Find the Perfect Real Estate Property in Connecticut

1. When you say you are "going home," you want to really mean it!
2. You are tired of saving all your quarters for the laundromat.
3. You want to paint the walls of your bedroom any color you please.
4. There are more than twice as many people as bedrooms in your current residence.
5. You want to provide your family with a sense of stability and plant roots.
6. You are working at a job where you won't leave the country every other year.
7. It's mid-August and you can no longer tolerate waiting for your landlord to send someone to fix your air conditioner.
8. You want a vested interest in your community.
9. You could use the property tax and mortgage interest deductions.
10. You're ready to stop paying your landlord's mortgage payment, and start building wealth of your own.

Qualifications are important. However, finding a solid, professional agent means getting beyond the resume, and into what makes an agent effective. Use the following questions as your starting point in hiring your licensed, professional real estate agent:

1. Why did you become a real estate agent?
2. Why should I work with you?
3. What do you do better than other real estate agents?
4. What process will you use to help me find the right home for my particular wants and needs?
5. What are the most common things that go wrong in a transaction and how would you handle them?
6. What are some mistakes that you think people make when buying their first home?
7. What other professionals do you suggest we work with and what are their credentials?
8. Can you provide me with references or testimonials from past clients?

In the past, real estate agents always represented the seller, whether the agent helped a seller to market and sell a home or helped a buyer find and purchase a home. In other words, agents were at one time legally bound to represent the seller in a residential real estate transaction. In that scenario, the seller paid both the listing agent and the agent who brought the buyer.

Today, agents either represent the buyer, the seller, or both. If you want to sell your home, you can work with a "seller's agent." If you want to buy a home, you can work with a "buyer's agent." Most states require real estate agents to disclose to consumers who they represent. Sometimes an agent will represent the buyer and the seller. A buyer who elects this situation should receive full disclosure on representation. In some states, dual agency affects the real estate professional's fiduciary responsibilities to the seller. The real estate agent you choose should fully disclose how they work with individuals and the options available to you.

Keep in mind that real estate laws differ from state to state and even from locale to locale. For more in-depth answers, talk with a knowledgeable real estate professional and ask about local practices. Be sure you understand and are comfortable with the services of the real estate agent you engage.