Most buyers start the homebuying process by scrolling listings and clicking a button to request more information or to schedule a home tour. In Maryland, where homes can still move quickly and demand shifts from week to week, the smartest first step isn't randomly connecting with an agent that paid (a lot) for prominent placement, but assembling a team of professionals you trust.
Before you walk into a single property, you want to interview buyer's agents and local loan officers to match with the ones best for you. That agent Zillow or similar sites "suggest" isn't necessarily going to be the best fit for you. It's not their credentials, experience, or market knowledge that made them pop up on your screen but their (and their broker's) willingness to pay the 3rd party - that will play no part in the transaction - up to 45% of the compensation they negotiated for their work.
Buying your first, or second, or forever home is a big deal. Just like you carefully select your new home, you should select your team with the same care and due diligence: Realtor, loan officer, inspectors, and title company.
Besides asking how long a Realtor has been actively licensed, and how familiar they are with the area you'll be house hunting in, here are 3 more questions to ask Realtors before you hire a buyer's agent:
If you want to build a trusting relationship with one agent, this is an important question to ask. There are different business models.
One big agency works the assembly-line style: a different agent each time you want to see a home, and different agents for each task.
Some agents have assembled a team and will hand you off to a team member as soon as the agreement is signed, or to their transaction coordinator once you are under contract.
You want to know what to expect and who you'll be working with before you sign.
🔑My answer: when you choose to work with me, you will be working with only me. I'll be the one handling all tasks, from scheduling appointments to touring homes, from explaining documents to preparing an offer, from research to negotiations... From first meeting until the closing table (and beyond). I do limit the number of active clients I work with at a time to make sure they, and their transaction, get the time and attention they deserve.
A lot of this business happens outside of regular business hours. But sometimes fires need to be put out and having to wait until after your agent finishes their regular job, can cost you money, or the house. If you'd like to read more about this topic, click to read my post More Than Pretty Houses. Can You Deliver Full Service Part-Time?
🔑My answer: I have been a full-time agent since I got licensed in 2004. While I met a few successful part-time agents, it is not something I could imagine doing. I've worked my share of challenging transactions and saw them through to successful closings. That was only possible because I was available to make calls for days to solve said challenges, and relentlessly pursued solutions.
Many agents jump straight into showing houses for sale without preparing buyers for what happens next. A lot of stress in the home-buying process comes from being rushed into decisions without understanding the steps ahead.
Before you ever write an offer in Maryland, you want an agent who prepares you; not one who will email you a bunch of documents at the last minute and hopes you'll sign quickly.
A good buyer's agent will walk you through the contract, contingencies, timelines, and possible negotiation scenarios before you are falling in love with a house.
🔑My answer: I want you to move confidently when the right home comes along and make decisions with clarity, not pressure. Before we start house hunting, I'll make sure you understand the process. I'll explain what's standard in Maryland, what's negotiable, what we will do before you write an offer and what to expect after one has been submitted.
🔑My answer: I use assistive AI sparingly and only as a support tool when appropriate, never as a substitute. Every analysis, explanation, strategy, and negotiation comes directly from me, based on the knowledge I've gained since 2004.
Your transaction deserves human judgment, experience, and accountability. Your information also needs to be safeguarded, something I don't trust AI tools to do. I'd also rather not waste precious resources.
The agent (or agency), who shows up at the top of a search page, or who paid for placement to be shown to you as a prospective Maryland home buyer on various home search sites isn't necessarily the one who will guide you the best. Paid placement doesn't tell you anything about experience, availability, work ethic, negotiation skill, or how well they'll prepare you before you write an offer.
Interviewing agents, asking the right questions, and assembling your team before you start touring homes, gives you the confidence and knowledge you need in a fast-moving Maryland market.
I hope these three questions will help you choose your buyer's agent intentionally and with confidence. If you'd like to discuss your home buying plans with me, you can reach me, Andrea Bedard, Associate Broker, at (240) 593-2860.
Comments(4)