42,691 Real Estate Agents

Real Estate is a complex and dynamic area of work that demands experts to stay informed about rules and regulations as well as the market. As you can imagine, agents and brokers vary as much as the properties they sell. You'll need to be as savvy in selecting a realtor as they are in getting you the best price.

What Does an Agent or Broker Do?

Although the terms “agent” and “broker” often are used interchangeably, they’re not the same thing. Generally, a broker must have more specialised education as well as licensing, and as a result is legally authorised to execute a real estate transaction. Brokers usually play a more administrative role in the real estate process. An agent, by contrast, is a salesperson hired by a broker to interact with and handle the legwork for the clients.

When you're looking to buy a home, a buyer’s agent represents a home buyer or seller in a real estate transaction. A buyer’s agent will find property listings that match your needs, works with the seller’s agent to schedule showings and accompanies you on visits to tour the home. If you’re interested in the house, the agent handles price negotiations and other terms of the sale, and coordinates the appropriate paperwork.

If you are engaged in a home sale, a seller’s agent will help you determine a listing price for a property and can suggest repairs, upgrades and staging ideas to boost the home’s appeal. He or she is in charge of marketing the house to prospective buyers and other agents through signage, websites, print ads, open houses and other methods. As with a buyer’s agent, a seller’s agent represents you in negotiating the sale.

Questions to ask a prospective agent or broker:

• How long have you been in the business?
  
• How long have you worked in this area?
  
• Do you work full time or part time in this business?
  
• Do you represent buyers or sellers exclusively, or both?
  
• What are your professional affiliations?
  
• For sellers: How will you market my home?
  
• For buyers: How will you find homes that might interest me?
  
• Have you had recent sales in the neighborhoods that I might interested in?
  
• Can you provide me with references?
  
• What license(s) do you have?
  
• How do you charge?
  
• What do your services include?
  
• Will I be working with anyone else?
  

Find an agent or broker on Houzz. Narrow your search in the Professionals section of the website to agents and brokers. If you’re in the market to buy or sell a home, you may be interested in hiring other professionals as well. Here are some related professionals and vendors to complement the work of real estate agents: Home Stylists and Property Staging, Photographers.