People often seek Exclusive buyers agents near them

The idea of an ” exclusive buyers agent near me ” or just a ” buyers agent near me” is a popular one.  We all put that phrase in our phones when looking for a local store or service.  It is easy at this site to find local buyers agents near whatever community you intend to buy in.  We recommend you select an agent whose main or home office is within an hour’s drive of your desired location.  There are some exceptions to the 1 hour guideline, especially in rural areas. The bottom line is that you want to find an agent who works exclusively for you.

However, since agents are getting paid a commission upon closing and buyer agent commissions are typically covered by the seller’s listing agreement,  those gas costs and the initial guidance are at essentially no upfront cost to you.  However they are certainly an upfront expense to agents! So, making a careful agent or client choice  is imperative for both parties.

Agents generally only receive their compensation upon closing.  Therefore they will be more eager to serve you if they don’t have to drive very far to show properties. You also want to make sure they have access to the MLS of the county or counties you are looking in.

Are there  Exclusive Buyers Agents Near Me?

Also it should be noted that here in the beginnng of 2024, there are only a fraction of true “exclusive buyer agents” compared with a few years ago, so finding an exclusive buyers agent near you may be difficult.  Almost al of the offices who still do business this way are in our membership. We have less than 80 offices remaining in our association compared with a decade ago, when there were hundreds more.  This is because the strict definition of exclusive buyer agent offices dictates that the entire company represent only buyers and no sellers.  The broker/owner and all agents in the office must never take a “listing”.  A listing is a contract to try & get the highest price and best price for the seller.

However, there are many agents who prefer to work with buyers or are especially skilled at that.  This group of agents comprise most of the buyers agents in our association.  Sometimes buyers agent specialists  cover more counties compared with seller’s agents because they are not spending their energies “farming” neighborhoods in hopes of picking up listings.

Note that some of the larger real estate companies may have access to mores areas, but may also have more listings that could be a potential conflict of interest with the buyer.  However “designated agency” is commonplace now.  Feel free to call our headquarters staff for an explanation of how that works in most states, and get a list of interview questions and answers so you know how to handle the specific  circumstances of an in-house transaction.

Am I more likely to find a buyer agent near me if I get an agent from one of the big franchises?

Larger real estate companies do offer the advantage of the situation of your search area expanding.   Expanding a search area often happens because more rural areas tend to have lower prices and thus may be more likely to fit within your budget. The offset however, is there may be longer commute times if you need to drive in to work.   However, if your search area expands, you can easily switch to another agent within that company.

Alternatively, your agent may be able to  cooperate with another agent who serves an adjacent area  to give you wider access. Also it is sometimes possible to work with 2 different buyers agents so long as their service area coverage does not overlap.   Or, call or email our headquarters office .  We may have other association members for you to consider who may cover a different  city or county.  Typically, agents must belong to the county’s MLS system to get the insider information on properties including most recent status.

What if I want to find an agent for buyers in a broad geographic region?

As more and more people are able to work remotely, the places to buy real estate expands.  Some of the buyers who call us  are not even sure what state they wish to buy in!  We suggest a road trip to check out various places in this case, before you think of hiring a buyers agent.  If you have perhaps 2 or 3 primary areas of interest, we can recommend agents to contact ahead of time so you can make best use of your time and not accidentally contact the listing agent.  We also have many resources to find out about areas in our video series, and our state pages.  There are many many resources now on the web and on our Youtube channel to research median home prices, good school districts, crime areas and walkable neighborhoods. A particularly interesting map on crime rates by state can be found on Wikipedia.  Check them out!

While it is important to most of us to find a nearby buyer’s agent, finding one that is a good fit for you is the most important. As long as they have access to all available properties for sale, you may wish to closely look at other qualities that define a superior agent.  These qualities include great listening, negotiation, and property-finding skills.  The most important thing to remember, is that is is not necessarily physical proximity to the your neighborhood of interest, but rather the buyer agent’s access to the MLS, their history of helping buyers buy in that area, and their buyer agency skills that matter the most.