Josephine Nesbit is a professional real estate and finance writer based out of Columbus, Ohio. She grew up going to open houses with her grandmother who taught her all about the real estate business. She has experience and knowledge in the home buying and selling process, mortgage, personal finance, and real estate investment.
Taryn Tacher is the editorial operations manager and senior editor for HomeLight's Resource Centers. With eight years of editorial and operations experience, she previously managed editorial operations at Contently and content partnerships at Conde Nast. Taryn holds a bachelor's from the University of Florida College of Journalism, and she's written for GQ, Teen Vogue, Glamour, Allure, and Variety.
At HomeLight, our vision is a world where every real estate transaction is simple, certain, and satisfying. Therefore, we promote strict editorial integrity in each of our posts.
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You’re ready to purchase a home, but first you’ll need to figure out how to find a buyer’s agent. Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll make in your lifetime, and when you aren’t sure who’s going to be holding your hand, especially as a first-time homebuyer, it can feel daunting. You’ll need to do your research and interview a few buyer’s agents to make sure it’s a good match.
It might seem like a good idea to hire someone you know — like a family or friend who happens to have their real estate license — but that decision could backfire. You need an experienced and specialized professional: a buyer’s agent.
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Working with just any real estate agent isn’t necessarily bad, but there is a difference between a regular agent and an exclusive buyer’s agent.
Agent Ken Mucha, an Accredited Buyer’s Specialist who works in Bend, Oregon, emphasizes the importance of working with an exclusive buyer’s agent.
“I think the critical thing is that they’re more highly specialized and razor-focused in spending time and resources only with buyers to find them their dream home at the best possible price and terms,” says Mucha.
If you’re thinking of buying a home, and especially if you’re a first-time homebuyer, you need a professional who’s willing to jump into the trenches with you. We spoke with the experts and put together this guide on where and how to find a buyer’s agent who has your best interests at heart.
There are two sides to every real estate transaction: the buyer and the seller. Both sides are represented by a real estate agent who is hired to protect their client’s best interests and is bound by fiduciary duties.
Some agents work with both buyers and sellers regularly, while others are more specialized and work with only buyers as buyer’s agents, or only sellers as listing agents. The buyer’s agent is a real estate professional who is legally licensed to only represent the buyer, while the listing agent helps the seller.
When a buyer and seller use agents at the same real estate brokerage, or the same agent period, this is known as dual agency, which is a common practice among real estate companies in some states, though it isn’t legal everywhere.
The problem with dual agencies
When one agent works for both the buyer and the seller (or two agents from the same brokerage work both sides of the deal) and that agent or brokerage receives commission from both sides of the transaction, it can become a controversial subject. Dual agency is even illegal in several states.
The reason is that dual agency can create a conflict of interest. On one hand, the buyer wants to pay as little as possible, while the seller wants to set the price of the home as high as possible. If the agent is representing both sides of the deal, whose interests should take precedence when it comes to negotiating price?
There’s also a stronger incentive for the agent to favor the seller in a dual agency situation. After all, the higher the price of the house, the higher the agent’s commission will be.
This is why it’s better to work with an agent who is negotiating on your behalf instead of one who’s laser-focused on getting the deal done and over.
10 strategies for how to find a buyers agent
When you start your search for a top buyer’s agent, there are several sources you can use. It might be tempting to hire the first agent you find, but you need someone who has what it takes to get the job done.
Here are 10 different ways to find a buyer’s agent.
1. Use online tools
Finding an agent can be overwhelming, but technological advancements have simplified this process. Instead of manually searching for a buyer’s agent, which can generate hundreds of results depending on where you live, technology can help you save time by matching you with qualified agents tailored to your needs.
These days, using an online agent matching service is a no-brainer. For example, HomeLight evaluates your needs and then uses an algorithm to screen the active agents in your area who have helped buyers in similar scenarios get amazing deals on their new house. We analyze over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews to recommend top-tier agents. Our service is 100% free, and agents can’t pay to be listed, so you get the best match.
As you explore your options, be wary of any platforms that try charging you an upfront fee. Agent-matching platforms shouldn’t charge you anything for introducing you to an agent.
2. Use agent associations
There are several trustworthy and reliable organizations that have accreditations and certifications for agents who are trained to work with buyers.
RealNet Learning Services, a training and education company for residential real estate agents and brokers, offers an independent and nationally recognized Certified Buyer Representative designation to agents who are trained to help buyers in a real estate transaction. Agents who have gone through the Certified Buyer Representative program are up to date on current laws, resources, and best practices necessary to represent buyers.
There’s also an association of exclusive buyer’s agents, for agents who only work with buyers, called the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents, a nonprofit organization. NAEBA also offers a Certified Exclusive Buyer Agent (CEBA) credential program, which has been recognized as one of the most difficult certifications to obtain in the real estate industry.
3. Get a referral
You can always ask your friends or family who they used to buy their house. Brandi Snowden, Director of Member and Consumer Survey Research at the National Association of Realtors, says if you’re looking for a buyer’s agent, “the top way is through referrals — through friends, or family, or neighbors.” she says. According to NAR’s latest Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 38% of buyers used an agent who was referred to them.
Make sure you follow up with questions about what their experience was like with the agent. If they’re willing to share more information, such as loan type and down payment size, that will be even more beneficial.
You can also ask for agent referrals through the neighborhood social networking app NextDoor or on Facebook groups. A quick warning: you may get some unsolicited requests by agents to represent you after they see your post on social media.
Knowing whether to speak to your lender or agent first can be a bit of a chicken or egg situation. However, your lender might have agents that they’ve worked with before whom they’d gladly recommend.
5. Do some driving where you want to buy
Drive around the area where you want to purchase a home and take note of any signs in yards. Which agents and which brokerages are on them?
Keep in mind that the agents you see on these signs are all listing agents, working with sellers, and they might not represent buyers at all. If you see a house you like, you’re better off not calling the agent on that particular house’s sign at all and seeking other representation to avoid a dual agency situation.
6. Dig into online reviews
Consumers increasingly use reviews from other consumers to influence their purchasing decisions. One bad review is enough to impact a business’ sales. In the real estate industry, reviews matter just as much.
Yelp, Facebook, and other platforms will have reviews for local agents. Do some research and see what other people are saying.
7. Find a brokerage first and ask them to help you out
Start with the brokerage first and look from there. Are there any brokerages in the local community? Is there a real estate business that supports community causes that are important to you?
Call two or three brokerage firms and ask to speak with the managing broker. Give them necessary information, such as:
Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a previous homeowner
What kind of house you’re looking for and your preferred neighborhoods
Your price range
Ask for the names of a few buyer’s agents who best meet your needs.
8. Browse social media
Time to do a little digging! We mentioned NextDoor and Facebook groups, but you can use other social media platforms to find a buyer’s agent.
Agents interact with their audience and potential clients through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even Pinterest, TikTok, and Clubhouse. You can narrow down your search by location through these platforms to find active agents in your area.
9. Use an online directory
An online directory is another great resource for finding buyer’s agents. Real estate listing portals will sometimes include an agent directory that you can browse. (HomeLight has one, too!)
Some portals are pay-to-play, and agents can pay money to be bumped to the top of the directory list. Keep this in mind when doing your initial research.
10. Follow the ads
Still at a loss? Agents sometimes advertise their services online. Agents can run promotional ads through social media. Listing sites may also show agent ads by location when you browse homes for sale.
I think it’s critical that you find somebody who is going to listen to your wants and needs more than just try to talk over you and just state how good they are.
Ken MuchaReal Estate Agent at Team Birtola High Desert Realty
5.0
Currently accepting new clients
Years of Experience21
Transactions84
Average Price Point$410k
Single Family Homes72
What happens after you find an agent?
You finally found a prospective buyer’s agent, so what now? You need to make sure this agent fits your needs, so it’s time to start asking questions to find out a little more about them.
“The majority of all buyers, and also first-time buyers, only interviewed one agent,” says Snowden. However, buyers should ideally interview a few agents to make a comparison and find the best match.
“When you’re interviewing agents, you definitely want to interview two or three,” says Mucha. “When you’re talking to them, you want to ask yourself if they’re able to answer most of the questions that you’re asking.”
Ask the right questions
Make sure you’re evaluating them not just based on how many buyers like you they’ve helped, but also how you’ll feel about being in close contact with them for several months.
Mucha recommends finding an agent who’s willing to give you their honest opinion, someone who has a vast knowledge of the neighborhood, and someone with a positive web presence. And most importantly — someone who gets results.
How many homes do you help buyers purchase each year?
Do you work full-time or part-time as a buyer’s agent?
How many clients do you have now?
What is the average length of time you work with buyers?
Can I see your real estate license?
Do you have any certifications or designations?
Do you have references I can contact?
Have you helped buyers in the same areas and within my same price range?
How do you help buyers compete in this market?
Do I need to sign a buyer broker agreement?
How does your commission work?
Mucha also suggests paying attention to whether the prospective agent is listening more or talking more.
“I think it’s critical that you find somebody who is going to listen to your wants and needs more than just try to talk over you and just state how good they are,” he advises.
If you find that you’re unhappy with your agent but you signed a buyer broker agreement, some may allow for conditional or unconditional termination. You may also terminate the contract if the agent breached contract terms or you can terminate with permission from your agent.
“Wait to sign the agreement until [you] know that they’re a really good fit, or find a buyer’s agent that doesn’t require [you to] sign an agreement,” says Mucha.
Now comes the fun part: working with your agent to find your dream home. Though the process still requires a lot of work, and you need to tell your agent what you want. You need to make it clear how often you hope to communicate, your budget, your timeline, and any potential obstacles.
If you find an agent who gives you honest and realistic answers and makes you feel confident about your house hunting journey, these are good indicators that you’re on the right track!
Header Image Source: (David Samuel Levinson / Unsplash)