea since they are the ones who actually know how the agent performs and could tell you if they would recommend hiring them.

  20. I like what you said about making a list of all of the things you’re looking for in a new home before getting a real estate agent. My husband and I have been looking for a house in a good neighborhood online for six months now, and we haven’t found anything. Maybe if we make a list, an agent could find a house that meets our requirements faster than we could.

  21. It’s great to know how to find a real estate agent. We want to buy a home, and I don’t dare do it without a buyer’s agent. We’ll be sure to talk to some of our friends who’ve recently bought homes to get some recommendations.

  22. I liked that you had mentioned that it can be important to find a real estate agent that communicates effectively so that you can avoid running into any problems further down the line. My wife and I have been wanting to move out of our home and we’re thinking that a real estate agent might help make the transition a lot easier. We’ll have to start doing some research into an agent in our area that will be able to communicate with us as needed.

  23. My favorite suggestion you gave was the one about how you should interview at least a couple of realtors to ensure that you are hiring the one that is best suited for your needs. I didn’t realize that interviews were something you could do, but I can definitely see how speaking with an agent face to face would help identify the best one. I’d like to sell my home in the next couple of months, and this will definitely be a step I’ll incorporate into my decision of who to hire to help sell my home.

  24. My husband and I are looking for a full-service real estate agent we can use to help get our home off our hands. So I appreciate your tip to find a realtor that is a seller’s realtor so we can be sure they have the proper experience. We will definitely have to find a full-service real estate agent that is known for helping sellers so that we can be sure they have the proper experience.

  25. What got my attention the most was how you said that a realtor can sometimes serve both the buyer and the seller, so it’s best to find a realtor who will guarantee to have only my interest at heart. I will be sure to do it because I want to be able to buy the best house at a reasonable price. Only an experienced real estate agent who prioritizes my needs will be able to help me make my dreams come true. Thank you for sharing. I’ll follow your tips.

  26. I agree with you that a real estate agent will be the one to help me in making one of the most expensive decisions that I will ever make, so it only makes sense that I am careful in choosing the right one. I’m not actually aiming to buy a house, I need a real estate agent to help me sell my home. Being a first time home seller means that I don’t know how the selling process works. I need someone reliable to guide me through it, and your tips will help me find someone that fits that description. Thanks!

  27. Thank you so much for the tip on not paying my realtor out of my own pocket, but rather on the commission from the house. My wife and I are planning on moving out of our house soon, and we are very confused on how to start this process! I will be sure to show this article to my wife, and let her know we have one less thing to stress about in our house buying process thanks to your tip!

  28. Thanks for the tips for finding a good realtor. We really want to find someone to help us buy a home because I don’t trust myself to do it all. I’ll take your advice and start asking around for recommendations on who to hire!

  29. Thanks for the tip regarding finding a realtor that specializes on the type of property that I’m looking for. I’m thinking about living in a condo soon in order to live somewhere a bit more luxurious but still quite easy to maintain as someone living alone. My only concern is that I hope I could find a unit that’s still relatively close to my job.

  30. I find it helpful to know that there are realtors that can help a buy and those that can help a seller. I will keep that in mind when looking for the right one for me to work with. I’d like to make sure that I can find one soon because I really want to be able to move out of my apartment soon so that I will have a lot more space to work with for interior design.

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