Your Agent and You

After working so hard to find a great agent, it would be a shame to inadvertently ruin the relationship. Good buyer/agent relationships are based upon pillars of mutual loyalty and trust that develop over time.

More isn't always better

One common fallacy is thinking that five agents will be five times better than one agent. The more agents you work with, the better your chances of quickly finding your dream home. Things don't work that way in the real world.

• One good agent can quickly show you every home on the market that meets your price, neighborhood, size, and condition specifications. If none of the houses is what you want, good agents keep looking until the right home hits the market. They don't limit their searches to houses listed by their office. Whether you work with one agent or one hundred, you'll see the same houses.
• Agents know that they won't get paid if you don't buy. That risk comes with the job. What agents hate is losing a sale after months of hard work because they called you shortly after another agent called you about the same house. That risk is unnecessary.
• Don't be surprised, however, if good agents in the same area opt out of a horse race. Their odds of getting paid for their work increase dramatically when they spend their time on buyers who work exclusively with them. Loyalty begets loyalty.

Your agent is not the enemy

Another fallacy is viewing your agent as your adversary. Some buyers think that the less their agent knows about them, the better. Such buyers believe that, after agents know why they want to buy and how much cash they have, the agents will somehow magically manipulate them into spending more than they can afford.

• Good agents ask such questions because they need to be sure that you're financially qualified in order to avoid wasting your time and theirs by showing you property that you can't afford. If your agent knows that you're under deadline pressure to buy, she'll give your house hunt top priority.
• Good agents won't betray your trust. They know that if they take care of you, the commission takes care of itself.
• Good agents know that you have the power to impact their careers. If they please you, you'll be a source of glowing referrals for them.