If you start your Scottsdale home buying process out of state, naturally I would love to help you find a great deal on the home of your dreams.
But what if you are in town and want to shop for an agent the way many people do…by visiting open houses? I would still like to be your first call, but if we don’t cross paths at an open house, there is just ONE QUESTION you need to ask an open house agent to determine if that person is a dud or a diamond (an agent who will serve you well and facilitate a successful, low-stress, high-satisfaction home purchase).
Before I reveal the mystery question, did you know that many agents who sit open houses are not the property’s listing agent? While some are, most are agents from the same brokerage who agree to sit an open house for one reason — to find buyers they can represent. I found this out the hard way before I received my Arizona Real Estate License. As I walked into an open house, the first question out of the hosting agent’s mouth was, “Are you working with an agent?” I said that I was. At that moment a cone of silence fell around the agent and she ignored or sloughed off any questions I had about the home.
While she may have hoped to snare me as a buyer, her responsibility was to represent that property well. She failed miserably. And she gave me a revealing glimpse into her personality. How can an agent be trusted to do what’s best for you if that agent isn’t doing what’s best for the homeowner in whose home your standing?
So what’s the magic question that will reveal exactly what kind of agent (selfless vs. selfish) you’ve just met?
Drum roll, please. Simply ask, “What are the HOA dues here?”
Wait, that’s not sexy or interesting, you may be thinking. (And HOA, btw, stands for Homeowners Association, which our friends in Canada call a Strata Council, according to my Canadian clients.)
Sexy, maybe not. But revelatory? You bet! Here are the responses and what they secretly (or not so secretly) reveal:
Response #1: “I don’t know.” If you hear that, run like a turkey. This person doesn’t value you enough to even fake interest in your needs. They will take any and all short cuts and are indifferent and lazy, which could hurt you in many ways if you allied with them.
Response #2: “They’re not bad. Pretty standard.” See my advice on Response #1.
Response #3: “Let me get the MLS printout and find out.” Excellent! We are starting to show initiative and that we value your interest. Any agent sitting an open house should have a minimum of information about the house. If they didn’t bother to do that, see my advice on Response #1.
Response #4: “It’s $157 a month.” BINGO! This agent did their homework. It took them 30 seconds to scan the MLS printout and they did it before you arrived. They are serving the homeowner well by being informed, which is their first responsibility. Kudos to them. You are more likely to reach a successful transaction because this agent appears to know how to do a good job.
Finding a good real estate agent when you don’t have referrals from friends (and even if you do) is as simple as walking through the door of an open house and seeing how you are treated. Because that’s how your open house guests will be treated years from now when you sell your Scottsdale home with the agent who helped you find it.
Note to sellers: Always visit your open houses to see how your home is being represented (or send a friend if your agent is hosting). And if you don’t like what you find, contact your listing agent on the spot to fix the situation so that not even one buyer is lost to an encounter with a dud of an open house agent.
