Viewing properties with buyers agent

First time home buyer here and over thinking too many things including whether we are being a pain to the buyers agent. We have been working with a buyers agent for about six weeks and have seen about 12 houses. We are not flexible about the location and are somewhat picky when it comes to certain things but flexible with other things.

Yesterday we saw a house with a beautiful pool and it has elaborate landscaping around the house. There are several things we like about the house but the family room is smaller than I would like it to be and I also feel like we don't want to buy a house that requires lot of yard maintenance but feel awkward telling the agent that. What if the agent thinks why did they want to see the place when they knew about the landscaping and the pool from pictures?? I know the agent gets commission so we probably shouldn't feel guilty about not making an offer. Am I correct? I do realize it can be hard to find a perfect house and willing to compromise over certain things.

Message edited 4/23/2015 4:50:53 AM.

Re: Viewing properties with buyers agent

You should find the perfect house for you and not worry about your agent. It's his/her job. We looked at probably 75 houses over an 8 month period. Sorry Christine

This is one of the biggest decisions in your life. Worrying about how your agent feels should not be a factor. If he/she makes you feel like a burden then it's time for a new agent.

With that, be honest with yourself on your no-gos so as not to totally waste your time or theirs. You may need to compromise and size of family room not something you can fully see in pics. Landscaping can be changed/removed so in my opinion this is not a deal breaker from preventing you to see a home.

Good luck. It was a long journey for us

Re: Viewing properties with buyers agent

You need to be honest with your agent or she won't know what else to show you, and you'll wind up wasting everyone's time.

Re: Viewing properties with buyers agent

Be honest with the agent. It took us nearly three years for us to find our home with our buyers agent.

Re: Viewing properties with buyers agent

DH and I looked for 1 1/2 years for our first home and we're going on 6 months now for our second home. The first time I felt bad that we were seeing SO many houses and dragging our buyers agent around so much. But that's their job and he really didn't mind. And as long as you're open and honest with them about your likes, dislikes, needs, and wants, they will be able to better help you find what you're looking for. There were times that we went to see a house that we knew wasn't for us for one reason or another, but we went anyway because it maybe was the style house we like or in the right neighborhood and it was good food-for-thought. There's nothing wrong with doing that.

Good Luck on your search!!

Message edited 4/23/2015 10:10:24 AM.

Re: Viewing properties with buyers agent

No problem, queensgal!

Honestly, everyone else is correct that you shouldn't rush into a purchase because you feel like you are burdening the agent.

The best buyers' agents know how to put their clients at ease.

I don't know how you started working with your agent, but I always have an initial consultation with my buyers to go over how I work, their expectations/wants/needs, and the buying process in general. But at that meeting, I make clear that it's not my job to "sell them a home," but to help them buy the house they want to buy. Sometimes people find "the one" after looking at a few houses, and sometimes it can be a 6 month, 9 month, etc. process. Either is ok, as long as you are making progress as you go. You don't want to keep looking at homes that you know won't work (because of location, inground pool, etc). But sometimes you have to look at things in person to really know if they could work for you. It's a narrowing down process, but I think it helps to be open-minded at first and then rule out things as you go along.

But open, honest communication is key. I always tell my buyers that they should give me honest feedback on what we are seeing. It's not my house, it won't hurt my feelings! If I don't know what they are thinking, it's hard to help. And I like to know not just what they want and don't want, but WHY. The "why" really guides me in how to move forward.

I will always be honest with my clients, too, and tell them if I think they are being unrealistic or taking the wrong approach. But I give them that information to empower them to make their own decisions as to what house they want to buy, and I try to support them in whatever decision they make.

So as long as you are being open and honest with your agent, and you feel the agent is being receptive/responsive to you, there should be no issue.

It's much more frustrating to me to take a client out and then not hear back from them, or to ask "what do you think?" and get blank looks and shrugs. As my past clients know, I'm a talker (lol) and I like to keep the dialogue going so we can be efficient in the house search and I can apply my skills and expertise to help.

But if you are feeling pressured or uncomfortable because of something your agent is doing or not doing, then maybe it's not a good fit (or at least a conversation with your agent is in order). Real estate is a "people" business - a client service industry - so there's not hard and fast rules about how long the process should take.

Re: Viewing properties with buyers agent

I would not worry about annoying your agent. its their jobs to show you homes until you find the right one. if she is making you feel like you're bothering her then I agree with pp, I would find a new agent.

also you have to let your agent know what you like or don't like about a house so they can help streamline your search. you should make a list of absolute must-haves and dealbreakers so you can narrow your search.

basically what everyone already said. lol

also, I remember my agent would show us a house that was perfect for us on paper, but for whatever reason we didn't like it or it just didn't feel right. we never felt bad about not making an offer in that situation. you're buying a house, its a big deal, you need to make sure the house is right for you!!!!

Viewing properties with buyers agent

Thanks everyone. We told the agent what we are looking for but he keeps emailing listings that don't meet our criteria saying he just wanted us to see them just in case. For example one of the things we told him was that we are not interested in homes with pools that take up the entire backyard and homes that have unfinished basements but he keeps emailing those properties and follows up a day later asking what we thought of those properties.

He is in his sixties and not very fit so I feel bad when I see him out of breath after taking stairs in homes that have stairs to the basement and have a second floor. We don't want to waste his time or our time so DH firmly told him that at this time we are not flexible about certain things and that we would wait for new listings. This way I don't have to feel bad about seeing properties that we may not like and also don't have to worry about him being pushy.

Message edited 5/13/2015 1:04:16 AM.

Viewing properties with buyers agent

Purchasing a home will likely be the biggest purchase of your life. Maybe you didn't find "the one" yet. When you see it...you'll know. :)

Re: Viewing properties with buyers agent

To the OP - how did you find your agent? Was he recommended, or did you go with him for a reason? Or was he just someone you stumbled across at an open house or something and started working with?

I am asking because it doesn't sound like it's the best fit for you. Different people click with different agents. Everyone has different strengths and styles. But in my opinion, house hunting -- while it can be stressful -- should also be a fun, exciting time. You should feel comfortable with your agent, and he or she should make the process easier for you. If you are worrying about his fitness level, and be is not understanding or respecting your needs, then you can't be comfortable with him, and that's a distraction from the task at hand...looking at houses!

You may want to consider moving on to another agent, unless there's a strong reason you selected him in the first place. If you haven't signed a contract with him -- and the NY state agency disclosure form is not a contract (many people get confused about that), you are free to go look at homes with out her agents. I would give your current agent the courtesy of letting him know you are moving on, it's not quite the right fit. Even if you have a contract, you can ask to be released.