Questions to ask when hiring a buyers agent

Questions to ask when hiring a buyers agent in San Francisco

How do you hire a good buyers agent? Maybe you’re looking on Google or Yelp for some recommendations. Maybe some friends have told you that they have a friend who helped them buy a house or that their sister sells houses.

How do you hire a good buyers agent? Maybe you’re looking on Google or Yelp for some recommendations. Maybe some friends have told you that they have a friend who helped them buy a house or that their sister sells houses.

What kinds of things should you ask as a buyer when you’re hiring a real estate agent?

If it were me, I would ask the following questions:

1. What is your track record? I would want to know that the agent I’m working with has helped a lot of buyers.
2. Are you at the top of your field? Working with someone at the top of their field is going to mean that they have been successful and that they have a good relationship with other agents in the community, which is going to help you get into contract.
3. How your team is set up? Is there someone else to show you a property in the event that agent is not available?
4. How many offers on average are you writing for your clients?
5. How many days on average does it take to get a buyer into contract?
6. Describe the last buyer you got into contract in a competitive situation?
7. Can you tell me about a buyer you negotiated for in a non-competitive situation? I think that those stories will be very, very telling.
8. What percentage of your business is off market? At certain price points, there are not a lot of off market opportunities, however I would hear them out to see whether they have a process for that. And if so, what is it? It can be really hard for a single agent to closely follow all the channels to find candidates for you. If they’re doing that themselves, are they able to do it or is someone else helping them with it?

Choosing an agent to help you buy a home is a really important decision. You should also like them. Meet with them and make sure you have good chemistry. Is this someone you want to spend a little bit of time with?

When I say a little bit, I mean a little bit. If you’re a motivated buyer a great agent should be getting you into contract rather quickly. You certainly don’t want someone pushing you, but you do want a buyer’s agent who can get the job done.

The average buyer’s agent in San Francisco is writing between 5 and 8 offers depending on the market. That might not sound like a lot but writing each offer takes about 10 hours of your time (by the time you drive to the property multiple times, read through the disclosures and go through all the items you need to go through).

If you can work with an agent who can do it once or twice, you’ll be saving a lot of time and heartbreak. There are additional advantages of working with a dedicated buyer’s agent.

If you’re looking to buy a home we would love for you to interview us! Call the Krishnan Team at 415-735-5867 or email us at info@ruthkrishnan.com.