What Being A "Good Client" Means and How it Helps Your Agent Get the Job Done (Part I)

At the very crux of it, a real estate transaction is a partnership. The buyer seller and their agents need to partner together for a common goal- to close the transaction. When you are a buyer or seller the partnership begins though the very first time you meet your agent.

The nature of the relationship between you and your agent is such that your agent works with you to help you make decisions and they act based on your instruction. This is the case whether you are the buyer or the seller. Because of the nature of this relationship we NEED you to be an active participant in the process since we cannot act on your behalf much like an attorney would for a client.

In the first of this two part series I will address the buying side of the transaction. Part two will cover the seller's side.

So, what does it mean to be a "good client"?

BUYERS

1. BE SPECIFIC about what type of home you want and how much you want to spend. If your agent shows you a home you don't like tell them why. The more information your agent has the better they can help you find what you do want.
2. BE PATIENT when what you want does not appear immediately. Currently in Stanislaus County there is a serious shortage of inventory so almost every buyer is in the same position as you. Ask your agent to set you up with a client portal on Metrolist so you receive an email any time a home comes on the market that meets your criteria. This way you won't miss anything. Secondly, do not get discouraged when a home sells the same time it hits the MLS. With our inventory woes, many agents have homes sold before they even put them on the MLS.
3. BE AVAILABLE when needed. If you indicate to your agent you are absolutely desperate to buy ASAP they are going to accommodate that for you. So if you are truly in a huge hurry, and your agent calls you to show you what they believe to be your dream home- make it a priority. With our inventory the way it is you need to see the home as soon as you can, so telling your agent that you are too tired or you don't want to miss your favorite TV show indicates that you may not be as motivated as you think. If your agent needs signatures on an addendum or counter offer by a certain time- make it a priority. Returning phone calls, texts and emails helps too. All too often people lose out on homes because they cannot or will not make the time to do what is needed of them. There is only so much your agent can do without your participation. There are deadlines to be met and without your participation your agent cannot do their job of getting you the home you want.
4. BE TOGETHER when you see a home for the first time. Unless there are extenuating circumstances I adamantly recommend both decision makers see homes together.  In many instances there will be a deadline for offer submission so if one half of the decision making pair are not available it could cause you to miss out. And, when your spouse/partner tells you to pick out what you want and they will just 'go along with it', it NEVER works. Trust me. 
5. BE RESPECTFUL of your agent's time. Real estate is an appointment driven business. Most agents work with more than one client at a time, so calling your agent and wanting to see a house in the next 10 minutes may not be possible. While we try to accommodate your schedule as best we can the more notice you give us the better. If you give your agent 10 minutes notice and they cannot accommodate you- don't get mad at them and assume they don't have time for you! Your agent likely has other clients who require attention, not to mention a family they may want to see once in a while. There are many concessions agents make to accommodate your schedule that you do not ever see (missing dinner with family, missing kids baseball games, having to prioritize other client's needs, etc) so please do not hold it against us if occasionally we tell you "no".

If you are currently looking for a home or are thinking about jumping into the market, please take these points into consideration. Your agent will thank you!