A difficult buyer that asks tons of questions is a real estate agent’s worst nightmare. If the agent isn’t sharp and doesn’t know the answer, they could look incompetent and unprofessional.
I recently showed some homes in the Issaquah Highlands to a husband and wife in their late thirties. The buyers had some good experience purchasing around seven homes in the last ten years.
Most of the homes the buyers previously bought needed some work, one of which was a big project where they put in $100k+ for the makeover of a duplex that they cash flow positive today.
The husband is a handyman and looked at the pipes under all the sinks, sewer pipes, electrical boards, window seals, watermark damages, and on and on.
The husband and wife peppered me with questions anywhere from what the market rent was to where the sewer drain was behind the wall so they could decide whether to add the extra bathroom (incidentally I don’t have x-ray vision, although I could guess that is likely located below the toilet).
The buyers took three and a half hours to go through four homes and three of which which were built after 2004! Most homes in the Issaquah Highlands are built after 2004. At the end of it all, I could have looked at this like any other agent. What a pain in the behind.
But actually, I enjoyed the clients for one, and two, it’s way more fun and interesting when you work with a client that asks challenging questions. An agents most valuable asset is his knowledge of which much is built up over time experience and analyzing different scenarios.
To be honest, I feel way more comfortable when clients ask me tons of questions as opposed to no questions at all. When clients don’t ask questions, as a realtor looking out for their best interest, I have to ask myself, “do they know what they’re doing?” Sometimes, buyers and sellers won’t ask any questions only to find out later that they didn’t know what’s going on. Ignorance can be very unforgiving when you’re dealing with a $400k ticket item.
Next time when you have a difficult questions, ask away. A good agent will appreciate the fact that you care enough to ask. If the agent doesn’t know the answer, once he finds it he adds to his arsenal of knowledge.
For those who email my partner Harold or myself and we will answer all questions personally. We will try to do this as long as it’s feasible with our schedule.
I’ve worked with a few agents in the past. One of my worst experiences was my first. Incidentally I didn’t know what was going on nor even what questions to ask since I was so green. I would ask her, “So, what’s going on next?” Her response was always what was going to happen; true, she didn’t completely leave me in the dark, but I didn’t know why it was happening or the reasoning surrounding the transaction.
Next time I know, even if I don’t have any questions… ask a question.
As an agent I agree with James, getting asked questions only helps you down the road. As for first time home buyers, ask more experienced people what questions you should be asking. Usually an experienced family member or trusted friend who has been through the process is looking out for your best interest and knows what questions would be relevant.
@harold, sometimes I still feel like simply asking people who have been through the buying process is too narrow.
Ultimately it helps to have an agent who cares. It’s probably becoming better too because a lot of the crappy agents are dropping like flies through this terrible economy. Hopefully the ones who are left give people the best experience possible.
Prior to being an agent, I worked with agents who almost smirked at me when I asked a question. Practically any question I asked he didn’t know. It was amazing. How an agent responds when he knows or doesn’t know the answer really tells.
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