When my wife and I bought our first house, we were young and naive, with absolutely zero real estate experience. We were in our early 20s, living in Washington, DC, and had visions of lofts and condos in trendy neighborhoods.
Luckily, we found a fantastic real estate agent who generously shared his own real estate and wealth-building wisdom with us, guiding us through one of the biggest decisions of our lives up to that point.
He took stock of our goals for the future, as well as our overall financial picture and real estate needs at the time, and he made a recommendation that changed the trajectory of our lives.
Rather than a condo or loft, he suggested, we should consider a rowhome (very common in DC) that had not one but two units – we could live in one unit and then rent out the other – thus creating a stream of passive income that would help us pay down our mortgage and help us build wealth.
We had never considered that option before, but under his guidance, we learned more and gained the confidence to test out our first house hack (before the term “house hacking” had even been coined). It went so well that we proceeded to house hack many more duplexes in the years that followed, both in DC and now in the Bay Area.
I share that story not to convince you to house hack (though it is a tremendous wealth-building strategy if it’s right for you and your goals) but to show you the value of a great real estate agent – someone who truly listens to your needs, understands your goals and your vision, thinks outside the box, helps you see what you may not see yourself, and is right there next to you as a true partner throughout the process.
How do you find great real estate agents like that? Just as you would interview someone for an important job opening, you should approach hiring a real estate agent the same way. Take the time to get to know them, give them a chance to get to know you (and see if they genuinely want to do so), and prepare a list of questions to ask real estate agents before you work with them.
In this article, we’ll share with you the most important questions to ask a realtor, whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate.
Why Agents Are Critical In Oakland & East Bay Real Estate
Before we dive into the questions, let’s take a moment to talk about the role of real estate agents and why they’re such a crucial part of your team when it comes to buying or selling a home.
These days, with home listings just a click or tap away, it might seem unnecessary to engage a real estate agent. After all, couldn’t you just set up the right filters on Redfin and call it a day?
Well, yes and no. While online home search tools can help you surface listings that meet your high level criteria, they can’t help you think outside the box, get creative in your searches, help you find and navigate off-market listings, help you refine your goals, give you intimate block-by-block market data, guide you through preparing your home for sale, or help you craft a unique offer that will win out over the competition.
All of these are things that great real estate agents can help you with, and when you find the right one for you, they will help you expertly navigate the complex world of the Oakland and East Bay real estate market.
A great real estate agent should…
- Be an expert in your target neighborhood
- Help you refine and hone your goals
- Provide a macro view of the process and what you should be thinking about
- Help you proactively plan for things you may not be aware of
- Ask you lots of questions about what you’re looking for
- Listen with genuine interest and help you think through potential solutions
- Leverage their expertise and experience to help you think outside the box
- Patiently explain any part of the process that you may not fully understand
- Provide options based on what’s currently going on in the market
- Take care of all the paperwork needed throughout the process
- Connect you with other members you may need for your team – lenders, staging experts, landscapers, etc.
- Help you make the right decisions for YOU, even if it doesn’t benefit them
Through the questions below, we hope to provide you with ample guidance and tools to help you find the right real estate agent for you and your needs.
Questions To Ask A Real Estate Agent When Selling A House
If you’re in the process of selling your home, your first thought might be to work with the same real estate agent that helped you buy the home in the first place. After all, that agent knows the property well and thus could probably help you sell it.
While that’s often the case, there can be times when it might be to your advantage to find a different real estate agent to list your home. For example, perhaps it’s been decades since you originally bought your home, and now your original agent isn’t focused on your area anymore. Or, perhaps your original agent specializes in helping buyers and doesn’t do many listings.
Therefore, even if you have a great relationship with the real estate agent who helped you buy your home, it’s important to reflect on whether that agent is the right fit to help you sell your home, given your current situation and goals.
Here are the top questions to ask when looking for the right real estate agent to help in selling a house:
- How many homes have you sold in my neighborhood within the last year?
- What percentage of your clients are buyers versus sellers?
- What do I need to do to get my home ready for the market?
- Based on what you know of my goals, what timeline would you recommend for listing my home?
- What’s your plan for marketing my home?
- How will you help my home to stand out among the competition?
- What do you see as my biggest potential hurdles in selling this home or meeting my goals for this transaction?
- What list price do you recommend for my home, and how did you arrive at that number?
- What do you think my home will actually sell for, and why?
- Who do you think will be the buyer for my home?
- How will you keep in touch with me throughout the process, and how often can I expect updates?
- Will I be working directly with you or members of your team?
- What questions do you have for me?
Signs That An Agent Might Be A Good Fit For Selling Your Home
If you ask a realtor some or all of these questions, you will get a sense of how that agent thinks and their strategy for selling a house in a way that meets your goals. Listen for responses backed by data and experience, so you have stronger assurance the real estate agent can deliver on what they’re proposing.
If you disagree with any of your agent’s ideas or suggestions, share your reservations and see how they approach your differing opinions. See if the real estate agent is able to think outside the box and come up with multiple options and solutions, which signals that they’ll be a true partner throughout the transaction.
Red Flags To Watch Out For
If at any point during the conversation you ask a realtor a question and the agent gets defensive or shuts you down without providing a valid reason behind their thinking, that might be a sign that they’re not open to your ideas and input, which might create friction throughout the process.
Likewise, if they agree with everything you say without coming up with ideas and suggestions of their own, that might signal that they lack experience or market knowledge to come up with independent solutions.
Overall, you want to look for a real estate agent who has a strong track record of successful sales in your area, has a tried and true process, is respectful of you and your wishes, genuinely cares about you and your goals, and has a solid plan to help you reach your goals.
Questions To Ask A Real Estate Agent When Buying A Home
If you’re looking to buy a home in this ultra competitive market, you’re going to want the right real estate agent on your team. Someone who gets you – someone who understands your needs, who knows the ins and outs of this market, and who can help you think outside the box and craft competitive offers.
Here are the top questions to ask when looking for the right real estate agent to help you buy a new home:
- How long have you been an agent?
- How many homes do you help buyers purchase each year?
- How many buyers are you working with right now?
- How many offers are your buyers typically putting in before they get a home under contract?
- What is your typical home buying strategy for clients?
- Which neighborhoods do you primarily work in?
- What are your strategies for helping my offers stand out in this competitive market?
- How quickly can you help me view a home I want to see?
- Do you require pre-approval before viewing homes?
- How will you negotiate on my behalf?
- Will I be working directly with you or others on your team?
- One of my biggest limitations in buying a home is X (e.g., budget, timeline, proximity to public transit, schools, etc.). What are your recommendations for helping me overcome that limitation and find the right home for me?
Signs That An Agent Might Be A Good Fit To Help You Buy A Home
The Oakland and East Bay real estate market changes constantly, and you need a knowledgeable real estate agent who’s actively helping other buyers successfully purchase homes in your area, which is why it’s so important to ask a realtor questions like these.
You’re looking for an agent who has a strong track record and knows the unique value they bring to the table in helping you reach your goals.
These days, with Zillow and Redfin at your fingertips, you don’t need real estate agents who can send you fresh listings every day, because you can easily set up automated searches to find those yourself.
Rather, the biggest value that an agent brings to the table when helping you buy a home is in navigating the process from the time you’ve identified the home you want to getting that home under contract.
This involves strong negotiation skills, intimate knowledge of the nuances of your target neighborhood(s), expert knowledge of what’s happening in the market day by day and block by block, and creative outside-the-box thinking to help you craft winning offers.
Red Flags To Watch Out For
Oakland and East Bay real estate is so nuanced that you really need an agent who’s intimately familiar with and has a track record in the specific area where you’re looking to buy. A strategy that may work in West Oakland, for example, may not work in North Berkeley.
Further, you should look for an agent who’s working in real estate full time, to provide the level of dedication and commitment you’ll need to successfully get a property under contract in this competitive market.
If an agent is newer to the market, can’t produce examples of recent successful closings, doesn’t take the time to walk you through the process, or provides only high level or general strategies, those could be signs that they might not be the best agent for you.
Are You Looking To Buy A Home In Oakland Or The East Bay?
If you’re looking to buy or sell a home here in Oakland, Berkeley, or the East Bay, you’re going to want the right agent beside you every step of the way to navigate the ins and outs of this competitive market.
While this list of questions is a great place to start, you’ll need to add in questions about the nuances of your unique situation to best suss out whether a potential agent might be the best fit for you.
At the end of the day, there’s no perfect agent for everyone. That’s why you should start first by figuring out your own real estate needs and goals, then creating a list of questions like the ones above to help you find the right agent for you.
If you’re interested in potentially working with us on the purchase or sale of your home, start by reaching out to our team today for a free no-strings-attached consultation. You can also reach out directly via phone or text at (510) 995-0035.
We look forward to hearing more about you and your situation and seeing if we’re the right fit to help you reach your real estate goals!
