The right real estate agent understands your local market, communicates clearly and helps you make informed decisions without pressure. Compare several agents, ask about relevant experience and review their services, compensation and buyer agreement before choosing one.
A buyer’s agent—someone you, the buyer, enlist to work on your behalf—can help you evaluate homes, prepare offers and manage important deadlines. The best fit is someone who understands your goals, explains the process clearly and works well with the other professionals involved in your purchase.
What's in this article?
Here is how to choose a real estate agent who can support you from your first home tour through closing.
What does a buyer’s real estate agent do?
A buyer’s agent assists a homebuyer during a real estate transaction. Their duties depend on the services described in the buyer agreement, the brokerage relationship and applicable state law.
A buyer’s agent may help you find and evaluate homes
- Find homes that match your priorities
- Schedule and attend property tours
- Review comparable home sales
A buyer’s agent may help you make a deal
- Prepare and negotiate an offer
- Communicate with the seller’s representative
- Address inspection or appraisal concerns
A buyer’s agent may help manage the transaction
- Coordinate inspections and contract deadlines
- Prepare for closing
Your agent and loan officer have well-defined, yet different responsibilities. Your agent helps with the property search, offer and purchase contract. Your loan officer helps you understand mortgage options, prepare financial documentation and complete the mortgage loan process.
These professionals work together throughout the transaction to help keep important financing and contract deadlines on track.
Ready To Take Your Next Step?
Decide what you need from an agent
Before requesting referrals, identify the kind of guidance your home search requires.
Define your home search
Consider your:
- Target communities
- Expected price range
- Preferred property type
- Homebuying timeline
Define your service expectations
Also consider your:
- Communication preferences
- Availability for tours
- Need for specialized knowledge
A first-time buyer may prefer an agent who explains each stage in detail. A relocating family may need local insight and virtual touring options. A condominium buyer may want someone familiar with the homeowner association documents, monthly assessments and property restrictions.
Clear priorities make it easier to evaluate whether an agent’s experience fits your needs.
How do you find a good real estate agent?
A personal referral can be useful, but it should be a starting point rather than the deciding factor. Another buyer may have had a different budget, location or communication style.
Build a short list by:
- Asking recent buyers about their experiences
- Researching agents active in your target area
- Reading recent client reviews
- Meeting agents at open houses
- Requesting recommendations from trusted professionals
Look beyond an overall star rating. Reviews that discuss communication, negotiation, responsiveness and problem-solving provide more useful insight.
Interviewing two or three agents can help you compare their services, strategies and working styles.
Look for relevant experience
The number of years an agent has worked in real estate does not tell the whole story. Focus on recent experience that relates to your planned purchase.
Ask whether the agent regularly assists:
- Buyers in your price range
- Buyers in your preferred communities
- Buyers seeking your type of property
- First-time or relocating buyers
- Buyers using mortgage financing
- Buyers facing multiple-offer situations
A newer agent with strong local knowledge, responsive service and experienced team support may be a better fit than a high-volume agent with limited availability.
The most important question is whether the agent’s experience matches your search.
Ask the right interview questions
Treat the first conversation as a job interview. The agent should clearly explain how they work and what you can expect.
Ask about local experience and strategy
Useful questions include:
- How often do you work with buyers in my target area and price range?
- What services will you provide before and after I make an offer?
- How do you help buyers evaluate a home’s asking price?
- How do you approach competitive or multiple-offer situations?
- What experience do you have with inspections, appraisals and financing contingencies?
Listen for specific explanations rather than promises. No agent can guarantee that a seller will accept an offer or that a home will increase in value.
Ask about communication and availability
Find out:
- How you will communicate (text message, email, phone, face-to-face)
- How quickly the agent generally responds
- Who will assist you when the agent is unavailable
- How property tours are scheduled
- Whether the agent works individually or as part of a team
The goal is to determine whether the agent’s service model works with your schedule and expectations.
Ask about the working relationship
Before choosing an agent, ask:
- What agreement will I sign?
- How long will it last?
- Is it exclusive?
- Can it apply to only certain properties or locations?
- How can either party end it?
- How will the agent be compensated?
- Could I owe any amount directly?
Clear answers can help prevent misunderstandings later.
Do you have to sign a written buyer agreement before touring a home?
Multiple Listing Service (MLS) participants working with buyers generally must enter into a written agreement before touring a home, unless that requirement conflicts with state or federal law. The rule covers both in-person and live virtual tours.
You generally do not need a written agreement merely to interview an agent or attend an open house independently. Practices may vary based on state and local law.
A written buyer agreement should explain:
- The services the agent will provide
- The length and scope of the relationship
- Whether the agreement is exclusive
- The agent’s compensation
- The buyer’s responsibilities
- How the agreement may be changed or ended
Services, agreement length and compensation are negotiable. Broker fees and commissions are not set by law.
Agent compensation may come from the buyer, seller or another negotiated source, depending on the transaction. Ask the agent to explain what you could owe under both the buyer agreement and purchase contract.
Because agency relationships and contract rules vary, consider consulting a qualified real estate attorney when you need legal advice.
What are the red flags to be aware of when choosing a real estate agent?
A good agent provides information and guidance without pressuring you to make a decision.
Take a closer look if an agent:
- Avoids explaining their agreement or compensation
- Pressures you to sign before answering questions
- Regularly ignores your budget or priorities
- Is consistently difficult to reach
- Cannot describe relevant local experience
- Discourages reasonable due diligence (such as addressing concerns about a property you are considering)
- Guarantees a price or offer outcome
- Pushes one service provider without discussing your choices
One concern may simply require clarification. A repeated pattern of pressure or poor communication may signal that the relationship is not a good fit.
Choose the agent who fits your needs
After the interviews, compare each agent in five areas:
- Knowledge: Do they understand your market and type of purchase?
- Communication: Do they explain information clearly and respond reliably?
- Strategy: Can they describe how they will support your search and offers?
- Transparency: Are their services, agreement and compensation clear?
- Trust: Do you feel comfortable raising questions or concerns?
Personality matters, but it should not be the only deciding factor. Look for relevant knowledge, transparent terms and a working style your family can rely on.
Prepare your financing before shopping
An early mortgage conversation can make both your agent search and home search more productive.
An experienced loan officer can help you review:
- Income
- Credit
- Monthly debts
- Available funds
- Estimated housing expenses
Your potential price range depends on your complete financial profile, including your down payment and available interest rate.
Once you have a clearer financing range, your real estate agent can focus on homes that better align with your budget and goals.
Before buying, avoid major financial changes. Speak with your loan officer before:
- Opening new credit accounts
- Changing jobs
- Transferring large amounts of money between accounts
Strengthen your offer with Get Committed®
Compass Mortgage’s Get Committed® program allows you to get a fully vetted loan commitment and lock in your interest rate even before making an offer.
This can help you shop with more confidence and help sellers feel more assured about your financing. A fully vetted loan commitment also gives your real estate agent clearer financing information when helping you prepare an offer.
A loan commitment does not guarantee that a seller will accept your offer. However, completing more of the mortgage review before shopping may reduce financing uncertainty once you find a home.
FAQs: How to choose a real estate agent
A buyer is not always legally required to use an agent. However, an experienced agent may help with the property search, pricing analysis, offer negotiations and transaction deadlines.
A real estate agent holds a state license to assist with real estate transactions. A Realtor® is also a real estate agent who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and is subject to its Code of Ethics.
Yes. Interviewing several agents allows you to compare their experience, services, communication and agreement terms.
It depends on the contract and applicable state law. Review the provisions for termination before signing and ask how either party can end the relationship.
We recommend starting the entire process with a knowledgeable loan officer in a reliable mortgage banker like Compass Mortgage. Beginning this way offers you the advantage of understanding the possibilities of financing your home purchase (including establishing a price range) even before touring homes or preparing offers.
If you haven’t already decided on a real estate agent, a trustworthy mortgage lender who keeps abreast of the real estate market can make a recommendation. You should still interview the agent, review the buyer agreement and decide whether their services fit your needs.
Choose your homebuying team with confidence
Compass Mortgage can help you understand your financing options, prepare for your home search and coordinate with your real estate agent.
Apply with Compass Mortgage or call us at (877) 635-9795 to speak with one of our helpful loan officers.
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