What to expect from my buyer's agent? (real estate, credit) - Boston - Massachusetts (MA) - City-Data Forum

needahomeinMA · 03-04-2009, 07:34 AM

Hello everyone -- I hope someone can help me out here.

We are looking to buy a house. I had my first meeting with a very experienced Realtor here in Massachusetts, but I still have a lingering concern. He is VERY knowledgeable about negotiations and real estate in general (BIG PLUS), but he doesn’t really have much knowledge of specific neighborhoods or areas. He has been in the business for 30 years, and he says that any questions about schools, etc, he would just research online (which is something we could just do ourselves). Also, he will be coming to see houses with us, but he will not initiate or recommend any viewings. It’s 100% up to us to find the listings (his agency has a very user-friendly site with a lot of listings and info), and up to us to find the open houses and go see them before he becomes involved. In this first meeting we didn’t even discuss our needs/wants, we just talked about timelines and paperwork. Is this usual? Are we wrong in expecting our realtor to take more of an active role in showing us listings we may be interested in?

Thank you!

clevedark · 03-04-2009, 08:05 AM

It sounds bizarre to me that you didn't discuss your needs/wants in the first meeting and concentrated on only timelines and paperwork.

But you don't give enough information about your situation and search for me to comment on whether he's the right realtor for you or not.

Valerie C · 03-04-2009, 05:32 PM

You are not wrong in expecting your Realtor to take a more active role in your home search, IF that is what you require. If you prefer an agent who is very 'hands on' (conducting daily searches, is knowledgeable on various cities/towns/neighborhoods, and can convey good and bad features of each, then that is who you should hire.

As an Accredited Buyer's Representative, I find it odd that your wants and needs weren't discussed. No, not your 'house & property wants and needs' list, but your expectations of each other as you move through this process. Non-communication of mutual expectations is surely a road to frustration and lack of trust. It also plays a part in the poor reputation of some real estate agents.

Our license is granted by the state, and so we as licensees are allowed to practice anywhere within those boundaries. However, many agents chose to work within the the areas that we know best, so that we can best represent our clients best interests.

I would recommend that you bring your concerns to this agent, so that you can have a chance of beginning your relationship on the right foot. If you find that your styles don't mesh, you may want to interview other agents. A home purchase is a big deal, and you deserve to work with somebody who is willing to devote their time and skills to your goals.

JeffPersons · 01-31-2010, 08:13 AM

I think you are expecting too much from your Buyers Agent. When you come to town make a list of MLS numbers of properties you like and then give it to your Buyers Agent. This means more work for you but its unreasonable to expect your Buyers Agent to make suggestions after going through your search results. Keep in mind that you are not even paying him to do all this work. All you have to do is give him a clue as to what you are looking for. He can't go through the listings without living with you and yours for 6 months to learn all the preferences you might have.
He is not there to wait on you or SELL you anything! Its your responsibility to go through the listings and tell him if something looks good to you. Not tough duty with the internet bringing all the information with photos to your computer.
I want you to see that if this Buyers Agent does too much hand holding and treats you like you are buying a new washer at Sears, he may fit your pre-conceptions of what a "salesman" should be doing but he is probably wasting his time on you if you don't work on the project yourself. And a good Buyers Agent is not a "salesman", he is an advocate.
Keep in mind also that even when you send him this list of MLS numbers you are asking him to work for two whole days without any guarantee he will get paid. He needs 1 day to set up the showings which takes a million phone calls and much scheduling and then there is the day or two showing you the properties again with his time and gas. At that point you can walk away saying we've changed our mind and the Buyers Agent is out 2 or 3 days of hard work for nothing.
So no your Buyers Agent shouldn't sit there and go over all your preferences. Thats your job, and even if you do your job he is still the one taking all the risk. From his perspective you look like a waste of time coming to the party not willing to do any work.

Beachcomber4 · 01-31-2010, 08:28 AM

I had a FANTASTIC buyers agent when I purchased our home 18 months ago. I met him about 18 months prior to that at an open house. We kept in touch and when the time came for us to actively look, he was phenomenal. We started with giving him our list of "wants" and "needs". He gave us information on schools and when we asked about the cancer issues that had been in the news about the town we moved to, he gave us a map that showed the concentration of cancer which clearly marked any "hot spots". He also showed us neighborhoods where many real estate agents had invested and gave us a breakdown of what neighborhoods historically had seen a rise in value and what local real estate agents had estimated to be areas that would see a faster recovery when the market improved. (We bought in one of those areas and home prices have rebounded in our neighborhood nicely).

When we sold our house, he was very helpful even though he was getting NOTHING out of it. We had friends who were buying at the same time we were in a different part of the state and they could not believe how much our agent did for us vs. what theirs did for them. Funny thing, we never signed off on our commitment to him as our agent until we put our offer in on the house we bought. Prior to that we did everything on our word and a handshake.

By the time we closed on our house, we could now call our real estate agent our friend. I don't know if this is commonplace but we were thrilled to have found someone who helped us buy a home, and not someone who was looking to sell us a house.

Good luck.

susanewood · 02-11-2010, 06:06 AM

Finding the right house is very subjective. I remember when looking I had a set of wants/needs, and the house we finally ended up with would not have made it through the realtor if I depended on them to search for me. In fact, when I called about the house she said, but it doesn't fit your requirements. So a buyers agent is important, but you never know when you will fall in love with something that doesn't fit your list. If they have a great search engine site, even better, then you should be able to ask the agent for more info. on particular properties. I only work in a certain area, even though I am licensed in the entire state. That is my own preference.