Agent's Protocol

When you decide that you think you are ready to purchase a house, chances are that you are going to want to find yourself an agent to help you out. Before you jump into signing a broker agreement and begin looking at houses, you should first consider how to make this relationship as helpful as possible for you without annoying the heck out of your realtor.

The most important thing to remember is that your realtor works on commission. This means that if you are not ready to buy you are wasting his or her time and money. Nowadays there are excellent resources if you want to look at what is on the market but you are not really sure if you are ready to buy. Starts looking on the Internet, then when you know you are ready, approach a realtor.

For those who are positive that they want to make the jump into home ownership, though, here are a few things to consider to make sure that your relationship with your agent is both effective and enjoyable.

• Be very clear about what you want in a house. If your agent shows you a house that you did not like, tell them why you did not like it.
• It is your agent's job to explain every single document that you need to sign. If you do not understand a document, make sure you ask your agent to explain it before you sign.
• Before signing your buyer's broker agreement, feel free to interview different agents to find the one that works best with you. Just make sure to tell these agents that you are still in the interviewing stage, and do not ever interview two agents from the same company.
• Tell your agent how is the best way to contact you and at what times work best for you. Make clear whether or not you would like your agent to pick you up when showing you a house or if you would like to get to the property yourself.
• Talk to your agent about going to open houses. Some agents prefer that you only go to open house accompanied by them.
• Be ready to buy. Always bring your checkbook when your agent is showing you a house.