What to Expect Working With Me as Your Buyer's Agent
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Almost every awkward moment I have had with a client came from something neither of us said out loud at the start. How fast they expected me to reply, how fast I expected them to decide, who was supposed to be calling the lender. So here is exactly how I work.
Most friction comes from unspoken expectations
Almost every awkward moment I have had with a client came from something neither of us said out loud at the beginning. How fast they expected me to reply. How fast I expected them to decide. Who was supposed to be calling the lender.
None of that is difficult. It is just rarely discussed, so here is exactly how I work. If any of it does not suit you, say so at the start and we will adjust it rather than discovering the mismatch in week six.
How listings will reach you
You will get an automated feed from the MLS as homes hit the market, because speed matters and nothing beats a direct feed for that.
You will also get a smaller number of listings from me personally, with a note about why I am sending that one. Those are the ones worth opening first. I would rather send you four good candidates than forty that technically match your filters, and if I am sending you things that miss, tell me — the criteria are wrong and that is fixable in five minutes.
Anything you find yourself, send to me. Zillow, a sign in a yard, something a neighbour mentioned. I would always rather look at something you found than have you wonder about it.
How quickly you will need to move
This is the expectation that surprises people most, so I want to be direct about it.
In a competitive market, a good house that is priced correctly can be gone in seventy-two hours. Sometimes in a day. That means when something genuinely fits, I will ask you to see it within twenty-four to forty-eight hours, and I will occasionally tell you plainly that a decision is needed today.
I will never manufacture that urgency. If I say it is urgent, it is, and when there is no rush I will tell you that too. But you should know going in that the pace is not always yours to set, and that the buyers who lose houses are frequently the ones who wanted the weekend to think.
What I ask in return: answer my calls and texts when you can, and tell me if you are going to be unreachable for a few days. I plan differently when I know.
What has to happen before showings
Two things, both before the first tour.
A written buyer agreement, which is now required before I can show you homes and which is what makes me legally your agent. And a real preapproval, because I am not going to walk you through houses you may not be able to buy, and because listing agents increasingly ask.
See buyer agency and compensation and the preapproval checklist.
How appointments actually get made
I book everything. You tell me the windows you have and I build an itinerary around them.
Some showings need a day's notice, particularly tenant-occupied homes, homes with pets, and anything requiring a gate code or a builder's sales office. Some sellers only allow showings in certain hours. Occupied homes sometimes cancel at short notice, which is nobody's fault and happens.
We tour in planned groups rather than one house at a time on random evenings. Four homes in a morning with notes beats six separate trips, because by the fourth house you can actually compare them.
Please do not go to open houses without telling me. If you do go, say clearly that you are represented and give them my name. See common buyer mistakes for why that matters.
Who attends inspections
I attend all of them. Every one, including the ones on a Saturday.
I would like you at the general home inspection for at least the last hour, because standing in a crawlspace while somebody points at the problem teaches you more than a forty-page report ever will. For the specialist ones — septic, well, chimney, pier — your presence is optional and I will call you from the property if anything matters.
If you are out of state or deployed, I do all of it and we review by video. See inspections for Southern Maryland buyers.
How offer decisions get made
Clearly: the decision is yours, always, and the recommendation is mine.
I will tell you what I think, specifically, including when I think you should not do something. I have talked clients out of houses and I will do it again if the numbers or the property warrant it. I would rather lose a commission than put somebody somewhere they should not be.
Then you decide, and once you have decided I execute your decision properly, without relitigating it. If you want to offer more than I recommended, we will do that well.
What I need from you is the ceiling and the walk-away conditions decided early, in writing, before we are emotionally committed. That one habit prevents most of the regret in this business.
Who talks to whom
I handle the day-to-day with the other agent, the lender, the title company, the inspectors and the insurance agent. You should not be chasing anybody, and if you find yourself doing it, tell me, because something has gone wrong with how I am running the file.
The exceptions are genuine. Your lender will need documents directly from you and will ask repeatedly, sometimes for things you have already sent — please send them anyway and quickly, because underwriting timelines are real. And you will speak to the title company directly about your settlement funds. Never wire money based on instructions that arrive by email. Call the title company on a number you already had and confirm every digit.
When you will hear from me
At every milestone: offer submitted, offer accepted, inspections scheduled, reports in, repair response, appraisal ordered, appraisal received, loan commitment, settlement confirmed.
And once a week regardless, even when nothing has happened, because silence makes people assume the worst. A message that says "nothing has changed, the appraisal is still out, I will chase it Thursday" takes me ten seconds and saves you three days of wondering.
If something goes wrong, you will hear it from me quickly and directly rather than dressed up. Bad news early is usually manageable. Bad news late usually is not.
After settlement
I do not disappear at the closing table. Utilities, contractors, a recommendation for somebody who can service the well — ask.
Work through the utility and address change checklist in the week around settlement, and keep every document. You will want all of it the day you decide to sell, and buyers who kept their records sell faster.
What I ask of you
Four things, and none are onerous.
Be honest with me, particularly about money and timing, because I cannot protect you from a problem I do not know about. Respond quickly when the market requires it. Tell me before you contact a listing agent, a builder or a for-sale-by-owner. And tell me when something I am doing is not working for you — I would far rather adjust than have you quietly frustrated for two months.
That is the whole arrangement. The purchase itself is mapped out in the complete guide to buying a home in Southern Maryland.
Frequently Asked Questions
An automated MLS feed for speed, plus a smaller number sent personally with a note about why that one is worth opening first.
When something genuinely fits, expect to view it within twenty-four to forty-eight hours, and occasionally to decide the same day. Urgency will never be manufactured.
A written buyer agreement, which is required before showings, and a real preapproval from a lender who has reviewed your documents.
I do. You give me your available windows and I build an itinerary, touring in planned groups rather than one house at a time.
I attend all of them. I would like you at the general inspection for at least the last hour, and I will call from the property if anything matters at the specialist ones.
You do, always. I give a specific recommendation, including when I think you should not proceed, and then execute your decision properly.
I handle the day-to-day with everyone. Your lender will need documents directly from you, and you will confirm settlement funds with the title company by phone on a number you already had.
At every milestone, and once a week regardless, because silence makes people assume the worst.
If Any of This Does Not Suit You, Say So
I would far rather adjust how I work at the beginning than have you quietly frustrated for two months.
Dawn Riley
Associate Broker, Realtor, Master Certified Negotiator
The Riley Team at Deep Roots Real Estate
410-414-2438
dawn@dawnriley.net
https://dawnriley.net/