Interviewing Real Estate Agents

[Stephen Daniels]

Hi everyone! So my wife and I have an appointment with an agent here in Arizona we have never worked with before.

As David always says never assume just because your agent is nice that they are good.

In the spirit of finding a good agent for a new area we are interested in.

In all of your opinions what should be some key things we talk about and questions that we should ask to ensure this agent is one of the few good ones?

[David M.]

@Stephen Daniels

There are the usual questions to see if the agent knows his/her stuff -- explain the buying process for example.  But, more importantly, listen and watch the agent.  First, you kinda need to know what agent you want, i.e. how can the agent help you.  Do you want an agent to "sell" you on the house?  Or, just show it to you and point out features of the house that you might have missed and/or notice things that are wrong with it?  Does the agent actually "investigate" the house with you?  Or, can he or she just open the door and point out how beautiful the drapery is?

You are doing the investing, right?  Are you in tune with the market?  Do you expect your agent to be? --- yes, that is sort of a trick question.

Anyway, I hope this small schibit helps a bit.  I'm not sure what requirements you have for an agent so its a bit tough to understand your expectations.

Good luck.