What a Great Buyers Agent Looks Like

A good buyer's agent must listen to their client! A good start is to interview them and ask about their wish list, how much furniture they have, etc. Ask them what their long term goal is for the property they want to buy. Before going on a tour make sure that they are qualified buyers! Everyone needs to be qualified so that no one wastes each other’s time. This is important because it allows both the client and the agent to focus on a particular range of homes.

A buyers' agent in essence should go beyond the scope of what is available on the MLS, for all Realtors to see. The main advantage a buyer agent can offer is finding properties that are not in the open market place, and bringing them to the buyer. To do this an Internet tech savvy, and an investigative skill, are highly beneficial.

A buyer agent also would need to be set up with the national Do-Not-Call directory query system, so they can reach out to owners, who showed some interest in selling their property previously. Not every Realtor is set up that way by far, so that is another question to ask when you are interviewing buyer agents.

Knowledge of the market and of the buying process, knowing what to avoid, which vendors to use and how to handle then, what to look out for, negotiating skills and experience.

A great agent also has a great reputation among their peers and other agents in the community. This will favor you the client when it comes time to negotiating offers.

Another key quality, is an agent that can educate you about the process and can anticipate your needs and concerns. They will explain to you the process of buying a home, shopping for a mortgage, negotiating a contract and will stay with you every step of the way, not leaving you to your vices once you make an offer.

Lastly a great agent is one you feel you have connected with, whose opinion you value and someone you can trust.