Working with a real estate agent: what you need to know

April 01, 2019

Sioux Falls is having a bit of a boom these days. With its growing economy, vibrant arts scene, and natural beauty, a lot of people are choosing Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as their home.

If you’re considering moving to our fair city, you will probably hire a real estate agent like the competent professionals on the Amy Stockberger Team. There are a few tips you should know when working with a real estate agent to make the process go as smoothly as possible.

Know your agents

It’s important to know what the different types of real estate agents do because there is a protocol you must follow when buying a home.

A listing agent works for the person who’s selling the house, not the person who’s looking to buy one. If you hire the listing agent, there will then be a conflict of interest as the agent will be working under dual agency.

Listing agents do not want to have the job of the buying agent, so if you are looking to buy a home in Sioux Falls, you want a buying agent.

Know your forms

Buying a home involves a lot of paperwork, and it gets confusing. Here are some important reminders of what you should be signing, with whom, and for what reasons.

When you’re buying a house in Sioux Falls, expect to sign a buyer’s broker agreement. This basically formalizes the relationship between you and the agent and outlines their duties towards you and vice-versa.

Know the difference between an exclusive and a non-exclusive agreement. Also, ask your agent if they’ll release you if you aren’t satisfied. If the agent refuses on this point, find a different agent.

Ask for and sign an agency agreement, as most agencies are legally bound to give you one. It’s a receipt of sorts, and the most common type of agency is the single agency agreement, in which your agent represents you and only you.

Do not sign anything you do not fully understand.

Make your expectations known

The simplest way to avoid unpleasantness in finding your new home is with open and honest communication. For example, do you expect your agent to pick you up at your front door and to drive you home after showings? Some agents do this, some do not. It’s preferable to be clear.

Also, what is your preferred method of communication – texting, email, or phone? Let your agent know so that they can reach you at a moment’s notice or not bug you by constantly calling.

Your agent wants to make you happy, and the process of buying a home should not be overly stressful. If you are unhappy with the process in any way, let your agent know. This is not a friendship, but a business relationship. The clearer you can be about your expectations for your working relationship, the better.

Consummate professionals like the ones on the Amy Stockberg Team will be sure to make your home-buying process as pleasant as possible.

26 thoughts on “Working with a real estate agent: what you need to know”

  1. I like that you explain the different types of real estate agents, such as one that works with sellers to create home listings. Knowing the different options would be important to find one with the skills and experience you require. If you know the kind of agent you need, it would help with researching them online by checking their home listings or contacting them so you can figure out which one is able to provide the services you require.

  2. It’s good to know that a listing agent works for the person selling the real estate. My wife and I are looking into selling our home so that we can move into our new one. We’ll be sure to hiring a listing agent to help us sell our house for the best results.

  3. When I go to buy a home later this year, I’ll for sure take your advice. I really like how you mentioned that you should make your expectations known. That way, whoever you are working with knows exactly what to look for and how to help you best.

  4. It makes sense that you should let your real estate agent know what your expectations are when buying a home. My uncle needs to find a real estate agent that can help him. I think it would be a good idea for him to find an agent online.

  5. I like your tip to not sign any forms that you do not fully understand. I have been thinking about selling my house, so I am in need of a real estate agency. I know there is a lot of paperwork involved and I would like a real estate agent that could explain them all to me. I will make sure to keep this tip in mind as I find the right agent for me.

  6. I liked that you mentioned you need to know the different types of real estate agents before buying a home. My brother is thinking of buying a house, and we are looking for advice to help him. I will recommend him to contact a real estate agent to help him choose the perfect home.

  7. what a lovely article about getting to know about the agent very very useful to me as I am finding a good agent who can help me find a house of my dreams definately keeping in mind all the tips you shared through the post. One thing I liked the most was the know your forms part as many fail to understand the form section

  8. Thank you for explaining that a listing agent works for a person selling rather than buying. My sister has been thinking about buying a new home soon, but she has never been able to know how to go about that. I will send this article to her and hopefully that will help her with working with a real estate agent to finally help her get that done.

  9. I liked how you mentioned you need to consider the different types of real estate agents when buying a home. My sister and her husband are thinking about buying a house, and we are looking for information. I will call a real estate agent to help her find a great house.

  10. It makes sense that you would prefer an agent that will realize you if you are not satisfied with the purchase. My wife and I have saved up enough to buy a house, and we wanted to know what to consider when hiring an agent. Thanks to your advice, we will contact a few realtors to find our dream house.

  11. I liked that you mentioned you need to let your real estate agent know about your expectations when buying a house. My mother is thinking about buying a house near my brother, and we are looking for advice. I believe that a real estate agent will help my mother to find the best house for her.

  12. Thank you for stating that when hiring a real estate agent, you should make sure you have honest communication with them. My husband and I really want to buy a mountain house that we can vacation in the summer, but need a real estate agent to help us with the process. I will definitely keep all of your great tips and information in mind when hiring a real estate agent.

  13. These are some great tips for working with a real estate agent. My husband and I are thinking about buying a house and have some pretty specific ideas about what we’re looking for in our new home. I’ll make sure when we start looking for an agent we are clear and honest about what we want.

  14. Like you said I made the same thing to made things clear with my real estate agent before we start our contract, the good news is that he exceeded what I’m expecting for and I am so happy with the result of the transaction.

  15. My uncle is considering to buy a new home away from the state that he’s currently in. It’s true that buying a home involves a lot of paperwork, and since he’s got bad eyesight, he might have trouble filling them out. I think I should help him hire the services of a real estate agent so he can get assistance in filling out the forms that he’ll need when he buys a home.

  16. I appreciated how you said that making your expectations known and communicating well with your realtor helps make the process go smoothly. I might be selling my home pretty soon, and I definitely don’t want it to be a drawn-out and arduous process. I would definitely want to make sure the real estate agent I’m working with is on my side when I’m trying to sell something as valuable as my home.

  17. It’s interesting that you said that when hiring a real estate agent is important to know the different types there are because of the protocol that has to be followed. I have a friend that going to buy a house close to the beach. I’m going to do some more research online to learn more about real estate.

  18. I thought that it was helpful when you suggested to choose a real estate agent who will offer communication through your preferred method. My wife and I are usually both busy at work, and are hardly ever able to answer the phone, so we are mostly only able to text. We are wanting to sell our home this fall because the market is up, and it will be important for us to know that we could find an agent who will suit our needs. I will be sure to consider their available means of communication while we are hiring them, so I could be confident in their ability to help us.

  19. I didn’t realize all the forms that went into purchasing a home. Is there a list out there that has them all listed? We are loving to a new area, and I would hate to miss something, and have issues in the future. Maybe we should just hire a real estate agent, as you mentioned, to make sure that nothing is missed.

  20. It’s helpful to remember we should plan on being open when communicating with an agent to make sure everyone knows what everyone’s expectations are. We’re thinking of moving sometime this year to a home that fits us a bit better. Getting an agent we can feel comfortable talking to could help the process be smoother.

  21. I’m planning to buy a luxury home in St. Louis, but I have no idea how to find the perfect one. Therefore, I’ve been thinking of hiring a real estate agent that will be able to help me out. Thank you for this; I’ll make sure to study further the difference between an exclusive and non-exclusive agreement before I work with an agent.

  22. I like how you mention the importance of making your expectations know with honest and open communication. My parents have been wanting to buy a new home, but haven’t known the first place to start. I think they should find a good real estate agent to help them know where to look for homes and where to start the process.

  23. I like what you said about knowing the difference between an exclusive and nonexclusive agreement when you’re buying a house. My wife and I would like to move into a bigger home for our growing family in the coming months. We’ll be sure to look into our options for real estate brokers who can help us with this.

  24. I loved that you elaborated on the importance of hiring a personal injury lawyer to take the pressure off your shoulders and help you against the insurance companies. My husband’s brother was injured at work, and we are looking for advice about how to help him. I will let him know about the benefits of hiring a personal injury lawyer to help his brother.

  25. As you mentioned, if you are looking to purchase a home, you need to make sure you hire a selling agent, not a listing agent. If you are looking to sell one home and buy another one at the same time, what is the best option for hiring an agent. Do you need to hire two separate ones?

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