The first thing you need to do before even approaching a real estate agent or agency is making sure you know exactly what you are looking for in your new home. Are you buying a house with the intention of starting a family and having children in the future? Do you want to live close to the city or in a quiet suburb? Do you plan on living here long term or is this temporary? 

There are many questions you need to ask yourself, and your partner if you're in a relationship, and it's vital that you have a very clear picture in mind of what you want from your new house before approaching a real estate agency. If you don't, your real estate agent will not be of much use and you will both end up getting frustrated as they won't be able to properly help you.

Once you're clear on what you want from your home, you then need to look at what you want from your real estate agent. The qualities of a great real estate agent are:

• Experienced
• Hard-working
• Knowledgeable in the suburbs you're interested in
• Knowledgeable in the characteristics you want in your dream home
• Listens to your wants, needs and dreams with your new home
• Is looking out for your best interests
• Honesty
• Most importantly; someone who will educate you through the process

If your real estate agent is considerably lacking in any of these qualities it should be a red flag that maybe this person is not the right person for you to work with. If these problems persist or get worse, it is clear that you need to find a better real estate agent. There is no point settling for less, especially with something as important and expensive as buying a new home.

How To Tell If Your Real Estate Agent Is Right For You

Many real estate agents in Adelaide and Australia, will send you a bunch of houses and tell you something along the lines of "when you see something you like let me know". This is not a good sign, as it does not help you get a clearer picture of what your perfect house looks like. Your agent should listen to what you want from your home and then educate you in how to know if a house has those qualities and if a house aligns with your desires. They should also be educating you on red flags when looking at homes, as well as promising signs that a house will be right for you. Fr example, if you are looking to have children in the future and your agent does not consider extra bedrooms, or extra rooms that could be converted to bedrooms, they are not doing their job. Never work with someone like this, because if they neglect one area of importance to you they will likely neglect many more that you may not realise since you don't have the industry knowledge.

Summary

Buying a new home is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. Therefore, you should demand the best from the real estate agency and agent you choose and not accept anything less. You deserve to be able to find your dream home and the role of your agent is to help you fulfil that dream. When you are looking to find a new home, make sure to keep this information in mind because it could be the difference between finding your dream home and making the biggest mistake of your life.