Consumer Advocates...Not Sales People
 
Mountain Panorama
Group Photo
Photo by Charles Pfeil
 

We Can Help You Locate an Agent

If you are considering a home purchase elsewhere in the country, we can help you link up with a real estate agent who is serious about helping people through the home buying process. And we're happy to do it. We've been helping people buy homes for more more than 15 years in the Boulder and Denver area. We've been active in state and national buyer agent associations during that period, which effectively represents the full history of real estate buyer agency in the United States. We know a lot of the better buyer agents around the country. And if we don't know a good agent in the area you're moving to, we know the people who are likely to know the better buyer agents in your target area. And we know the right questions to ask in screening potential agents for you. If we find an good agent for you, you can review their web site and their policies and then have a chat with them. If you end up working with them when you buy their home, we may receive a referral fee from them. That's one reason we're happy to help.

Locating an Agent on Your Own

Before you start looking for an agent on your own, and even before you start dropping by Sunday open houses or builders' model homes, you need to understand some of the basics about real estate agents. At a minimum, you need to understand who they work for, how they get paid, and what they will and will not do for you. Our section on Real Estate Agents will help you with the basics.

As I noted in that section, your best choice when looking for a real estate agent is a buyer's agent who works for a company like ours, a company that specializes in working for buyers and that does not list homes for sellers. These agents are known as exclusive buyer agents (EBA's) and the companies they work for are known as exclusive buyer offices (EBOs). If there are no EBA's who serve your target area, your next best choice is an experienced agent with a traditional real estate company who will act as a buyer agent for you. Working with a buyer agent who also lists properties creates some very real risks for you, but it is the best option if there are no EBAs in your area. If you must work with this type of buyer agent, you will probably be better off if the agent works for a relatively small real estate office. This reduces the chance that the agent representing you and the one representing the seller will both work for the same company, a situation that is fraught with conflicts of interest and will generally lead to reduced service and representation for you.

Resources for Locating Exclusive Buyer Agents

National EBA Association: NAEBA, the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents, has been the key player in promoting buyer agency and protecting the interests of home buyers in the US since its inception. Not all EBAs are members of NAEBA, but those that are follow NAEBA's Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. They also benefit substantially from the exchange of information on representing home buyers provided by NAEBA's educational programs and member forums. If you call NAEBA at 800-986-2322 or drop them an email, they can put you in touch with all the member EBAs in your target area. If there are none, they will put you in touch with other buyer agents that serve the area that they've had good experiences with.

State EBA Associations: There are several state EBA associations, all of which are independent of NAEBA. If you're making a move to one of these states, these associations can also be a good way to locate an EBA.

Other Web Sites: The following web sites may help you locate EBAs who are not members of NAEBA or the various state associations.

Resources for Locating Other Buyer Agents

If you haven't been able to locate an EBA in your target area, you should still try to find an agent who is willing to sign an agreement agreeing to represent your interests as a buyer agent. In most states, any licensed real estate agent can do that, but it probably makes sense to try to locate someone who has at least some level of knowledge and commitment to the buyer agency role. Consider:

  • Massachusetts Association of Buyer Agents (MABA): If you're looking for a home in Massachusetts and haven't been able to locate an EBA, check with MABA. While not all of their members are EBAs, many are. And they do have one of the best educational programs around for buyer agents.
  • Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (REBAC): , REBAC membership means only that an agent is willing to work for buyers as a buyer's agent and that they have agreed to pay dues to REBAC. It does not mean that they are exclusive buyer agents, that they are dedicated to representing the interests of buyers, or that they have any substantial training in doing so. REBAC does have a course for its members which covers the basics of buyer agency. Agents who have passed this course will have REBAC's ABR (Accredited Buyer Agent) designation. If you can't find an EBA in your target area, try to find a REBAC member with the ABR designation. Better yet, find with with both the ABR and CRS (see below) designation.
  • Council of Residential Specialists: If you still haven't located a buyer agent in your area, search for an agent who has the CRS designation (Certified Residential Specialist) in your target area. The CRS designation does not require training, experience, or dedication to buyer representation. It does require extensive experience in residential real estate and some of the more serious residential real estate training offered in the real estate industry.