Buyer's checklist for finding a condo agent

When you buy a condo, you’ll need an experienced real estate agent who can help you choose a community, negotiate on your behalf, prepare offers and stand by you when you finally close on a property.

An agent plays a pivotal role in helping you make what may be the biggest purchase of your life.

Here’s how to choose the best one to meet your needs.

Look to your personal contacts and multiple other sources to build a list of strong candidates.

• Search the Homes.com database
• Ask for referrals from friends, family or colleagues
• Look for an agent who has earned a designation as a Certified Condominium Specialist or has other expertise in these types of real estate sales
• Note years of experience representing first-time homebuyers

Contact realty groups and licensing associations to ensure the agent's claims are accurate and that they haven't been the subject of client complaints.

• Check an agent’s real estate firm profile
• Contact the National Association of Realtors to see whether the agent is a member and whether they have any special credentials
• Confirm an agent is licensed, and check on complaints by contacting your state’s real estate licensing board
• Contact a local real estate association to check the agent's membership status and background

Test their knowledge of the condo market and learn their strategies for representing you in the purchase.

• Request references
• Ask them to detail their experience selling units in the type of condo communities you're most interested in
• Ask about the area’s walkability, transit, restaurants, entertainment venues, parks, sports facilities and other amenities for the areas you want to evaluate
• Ask how they find properties
• Ask whether they have access to "pocket listings" — off-the-market homes for sale
• Ask them to detail their recent successes
• Ask agents to produce a simple comparison of two properties in which you’re looking to evaluate their ability to produce comps, a type of document

Is this someone you feel good doing business with? Go with your gut and who you feel the most comfortable with.

• Ask how often they communicate with their clients and how clients contact them
• Find out if you feel like the agent listens to your concerns
• Evaluate whether you feel comfortable asking the agent questions and whether the agent satisfactorily answers them
• Require professionalism and courtesy

Once you select an agent, make sure you understand what they will and won't do for you and the terms of the relationship. Before you sign, negotiate the agent's compensation.

• Know how much money you will pay for the agent’s commission, or whether the seller will pay for it
• Set expiration dates for the agreement
• Specify the terms on which you would ask to terminate the contract
• Ask an attorney to review the agreement

More on this topic:

• Making an offer on a condo
• Getting a mortgage pre-qualification or pre-approval for a condo purchase
• How to hunt for a condo to buy
• How to assess your financial readiness to buy a condo
• 10 terms to know before buying a condo
• Buying a home in 10 steps