David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox is arguably the best designated hitter of all time. He specializes in one thing: hitting. Most players do two things: they hit and they play a position in the field. He does not play a position in the field (except in rare circumstances). His main job is to hit.
Contrast Ortiz with someone like teammate Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia is a great hitter but he is also a great fielder. He fields and hits - just as most baseball players do. He is not a "specialist" like Ortiz - he is more of an "all-around" player.
Like Ortiz, some agents work only with sellers or only with buyers. These agents specialize with one or the other for various reasons. However, most agents work with both types of clients. For example, if someone calls me to sell their home, I am as happy to do that as I am to help someone who is buying their first home. I will also help someone rent their home or help someone find a rental. These functions - and more - are all components of what would fall under the general job description for most real estate agents.
So what makes me a buyer's agent or a listing agent? It is a label that applies simply based upon what the situation is. For example, there is only one agent who is the listing agent for any given home. That makes every other agent - by default - a buyer's agent for that particular home.
Most people know generally what a listing agent does: they offer help to the seller in setting a price, they take photos of the home, they market the home through advertising and Open Houses and they help negotiate any offers so that the seller gets the best offer overall.
What does a buyer's agent do? The buyer's agent gives full attention and support to his/her buyers. The agent advocates for the buyers at every step of the process. The agent owes the buyers confidentiality, loyalty and all the requisite fiduciary responsibilities. Here are the major services that the agent provides:
- Assists buyers with obtaining their loan pre-approval
- Provides automated e-mail alerts for properties that match the buyers' criteria
- Schedules private showings for homes of interest
- Assists buyers with making reasonable offers
- Negotiates best offer terms for clients
- Assists clients with selecting home inspector and scheduling inspection
- Re-negotiates terms of offer, if necessary, based upon inspection results
- Assists with selection of attorney (if necessary) to review final sales agreement
- Deals with any unexpected issues that come up along the way
- Schedules final walk-through prior to closing
- Attends closing with clients
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