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

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

Do I need a real estate agent as a buyer?

<div>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.</div>

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Verified Reviews for Real Estate Service pros in Guilderland, NY

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

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Last update on April 07, 2025

Reviewed in March 2025
Marion was one of the best real estate agents that I worked with. She provided excellent advice, was responsive to all our needs and was truly a pleasure to work with. We sold our house very quickly. She was also a pleasure to work with.
Marion DeSantis Team at Keller Williams Capital District
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Reviewed in July 2024
Marion DeSantis is certainly tops among realtors in the region, and I would highly recommend working with her team. We never imagined that selling our home could be a stress-free experience, but working with Marion made it possible. Marion’s knowledge of the market, guidance for staging our home...
Marion DeSantis Team at Keller Williams Capital District
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Reviewed in April 2024
My wife and I were extremely happy with the job that Marion DeSantis and her team did representing us in the sale of our home. We hired her because she was honest with us and had a long term plan for selling our home that made sense and was successful. I don’t believe that we would have had a...
Marion DeSantis Team at Keller Williams Capital District
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Reviewed in September 2023
Trevor Moran and his associates did an excellent job selling our mother's home in Catskill, NY…from helping us decide on a price, to marketing (his photos were outstanding!), to holding an open house and negotiating with potential buyers. The result was a good, quick, smooth sale to a wonderful...
The Truss Group
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Reviewed in August 2023
Marion and her exceptional team made the selling of my elderly aunt’s cherished home seamless. From the outset, my collaboration with Marion was more than just business; it was more like a friendly partnership. She generously shared both her time & insights before we even signed the listing...
Marion DeSantis Team at Keller Williams Capital District
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Reviewed in August 2023
Trevor is a savvy agent who was always responsive to me as a client. His knowledge of the Hudson Valley is vast, and he has forged great local relationships that proved very helpful to me when moving into a new town. Trevor always went above and beyond to accommodate my interests, and he found...
The Truss Group
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Reviewed in February 2023
John Peterson is a wonderful real estate agent and human being. He is incredibly responsive and available. He is a good listener and really thinks about what your needs are and what to show you accordingly. He goes above and beyond, and being new to area he has connected with lots of people to...
The Truss Group
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Reviewed in February 2023
John Peterson was extremely helpful throughout the whole process of looking for and purchasing a new home. He was knowledgeable and very pleasant to work with.
The Truss Group
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Reviewed in November 2022
A big thank you goes out to Marion DeSantis and her team at Keller Williams. We recently had Marion and her team help us sell our house. The team was very up beat, professional, and came in with a plan to properly prepare our property and market it to obtain the maximum selling price. Their...
Marion DeSantis Team at Keller Williams Capital District
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Reviewed in November 2022
Marion was professional, knowledgeable, kind and always available to answer questions and troubleshoot - even in the 11th hour of closing. I would trust her again in a heartbeat.
Marion DeSantis Team at Keller Williams Capital District
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Real estate agents in Guilderland

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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