Real Estate Questions (part 6): Questions to Ask Your Agent

There’s a lot of generic information out there about how we as brokers work, and what our roles look like. Here at the Cohen Group NW, we believe it’s important to have a face-to-face conversation about the whole real estate process, and take the time to answer your specific questions. However, here are a few common questions and (some of) our team’s answers for them:

Are you familiar with this area?

Since our team’s inception, we’ve specialized in the Bellingham area, while also closing sales in Maple Falls, Ferndale, Blaine/Semiahmoo, and Skagit County. You can review our past sales map here to get a sense of what we’ve closed in the specific area or neighborhood you’re interested in. 

Are you a part-time or full-time agent?

Everyone at the Cohen Group NW is a full-time real estate professional. Not only that, but we also have multiple licensed & unlicensed admins working in person (not VAs) at our Bellingham office to support day-to-day operations and keep agents focused on you!  On any given day, an agent might be out showing houses while an admin is processing paperwork for their newest pending transaction, or the agent is meeting with clients while the marketing team is publicizing their listing. 

Do I work with you directly or your team?

You work directly with your agent for both buying and selling houses. However, we also have licensed support professionals who are in touch. Your agent is always your primary point of contact for questions, advice, guidance and negotiations, and then the admin team supports the paperwork and marketing work. It might look like this:

You meet with your agent to determine the price and timing of the listing. The listing manager schedules the photo & video day, sets up the paperwork for your signatures, and lets you know when the listing is live. Your agent hosts the open houses, provides weekly updates, and fields buyer agent feedback and communication.  

What’s the best way to communicate with you?

We’re texting, calling and emailing consistently throughout the business day. To avoid burnout in what can be a hectic industry, our team generally turns off communication by 6-7PM on business days and limits our general communication on weekends, instead focusing on showings, open houses & negotiations as needed. However, whenever you’re in one of those back-and-forth negotiation stages, we’re constantly in touch - even into the later evening and holiday weekends.

What happens if you go on vacation?

Since we’re a team, there are always multiple licensed brokers available to step in as needed. We’ve had multiple cases of an agent introducing the team to their clients, leaving on a plane, and returning to pick the transaction back up. This also helps when any agent is out sick, has a personal emergency, or any other of those life reasons kick in.  Every licensed broker you meet on our team will be friendly, professional, and supportive of you and your agent.

There are plenty more questions you can ask your agent before hiring them; these are just a few! Reach out to team@cohengroupnw.com with any questions on your mind, or to schedule a time for one of our agents to take you out for beer or coffee to discuss your real estate plans. 

By Tiffany Holden. All real estate blog posts are written by licensed professionals without the aid of AI, from our real experience & expertise. Cohen Group NW is a team at Muljat Group Realtors. If you already have an agency relationship, this is not intended as a solicitation.