When buying a home using a real estate agent, you need to remain on the same team despite the stresses that can occur during the home purchase process. The agent you are working with can be your greatest asset as you go through the process and it is important that you keep all channels of communication open with them. It is rare that a real estate agent will fire a prospective buyer, but there are things that you can do that will insure your agent stays on your team and works hard for you.

Annoy your agent, and he or she may want to wash their hands of you as quickly as possible. Work with them and they will be happy to help place you in the right home.

Buyer Actions That Realtors Don’t Appreciate

Real estate professionals do not appreciate it when buyers do the following:

• Keep Them in the Dark – If you have a strategy as a buyer, tell them. Don’t spring any surprises on your agent as you want them to be able to appropriately advocate for you the whole time.
• Waste Their Time – If buying a home is not in your immediate future, do not monopolize your agent’s time. If you just want to get a feel for homes in a certain area, for example, let your agent know that is your intention. Most will be more than happy to show you a few properties, but they won’t spend additional time doing too much in-depth research and work if buying may not happen for a couple of years.
• Never Make an Offer – An agent can only spend so much time with you exploring the option of a home before an offer needs to be made. If you have a longer time frame in which you plan to make an offer, communicate this to the agent. Agents will be much more willing to work with you if they consider you an legitimate candidate to purchase a home. They can help you with questions you may have but it is important that you don’t misrepresent yourself as a potential buyer in the long run if that is not in fact the case and you don’t intend to make an offer.

Following these simple steps can help you negotiate for your potential future home more smoothly with a stronger advocate for your offer in your agent.