Buying a home is one of the most important things you will ever do in your life. These are the Questions you should ask each agent prior to making your agent selection. Your success will be determined by your broker and agent selection. Compare apples to apples by asking the same questions of each agent interviewed. Either you control the interview or the agent will.
- How long have you been in business? Are you full time?
- How many Buyers have you successfully served in the past 12 months?
- Do you offer advice about financing options?
- Can you recommend good home inspectors?
- Will you help us during contract negotiations?
- Do you offer exclusive or non-exclusive buyer agency? (Exclusive representation is the highest form of representation offered in Illinois, highly recommended.)
- Do you offer dual agency? Very important to understand for you to protect your interests.
- Can you show us all the homes on the market that meet our needs, even for sale by owners and builders? Who pays your commission if we buy a FSBO?
- Do you have a team of specialists to serve us? A team can provide you with more efficient and effective services than a single agent performing all tasks.
- Can you advise us whether a home is priced fairly and of the resale potential? (If you buy an overpriced home today, someday you will have to sell an overpriced home.)
- Do you offer an escape clause in your buyer representation contract? (Highly recommended or you will probably be stuck for the term of the buyer representation contract with someone you’re not pleased with.)
- Will you bring a Market Activity Report from the MLS on both you and your company for the past 12 months to the interview? (Trust but verify agents claims.)
Fritz’s advice: follow your intuition, it is one your best guides. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Select an agent you are comfortable with, you’ll be trusting them to advise you on the most important purchase of your life.
