Tips For Buyers: Are You asking Your Agent all the right questions?, by Cornelius Jackson.

By Cornelius Jackson

Tips for buyers: Are you asking your agent all the right questions?

Buying a home is a daunting task. And it will take so much from you, subjecting you to serious emotional traumas-at most minor if you are not prepared! But if you are going to make the process less stressful, you should have the right agent beside you. For a first-time homebuyer, your experience with a real estate agent can be terrific, smooth-sailing but it can also be a complete nightmare.

Ideally, a real estate agent is meant to make the home buying process easy. They are intended to handle the nitty-gritty details that involve your home purchase. Research revealed that in 2021, 88 percent of buyers purchased their homes through an agent. As such, a real estate agent, a great one, is critical to make sure your home buying process is a success.

How do you then make sure the real estate agent you are working with is right for you? Here’s a couple of questions you can ask them.

1. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE

INDUSTRY?

An agent’s years in the industry are important, but their overall experience is more important. This is because, with their expertise, they can anticipate problems before they happen. It will be handy for negotiations, and their network of real estate experts in the industry will be useful.

2. HOW MANY HOMES HAVE THEY HELPED

BUYERS BUY?

According to NAR, real estate agents close on average ten homes per year. Your real estate agent should provide you with their stats. If they are below average, that could be trouble.

3. DO YOU REPRESENT BUYERS OR SELLERS?

Most real estate agents specialize in either

finding homes for buyers or selling homes for clients. It is great to find one that focuses on the area you are interested in, but it is an added advantage to find one that deals with both as they can offer great insights on both sides. Asking them what the ratio of buyers to sellers is to get a clear picture of where their expertise lies.

4. ARE YOU A PART-TIME OR FULL-TIME AGENT?

Working with a part-time agent can be very tricky. They, having other things on their plates may be unable to devote their full time and attention to finding you a great home.

5. HOW MANY BUYER CLIENTS DO YOU HAVE

RIGHT NOW?

There isn’t a metric to gauge whether they have too little or too many clients. You will have to ask yourself, what figure is okay for you. However, an agent with many clients may not be able to give you the attention you’d like. They might be working with so many people that reaching them will be difficult and you might get frustrated.

6. HOW LONG DO YOU USUALLY WORK WITH

BUYERS, FROM THE FIRST HOME YOU SEE

TOGETHER TO THE CLOSING?

Though it is impossible to find your dream home immediately, your real estate agent determines the length of the home buying process. There is no hard rule on how long it should take to buy a home as there are many factors that affect the length of the whole process will take.

7. HOW WILL YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ME,

AND HOW OFTEN CAN I EXPECT UPDATES?

Communication between you and your agent can either break or make you. Ask your agent what form of communication they use. If they use email, ask them how often they communicate and whether they can facilitate the printing of some documents. Ask your agent to keep you in the loop in the home buying process—be specific on what you want updates on.

8. DO YOU WORK ALONE OR ARE YOU PART OF

A TEAM?

This question determines whether you will be working with the agent directly or there’s a chance you’ll be herded off to their assistants. If they are part of a team, make it clear what details in the process you are comfortable being handled by assistants and what you are not.

9. DO YOU HAVE A REFERENCE I CAN CALL?

This question may seem excessive but vetting your real estate agent should be a must. Make sure you are working with a professional with proven work experience. If your real estate agent cannot offer you a list of satisfied clients, that is a major red flag.

Another great way to find their work ethic is through online reviews, they tend to paint a clearer picture of whether the agent will be the right fit or not.

10. IS THE AREA I AM INTERESTED IN GROWING

OR DECLINING?

Real estate agents are usually at the forefront of analyzing market trends in areas they work in. They have insights on areas that can turn from a swamp into a bustling residential area in a few years, while others may transform from highly desired neighborhoods into foreclosure cities. Your agent should be familiar with such details as they will ultimately affect your investment.

Finding the right real estate agent may feel like swiping right on a tinder date, where you are not sure if you swiped on the right person or not. But as your window into the world of real estate by buying your home, do your diligence.

Do not settle on the first agent you meet, ask them a few questions. Their years in the business, their reviews, how they communicate, the number of clients they represent, and the ratio of sellers and buyers they’ve worked with will give you an idea of how effective your working relationship will be. As a buyer, a good real estate agent should take your present and future needs into account when

finding you your ideal home. At the Power is Now Media Inc, all real estate agents are well experienced and have been vetted. Click on www.thepowerisnow. com and find a certified real estate agent to make you’re buying a home a reality.

ABOUT CORNELIUS L. JACKSON.

As a highly successful realtor, broker, credit repair expert, and former law enforcement officer, Cornelius Jackson uses his wealth of skills and experience to run his company, CLJ Enterprise Inc. Cornelius has worked in real estate for fifteen years and started his company, CLJ Realty Group, in Orange County, California, just five years ago. He created his business with the original intent to assist asset managers with selling REO properties (property that the lender has repossessed for non-payment of the mortgage loan) – but he shifted his focus. So, in addition to selling these properties, he helps people that may be losing their homes. Cornelius also expanded his focus to assist people with bad credit and help them rebuild to become homeowners.

If you are a homebuyer, looking to buy the property and you need preapproval for your mortgage or if you are looking to refinance your home, contact Eric Lawrence Frazier, MBA, at 800-261-1634 ext. 703. He has decades of experience in the real estate industry and also as a mortgage advisor.

ABOUT THE POWER IS NOW MEDIA

The Power Is Now Media is an online multimedia company founded in 2009 by Eric L. Frazier, MBA, and is headquartered in Riverside, California. We are advocates for homeownership, wealth building, and financial literacy for low to moderate-income and minority communities. The Power Is Now Media corporate office is located at 3739 6th Street Riverside, CA 92501. Ph: 800-401-8994 Website: www. thepowerisnow.com

Eric Lawrence Frazier, MBA. President and Founder, The Power Is Now Media

Works cited

https://home.howstuffworks.com/real-estate/buying-home/5-questions-you-shouldask-your-realtor.htm#pt8 https://www.homelight.com/blog/buyer-questions-to-ask-a-real-estate-agent/ https://houwzer.com/blog/15-essential-questions-to-ask-a-realtor