Five Questions to Ask a Prospective Realtor
When it comes to buying and selling your home, having the right Realtor can help you buy your dream house or sell your existing home quickly.  

Realtors perform literally hundreds of functions for individual homebuyers and sellers, including finding homes, negotiating purchases, coordinating paperwork, and providing guidance.
Because it’s so important to choose a good Realtor, take time to research them online and speak to family and friends about their experiences.

Once you feel like you’ve found a potential Realtor to work with, here are five important questions to ask them — the answers could help you determine if they’re the right Realtor for you.

1. How many years have you been selling real estate?
   
   This simple question can teach you a lot about a Realtor. The real estate industry is commission-based, and it would be difficult for a Realtor to survive for more than 10 years in an industry by providing poor service. An experienced Realtor is also likely to have been in any situation you could face.
2. How many clients do you normally have?
   
   When buying and selling a home, you’re going to need personalized attention and quick Realtor responses. By learning how many clients they usually work with, you can get a sense of your Realtor’s availability. If the Realtor works with a large number of clients, ask if they have an assistant. If you get the impression that your Realtor doesn’t take pride in quick responses, you might want to look elsewhere.
3. What areas do you cover?
   
   Many Realtors specialize in real estate in geographical regions of  varying sizes, from entire states down to individual neighborhoods. It’s good to find a Realtor somewhere the middle. A Realtor who claims to know an entire state will likely lack in-depth knowledge of individual neighborhoods, while a neighborhood specialist can try to persuade you into an area that might not be the right fit.  
4. What’s your ratio of buyers to sellers?
   
   When talking with Realtors, you’ll find that some primarily work with either buyers or sellers. While it’s good to know one area very well, this can also limit a Realtor’s perspective. If you’re planning on selling your current house and buying another, a single Realtor who specializes in buying and selling can make for a better experience.
5. How will you provide me with housing options?
   
   It’s easy to become overwhelmed with options with looking for homes. A good Realtor will get to know you and learn what you’re looking for, and will actively work to locate and present those types of houses. By asking the Realtor how you’ll receive housing options, you’ll get an idea whether they’ll actually try to locate a house you like, or if they expect you to do it.

Take your time when choosing a Realtor
Because there are many different parts of buying a home, it’s critical to have a good Realtor. Your Realtor should be someone who is professional and experienced, as well as someone you are comfortable with.
By asking these questions to your Realtor, you’ll have an idea if they’re right for you. If you have additional questions about the homebuying process, or are interested in a mortgage, contact one of Open Mortgage’s friendly Loan Originators.