What questions should I ask a real estate agent before hiring them?

<div><p>Interviewing real estate agents is the best way to find the right person for the job. Consider asking the following questions to find the best agent for you:</p><ul><li><p>How will you show my property?</p></li><li><p>Will you do open houses to market my home?</p></li><li><p>How will you handle dual agency (representing the buyer and you as the seller)?</p></li><li><p>Should I make repairs to my home before listing?</p></li><li><p>Will you get professional photos taken of my home?</p></li><li><p>What is the best price you think we can get for my property?</p></li><li><p>How long do you expect the sale to take?</p></li></ul><p></p></div>

Do I need a real estate agent as a buyer?

<div><p>You don’t legally need a real estate agent as a buyer, as you can represent yourself, but you should always hire an agent as a home buyer. A professional real estate agent will have access to local MLS services to find homes that meet your criteria and needs, can connect you with other professionals—like a mortgage broker and real estate attorney—you’ll need for the purchase, and can often negotiate a better price for your home to help save you money. Plus, as the buyer, your agent’s commission comes from the seller’s proceeds from the sale of the home.</p></div>

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Q: Do I need a real estate agent as a buyer?

<div><p>You don&rsquo;t legally need a real estate agent as a buyer, as you can represent yourself, but you should always hire an agent as a home buyer. A professional real estate agent will have access to local MLS services to find homes that meet your criteria and needs, can connect you with other professionals&mdash;like a mortgage broker and real estate attorney&mdash;you&rsquo;ll need for the purchase, and can often negotiate a better price for your home to help save you money. Plus, as the buyer, your agent&rsquo;s commission comes from the seller&rsquo;s proceeds from the sale of the home.</p></div>

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Verified Reviews for Real Estate Service pros in Columbia, CA

*The Angi rating for Real Estate Service companies in Columbia, CA is a rating based on verified reviews from our community of homeowners who have used these pros to meet their Real Estate Service needs.

*The HomeAdvisor rating for Real Estate Service companies in Columbia, CA is a rating based on verified reviews from our community of homeowners who have used these pros to meet their Real Estate Service needs.

Last update on April 06, 2025

Reviewed in April 2025
Alan Gitz was extremely helpful, friendly, knowlegable and professional. Not to mention very patient with us. We were visiting from another state looking for a house to call our home. After a month and multiple houses we found one we really like. He worked with us through the whole process via...
Keaty Real Estate, LLC
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Reviewed in September 2018
The Brad Korb Real Estate Group did an excellent job of selling and preparing our home for the market. We needed extensive repairs and upgrades before listing the house. Living out of state we were at a loss on how to handle the logistics of hiring contractor's to make the repairs. Brad's team...
Brad Korb
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Reviewed in December 2016
Great, Rose was wonderful. She was diligent, efficient, prompt, and took my needs into consideration. She took the worry out of selling my house.
Team Forss Realty Group
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Reviewed in November 2020
Mike was very easy to work with. He was super responsive, attentive to our wants & needs, and shared his real estate knowledge as well as research on prospective properties . He made our relocation experience much less stressful.
Michael Marshall - Buyer's Resource Realty Svcs.
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Reviewed in May 2013
I am in an area that Angie's List is not established in (Barstow). I left a message looking for an appraiser in that area. Penny does not handle the area I am in. Normally if there is nothing in it for the vendor you never get a call back. Penny called back within minutes and went out of...
Penny Smith Realtor/Appraiser
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Reviewed in October 2012
Several years back when starting to research real estate opportunies in the Russian River area we met Richard and John at Herth Real Estate. They've been great to work with ... knowledgeable, supportive, and helpful. The Russian River is about an hour from where we live and they made it easy...
HERTH REAL ESTATE SONOMA
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Reviewed in November 2015
Sarah Corliss was tireless in finding me the right home. She went way above and beyond what was necessary to close the deal, including meeting repair people and responding to texts late in the night. I could not have hoped for a better partner in this huge endeavor.
Sue Forbes
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Reviewed in May 2013
from start to finish they helped us with all the questions, and provided different options to get the best from our money.
Citypro Financial
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Reviewed in February 2014
Rosanna has been absolutely amazing. She doesn't rent homes but gave us information on people who do and emails us new homes up for purchase weekly. We will be renting first and then purchasing later. Rosanna is professional, courteous and is quick to respond to any questions you have. I am...
Members Realty LLC
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Reviewed in February 2013
Larry Barrett is the realator who all my friends rave about and I will be using in the future! All of my friends say he is such a breath of fresh air, and a joy to deal with! He goes above and beyond with everything he does! He is also very fair and hard working!
Coldwell Banker Best Realty
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Real estate agents in Columbia

Real estate services FAQs

Real estate agents work on commission, so the cost of hiring an agent will depend on the cost of the home you’re buying or selling. The listing contract should include information about the commission for both agents, which is usually 6 percent of the sale price in total or 3 percent per side. With an average national home value of around $440,000, the typical commission per agent is $13,200. However, you won’t pay this total out of pocket. Instead, the commission comes out of the sale price of the property.

Interviewing real estate agents is the best way to find the right person for the job. Consider asking the following questions to find the best agent for you:

How will you show my property?
Will you do open houses to market my home?
How will you handle dual agency (representing the buyer and you as the seller)?
Should I make repairs to my home before listing?
Will you get professional photos taken of my home?
What is the best price you think we can get for my property?
How long do you expect the sale to take?

Yes, hiring a real estate agent is worth it. Many homeowners make the mistake of trying to sell their homes by themselves, thinking that they’ll save money on the commission, but what they save on the commission, they very often pay for in frustration and concessions on the sale price. Hiring a real estate agent to handle the sale of your home not only makes the process far easier and takes the burden off of you, but most homeowners get more for their homes when going through an agent because of the marketing and salesmanship they bring to the table.

You don’t legally need a real estate agent as a buyer, as you can represent yourself, but you should always hire an agent as a home buyer. A professional real estate agent will have access to local MLS services to find homes that meet your criteria and needs, can connect you with other professionals—like a mortgage broker and real estate attorney—you’ll need for the purchase, and can often negotiate a better price for your home to help save you money. Plus, as the buyer, your agent’s commission comes from the seller’s proceeds from the sale of the home.

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