Should I sign an exclusive agreement with this buyer agent? (Dallas: real estate, renting)

[gatorInCA]

Hello,

We have moved to Austin. Now, we are renting, and started the process to buy a house. We are pretty sure where/which neighborhoods we like most after many homeworks and driving-by. Here is the story.

A realtor got my contact info from an Austin real estate website, and she has called me a couple of times before our moving. Now, she wanted us to sign an exclusive buyer rep agreement with her for at least 6 months after we met in person. I feel a bit unsure and stressed. She seems nice, confident, yet somewhat pushy. I asked a few questions, and two questions she refused to answer:
1. How many transactions did she close in 2010/2009, just estimate.
Is this a question I should NOT ask in an interview with a buyer agent? But I remember Redfin shows such statistics of their agents. So I guess it may not be a big deal?

2. How many has she ever closed in my wanted area.
I asked this question because she suggested the other areas at the beginning and ignored our wanted area. It seems she is not very familiar with our target neighborhoods.


I come here to ask for your input:
1. Is it a default tradition that most Austin buyer agents would only work on
exclusive buyer rep agreement?

2. She said Austin is not a huge city, so realtors work through all the Austin metro and is not necessary to focus on a few specific areas. How valid is this statement?

3. Is it improper to inquiry a realtor's closing performance?

I am fine with 0% commission rebate as long as the buyer agent can do a great job. But this realtor seems pretty pissed off and rejected strongly when I asked.

Can you recommend any other good realtors through DM?

Thank you very much.

[G Grasshopper]

There are realtors on this site that can give you answers about some of your specifics, but I don't think you should work with someone who doesn't answer questions, who gets "pissed off" when you ask, and who generally seems pushy. There are lots of agents out there. Get a recommendation from someone who had a good experience, interview a few, and find someone that you feel relaxed and confident with.

[FalconheadWest]

True, Austin is a small city compared to others. I came from Dallas, and that's 5 times the size of Austin. Most people DO narrow down where they want to focus, unfortunately, the narrowing down is typically based on price range. There are certain places you can't live because you can't/won't spend that much. Many buyers like areas that they can't afford, and it's our job to help focus the buyers on areas they can afford.

Asking an agent their stats can be offensive if they have something to hide. I'm rebuilding my business and definitely closed a heck of a lot more in Dallas than I have in Austin, so I get a little embarrassed when I can't say I closed 25+ last year like I'm used to doing.

By the way, Redfin is here in Austin, as referral agents, and I'm on their site. Yes, we have to post our stats and it looks great when I see next to my name almost 200 closed transactions when others can't prove their stats, as they're just splurting out numbers.

[tiffngio]

I have bought 3 homes and NEVER signed an agreement with a buyers agent.

[verybadgnome]

I've bought 2 homes in Austin and never signed such an agreement. What is that saying......."contracts are agreements based on mutual distrust."

[LI2Texas]

I have bought two homes and I am not sure that I see any benefit to signing that agreement... doesn't the agent want to sell you a home either way? All it does is limit your ability to go elsewhere if they are not doing a good job. That's the way I see it - if others have a different take on it, I'd like to hear their thoughts.

[beckysquyres]

As a Realtor, I do not wish to work with buyers unless there is a signed agreement between me and my clients. Without it, the agent you are working with has no legal obligation to represent your best interest in a real estate transaction and technically they would be considered a subagent of the seller, legally obligated to protect their best interest.

Also, I spend a great deal of time working for my buyer clients; finding properties that best match their criteria, determining whether listings prices are truely reflected by market values, previewing properties before actually showing them to my clients, driving them from house to house all day on the weekends, and much more. I invest a great deal of time and energy into serving my buyer clients and a signed buyer's agreement is the only way I can ensure I get paid for my hard work.

But if I was in your situation, I would find a different agent. The questions you asked of her were completely valid and her response was unprofessional and rude. Personally, I would not work with someone who's pushy because obviously she is more concerned with earning a comission rather than providing the best customer service possible.

As for geographic specialization, there are quite a few agents who do work many different areas of the Central Texas market. However, I personally prefer to specialize in Central Austin and the 78704. I would rather be an expert in a small geographic location rather than 'half ass' it by trying to cover the entire region.

As for recommending another Realtor, I'm wary to do that on the site because I provided links to information on my website/blog on a couple other posts, which aparently violated the terms of service. You should definitely interview a few agents to find the one that you mesh with and who is dedicated to serving your best interests. If would like check out my website, please direct massage me and will send you the link. And I promise to answer all of your questions.

-Becky

[Exiled Texan]

I've bought twice with agents and bought twice without.

Never used a contract. If they represented me well, I stuck with them. If they showed me the property and closed the deal, all is good.

You want to be able to walk away from a bad agent.

[rickc007]

I would not sign it, specially for 6 months ???

Can't you sign based on houses viewed ?
She's taking you to see "these" houses, there you sign to
let her represent you for what she takes the time to show you.

But if she's not good, and many aren't ...
6 months is a long time to be stuck

The fact that she asked for 6 months is a red flag to me

[robino2001]

Let me first say I'm not a realtor... so I have no vested interest in this...

That said, I don't know why a good realtor would work without a signed contract. Why should they do their job to help you find a house/get you into a house... handle paperwork, negotations, etc... and be sitting there with the possibility that you bail on them at the last second and not see any profit from their work. Now I'm not saying you should go with THIS realtor... but I would (and have) had no problem finding someone we liked and then signing the agreement with them.