• Answering your homebuying questions 
  Licensed agents can answer many of your questions, or find the answers for you.
• Finding homes that meet your criteria
  Your real estate agent has access to databases they can search to make sure all your needs, and many of your wants, are met. They will do the initial legwork on your behalf to find a variety of homes and locations based on the information you provide.
• Touring homes with you
  Your agent will tour the homes with you and point out things to consider.
• Suggesting additional options that meet your needs
  When searching, you may find a home meets some of your needs, but not all. An agent can help you identify other options to help make the house your home!
• Helping throughout the offer process 
  Once you have found your home, you will need to make an official offer. A real estate agent can represent you throughout this process - including negotiating an offer and counter-offer and writing the official purchase contract. 
• Marketing your home to be sold
  If you already own a home, it's important to market it correctly – including pricing it competitively, as well as preparing it for sale. A real estate agent can make recommendations to assist you.

You don’t need an agent to buy a home, but to make sure you are protected and have a good home buying experience, we recommend you use one. 

General Questions:

• How long have you been selling real estate full time?
• How many transactions have you been involved with in your entire career?
• How many transactions did you handle last year?
• How many transactions have you handled this year?
• Have you ever been subject of a disciplinary action?
• Are you a listing agent or a buyer's agent?
• If both, what is your percentage of listing sales to buyer sales?
• Do you have a list of references to call and a list of testimonials?
• Can you have another professional real estate agent tell me about your business practices and integrity?
• What price range do you generally work in?
• Do you dual represent (represent the buyer and the seller on the same house)?
• Do you work with a network of other agents?
• Do you attend training and technical update seminars beyond the local minimum standards?
• What would you say are your strongest attributes as an agent?

For people who want to buy a home:

• Are you experienced in multiple offer scenarios?
• Do you have contacts in the mortgage business?  
• Can you recommend building inspectors who will be critical and prepared to fail a house on inspection?
• What does your after-sale support include?

For people who want to sell a home:

• What is your success rate (listings taken vs. sold)?
• What is your list price to sell price ratio?
• What is your average number of days on market?
• What is your advertising strategy?
• Do you have a marketing plan?
• Do you provide feedback from agents?
• Tell me about a recent complicated transaction for which you found the solution.