Buyer’s Real Estate Agent Part 2: Stay Loyal to a Good Agent, It’s a Great Move

So many times, I have met buyers who do not commit to one good agent.  Their thought process is the more agents that work for them, the faster they will find a deal.  There is a problem with this, and it is bigger than what a buyer may realize.

1. The good agents don’t work that way: You don’t engage multiple attorneys from different firms and say, “I’m only going to pay the one that gets me the best settlement.”  Lawyers know their time is valuable, and a good agent is the same way.  The good agents are the ones with the strong networks, best strategies, best attention to detail, best communicators, and best access to off market/pocket listing homes.  That’s because they are constantly networking with other top producers and have the resources to do it.  That leaves the inexperienced and the mediocre agents willing to take one in three shots with buyers.
2. You become a “back burner” client: If an agent has two clients who are looking for the same type of property, who do you think gets the priority?  The buyer that is loyal to the agent.  The reason being is because there is a chance that the agent passes the info along to the buyer who may have already seen it, or they may go ahead and have another agent write up the offer.  Therefore, it is in the agent’s best interest to pass information along to buyers who are working exclusively with them.  Less risk of conflict.
3. It’s a battle waiting to happen: Representation can be tricky at times, because it comes down to who did the most work for a client.  Many times, I have seen where agents put in work for a client on specific property, and then another agent writes up the offer.  This can become an issue because representation and doing work for a client is more than writing an offer.  And if an agent feels like they earned the commission, some will fight for it.  And that means a battle between agents and puts the buyer in an awkward situation as well.  Going to point number one in this article, good agents knows that if they can avoid a situation like this, they will.

My recommendation: After you have found a good agent that you like and is well qualified, give them two months.  If they can’t deliver, then you have the option to move on.  If you want an agent to be loyal to you, a good agent expects the same in return. That’s how buyers get the best results for themselves. It pays to commit.