10 Questions To Ask Your Buyers Agent Before Using Them

So you’ve decided to use a Buyers Agent, but you don’t know who to choose. What types of questions should you ask to ensure you’ll get the best value for money?

Of course we’re biased, but here are 10 questions we would ask if our money was on the line.

What experience do you have working as a buyer's agent?

A very big part of the value you’ll receive when working with a Buyers Agent is their industry experience. Ensure your Buyers Agent has been around the block and seen every type of transaction so they aren’t making mistakes with your money.

Are you licensed in the state where I'm looking to buy a property?

This is critical. Every Buyers Agent should hold the relevant Real Estate licensing to act on behalf of their client. In New South Wales, your Buyers Agent should have a Class 2 Real Estate Licence which requires them to have been in the industry for a minimum of two years.

How do you typically communicate with your clients, and how often can I expect to hear from you?

When the right property presents itself, it may not be available for long so its very important to have an open line of communication with your Buyers Agent. We prefer WhatsApp instant messaging which can facilitate the transfer of large property reports and strategy documents while also serving as a form of instant communication when the negotiation heats up.

Can you provide me with references from past clients?

Always check references. This saves you from being duped by fancy marketing and exciting claims that the real estate industry is well known for. If a past client advocates for your Buyers Agent, its very likely that you will too.

What is your process for identifying properties that meet my criteria?

Without a process and strategy, your Buyers Agent is no better than you. Find out how your Buyers Agent will vet properties on your behalf before you commence the search. At Chamberlain Brown, we facilitate a 60-minute meeting with the sole purpose of clarifying your criteria and detailing our strategy before we begin the property search.

How do you determine a fair market value for a property?

Will you be relying on their personal opinion or evidence based information formed from factual data? If you’re asked to rely on their opinion, you must trust the experience and expertise that the Buyers Agent is claiming they have. We rely heavily on structured processes and real-time data to inform our advice which eliminates the need for you to ‘trust’ our opinion.

How do you handle negotiations with sellers and their agents?

The secret sauce! If your Buyers Agent cannot explain how they negotiate in detail, its very possible that they approach every negotiation differently and without any reliability. Would you be willing to hand over sometimes millions of dollars to someone who cant detail how they plan to spend it? Us neither.

You can read about our Negotiation Strategy here.

What is your commission, and how is it structured?

Knowing this will be a very difficult question to answer, its very important you ask. Some Buyers Agents apply a percentage of the purchase price while others operate under a fixed fee model. We tailor our fees based on the clients needs and service requirements once the strategy has been developed in our Clarity Consultation. 

What other professionals do you work with, such as home inspectors and mortgage brokers?

We all know that there’s more than a Buyers Agent involved in buying your property. You may need your Buyers Agent to connect you with other industry professionals like mortgage brokers that will help you purchase the property so it’s worth knowing who these people are before you commit to working with the Buyers Agent.

Can you walk me through the home-buying process and explain how you will support me throughout the transaction?

Most Buyer’s Agents will articulate this during your initial meetings and phone calls. If your Buyers Agent glazes over this very important part of the process, it’s possible that they’re more focused on ‘selling’ you into their service than actually delivering a high-quality service in itself. We spend almost half of our Clarity Session explaining in great detail how we’ll operate on your behalf and why this may be beneficial to your unique circumstances.

We understand it can be hard to find the right Buyers Agent for your goals and budget. Asking the questions above can help you wade through the amateurs and find the Buyer’s Agent that suits you and your circumstances.