I got an e-mail from a close friend who’s moving to Ashland, Oregon.

She’s still in Washington with her family, and they’re working remotely with their agent down there.

She asked an interesting question:

Our Realtor has been less than “on it” which is a worry. We emailed him about a foreclosure I found and he replied with: “What do you want to know?” WTF? Is it wrong to think that Realtors should be looking at Craigslist and/or Homepath.com? Maybe I am expecting too much?

Here’s the excerpt from the e-mail I sent back, where I address her question:

…and regarding whether you’re off base with your current agent, it sounds to me like you didn’t do enough at the outset to set expectations for how he’ll work. A LOT of people overlook this, agents included.

A way to approach it would be to ask how many homes he’s sold in the past year that were never listed (on the MLS).

Does he even do “word of mouth” or un-listed deals?

How much does he charge if he helps with an unlisted property that doesn’t have a published SOC (selling office commission).

What if you look at a dozen places together then you and your husband suddenly find a FSBO one day while driving around… will he help you buy it?

How much will it cost you if the seller won’t pay his commission?

Does he have access to unlisted bank-owned properties?

Is he part of any networking groups with other agents that share upcoming listings?

If the market is so hot down there, how is he actually getting his clients a house?

How many multiple offer situations has he been involved in this past year?

How many did he win?

Does he have a way to canvass a neighborhood looking for sellers?

Any success doing that?

These are all interview questions I hear all the time, and which I tell prospects who are interviewing me to ask other agents. In Bellingham these questions are critical nowadays.
But… all that being said, if you’re just expecting an agent to know everything about any property you might come across, or about every property that Zillow lists as being in foreclosure or whatever, you need to have that conversation with him up front.

Don’t…assume…anything.

Have the conversation, and if he doesn’t fit the bill for your high expectations, keep interviewing others ’til you hit a home run with someone.

What service can you imagine paying $10,000 for? Seriously: imagine cutting a check for $10K to pay a professional to help you, guide you, solve a problem, or achieve a goal. That’s a healthy chunk of change, but it’s paid out every day in every market, time and again.

Now imagine you get that service for FREE!

It’s called “Buyer agency” and it’s one of the greatest “hacks” to the real estate buying process.

You have a dedicated professional:

• who’s fully in tune with the market,

• who gets the inside scoop on properties coming on the market,

• who seeks out willing sellers who aren’t even listed yet,

• who hustles and negotiates on your behalf to get you the house you want,

• who knows who to call for what service to avoid pit falls and side-tracks,

• who orchestrates the inspection and translates the findings,

• who gets follow-up contractors to handle repairs,

• who cracks the whip on timely tasks,

• who provides the moving truck for the big weekend,

• who follows up and stays in touch after move-in,

• who’s there to help whenever, forever.

And at no cost to you, the Buyer.

Because the Seller pays the Realtor fees in a real estate transaction.

If you buy a home for the Bellingham average price in the mid-$300K’s, it’s like getting a $10,000 service of a Buyer’s agent for FREE.

Take advantage of it, but be choosy. If you’re about to start the buying process, interview a few different agents. Ask friends for recommendations and meet the agents yourself. Ask hard questions, as if you were about to cut a check for $10,000 for the service. And pick a Rock Star agent.

Then enjoy the fact that… the cost is covered.