You want to buy a house and want to know how to find a good buying agent. After all, it is important to have everything taken care of, especially when it comes to buying a house. Here we give you no-nonsense some sincere tips that will help you know how to find a good buying agent.
Tip 1
Don’t look at the brokerage fee. Cheap brokers are expensive brokers. Don’t go for the cheapest buying agent. You are about to embark on the biggest purchase of your life and cutting back on 1 or 2 thousand euros in brokerage fees is not wise.
Our experience (wearing the hat of sales broker) is really that budget buying brokers very often provide very poor service. They just do whatever. Bids are often very poorly prepared and bids are shot haphazardly without proper research. Rather that you pay a buying agent €6000 and he makes €30,000 for you, than a buying agent who charges you €3500 and actually costs you an extra €30,000 because he doesn’t do his homework and his job properly. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys!
Tip 2
Briefly write down for yourself what is important to you/you in a buying agent.
Do you want him to go with you every viewing. Do you want him/her to very actively search for suitable housing for you or do you want to do that yourself? Do you want the buying agent to put a focus on being able to get the deal right and a little less on every architectural detail (for example, because you are already very good at construction yourself).
Please also write down what your/your wishes are in brief.
For example: we want at least 3 bedrooms, a possibility to increase the living space. Being within a 10-minute walk of public transport, sun in the garden (west and/or south) is a must, we prefer not to do any chores, we want a well-sustainable house with at least a C label, etc.
Tip 3
Ask friends who just bought a house about their experience with their real estate agent. Ask them:
What did you like about this broker? Do you think his/her method also suits me? Did you have 1 real estate agent or did you deal with a different buying agent from that firm each time? Would you recommend this buying agent?
Select 2 or up to 3 buying agents that have been recommended to you by friends/acquaintances.
Tip 4
Call the 2 or 3 buying agents that have been recommended to you by friends/acquaintances. Explain to them what you are looking for and ask the following:
- What is your process?
- Will I then get 1 permanent buying agent within your office?
- What makes you unique as a buying agent or what distinguishes you as a buying agent from other brokers?
- If I have 1 permanent broker, how will that work out if he/she is sick or on vacation?
- What is the brokerage you charge?
- Are there any fees if I stop the search (withdrawal fees)?
- What are you doing to make sure we get the best deal and don’t overspend on a property?
- Do you always go with a purchase viewing or only the2nd time, for example?
- Do you see homes before they are on Funda?
- Can you tell me what a purchase viewing with you guys looks like?
Tip 5
Finally then, a tip for if you want to test drive first. In addition, you can also ask the buying agent you want to choose: ‘Suppose I choose you, is it possible that the first time I see a nice house, you can come with me without any obligations (so that I can experience how you work).
In any case, this is “trying for free” is really something we do. Just taking a moment with the client without having to sign/commit to anything right away.
Time to choose a good buying agent
Then now is the time to choose a good buying agent. With our tips from above, we are sure you/you will succeed in choosing a good buying agent.
Which buying agents are you going to invite for an interview? Start by searching for buying agents and comparing them. Here we recommend being sure to look at reviews and/or ratings as well. You can also turn to VK Brokers for our buying broker service. We have experienced purchase brokers in Haarlem and surrounding areas.
In any case, we wish you the best of luck in finding your new buying agent!