The Best Time to Hire a Real Estate Agent When Buying a House

A space of your own, a new beginning, the promise of a good investment – these are just a few draws of home ownership. Then there’s the less glamorous (yet equally important) part of the purchasing process: budgeting, negotiations, home inspections. They may not have the same sparkle, but they’re essential to getting the keys in your hand. The good news? You already have a positive mindset and vision. That’s what you’ll bring to the table. As for the nitty gritty of contracts, housing market conditions, and negotiations? That’s when it’s time to hire a real estate agent. They’ll guide you through all those steps and much more.

If you’re new to the housing market or even if you’re bought or sold a home in the past, one question comes up again and again, “When should I get a real estate agent involved?” The long answer? Whenever you’re ready to get serious. The short answer? Right now. Let’s walk through the home-buying journey step by step so you can decide exactly when the timing feels right for you. 

Initial Consideration When Hiring a Real Estate Agent 

You might be asking yourself, “When is the right time to buy?” and “Where do I see myself living?” or “How much home is enough for me and my family?” All of these are great questions and one’s worth thinking through before you start the buying process. Here’s the good news: you don’t have to do it all by yourself. A real estate agent will help you work through these questions. They’ll also offer expert knowledge you might not have considered, such as “How long does a water heater typically last?” or “What are the other houses in the neighborhood selling for?”  When first meeting with an agent, it is always helpful to come prepared with some goals, but you don’t need to have everything mapped out right away. An agent’s job is to help guide you, starting right where you are.  

A real estate agent can offer guidance on local market conditions, the buying process, and realistic timelines from searching to closing. Starting the real estate conversation early will help set expectations, help avoid common mistakes, and puts the ball in your court when it comes to buying a home.  

Online Research   

The internet is a wonderful place to start when thinking about buying a home, with plenty of anecdotes and experiences shared by home buyers and sellers. However, as the saying goes, don’t believe everything you read online. Your initial online search will give you a general idea about pricing and availability in your area, but for what is likely the biggest investment of your lifetime, you want more than just a “general idea.” That’s when a real estate agent can bring clarity to your search, starting with MLS alerts. MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service. It’s a centralized database where licensed real estate agents and brokers share information about properties. MLS gets listings before any app or website and may even give you a peek into what will be coming to the market soon.  Other agents have access to these listings, making it easier to match buyers with homes and streamline the process. 

While Google Maps and online listings are great tools to help you get a feel for different areas,. tThey also can only take you so far. This is when a real estate agent’s knowledge becomes invaluable to your home search. A real estate agent can offer insights into neighborhood vibes, future developments in the area, and local housing market trends. Starting your search with an agent gives you a much stronger foundation to build on. 

Mortgage Preapproval vs. Final Approval   

To get a mortgage preapproval, a lender looks at a snapshot of your finances, including your income, credit score, and debt. Preapproval is helpful for homebuyers, as it provides an estimate of how much home you can afford. Some sellers like the idea of buyers getting preapproved as this signals to sellers that you’re a serious buyer.    

A more detailed “Final Approval” happens later in the buying process, when you’ve found the home you’d like to purchase and underwriters take a deep dive into your finances. They’ll request pay stubs, bank statements, credit card summaries, and… basically all the receipts! Be very careful during the final approval process, avoiding major financial transactions like buying a car or opening a new line of credit. These changes may affect your loan approval in a negative way.  

Hiring a real estate agent can help you understand the difference between preapproval and final approval. They’ll guide you through the process so that you face fewer roadblocks. An agent will also keep your search for a new home aligned with what your budget allows. By connecting your financing to your home search early on, your agent will help you stay both realistic and confident in the process. 

Home Searching   

You’re preapproved! What now? It’s time to start looking for your dream home! Well, as close to your dream home as possible within your budget. A good real estate agent becomes a trusted partner in this process. While looking through listings, note what you liked about the property (and what you didn’t like) and send over feedback to your agent. From there, they will continue sharing listings and schedule showings for homes you’d like to see in person.  

Questions like “How old is the roof?”, “What are the comps in the area?” and “What condition is the HVAC system in?” are all important topics to go over with your agent. There’s a lot to consider during the buying process and it can move quickly. An agent can step in, help you get your head in the right place, and keep you focused on what really matters.  

During the process of home searching, be sure to carry a list of all your wants and needs. Talk it out with your family and agent, and figure out which priorities are more important to you. A great school in the area may be a priority for one home buyer, while immediate access to public transportation may be a priority for someone else. A good real estate agent will be able to help you find what you’re looking for.

Offer and Closing   

You’ve finally found a great home and you’re officially in love. The next phase can move very quickly, depending on market conditions. Luckily, you’ve started your search early and teamed up with an experienced real estate agent who’s done this many, many times. The agent will now go to bat for you, assisting in compiling your offer to purchase and negotiating with the seller on your behalf. Is there a big-ticket problem in with the house that needs to be addressed? Think electrical or plumbing. Will the seller offer to reduce the price or take care of the repairs prior to closing? Does the seller have other offers waiting for them that are less picky about those items? These are all questions your real estate agent will help find answers to. 

During this part of the process, timely communication is critical – and that’s something your agent will help with as well, ensuring everyone that needs to know, does.

The Key is Collaboration 

The real estate process may feel overwhelming. Oftentimes, new homebuyers or sellers may have a hard time getting everything in order for a smooth transaction. That’s when you should hire a real estate agent – when you can no longer answer the questions yourself and need expert knowledge. Your agent will be there to guide you through each step, answer any questions, and offer insights based on their experience and expertise. 

As a client, you also play an important part in the home-buying process. You need to stay organized, meet deadlines, and have all the necessary documents ready. Think of documents like tax forms and proof of income. Having these organized ahead of time will help you avoid any delays at crunch time. While agents can provide property recommendations and market insights, the buyer is still responsible for identifying homes of interest and requesting showings. Real estate agents offer guidance, not legal advice, and can only share so much based –on industry regulations. 

This is a collaborative process that works best when both parties are informed and engaged. And when it comes to timing, the earlier a real estate agent is brought into the process, the more value they can provide from day one.