First-time Homebuyer 101: Real Estate Agents
The secret weapon for successful homebuyers is an amazing real estate agent. Choose yours wisely!
Your real estate agent (AKA a realtor) will be the most important part of your homebuying team. They will help you:
- 🔎 Find homes in your market/budget
- 🏘️ Tour and evaluate houses
- ✍️ Submit and negotiate offers
- 🧭 Navigate the entire process
🧹 Housekeeping: Your realtor is paid by the seller out of their proceeds from the sale – typically 2% to 3% of the purchase price at closing.
- You don’t need to pay your agent out of pocket
- Agents win when you do – they only get paid when you close
- Regardless of which agent you choose to work with, they will earn the same amount
What separates a good agent from a not-so-good agent?
- Experience – Is this a full-time job or a side hustle?
- Local knowledge – Have they helped buyers in your specific target area (and price range)?
- First-time homebuyer expertise – Do they have a passion for working with first-timers (and the patience)?
- Responsiveness – Is their communication timely and thoughtful?
When should you get in touch with an agent? After you have a pre-approval in motion with a lender, which will help determine your budget, and about three months before your target move date.
How do I find the best real estate agent for me? Let us help! Gravy only partners with top agents at your local brokerages like Coldwell Banker and Century 21. In fact, 97% of their clients would recommend them to friends and family.
Get started right from the Gravy app! We’ll ask a few questions and then your homebuyer concierge will match you with one of our select partners (it’s free).
❤️ Gravy partner agents exclusively offer Gravy members a Homebuyer Bonus. That means you get the best agent and they share some of the proceeds with you (e.g. $1,050 on a $250,000 house). Amazing agents + Gravy Rewards = win-win.
Check out our other first-time homebuyer guides:
