Homebuyers need an advocate in the field,  typically they have in-depth knowledge about the real estate transactions many intricacies.  Let’s face it, how long does it take the average new agent to learn how to navigate it?  Even if they’ve purchased or sold a home before the process can change from year to year in every aspect, for example, required addendums, inspections needed, and insurance requirements can be very different in a five, ten or even 15 year period.  They need a  Realtor to help guide them through the process.

Agents can specialize in working exclusively with buyers. These specialists help their buyer-clients navigate all aspects of the home buying process, from finding the best mortgage companies. Here’s a sampling of the tasks buyer agents undertake on a daily basis.

Administrative Duties

These can be duties that an agent will do pretty much if they’re a sole agent, not working with any team.  When you’re a sole agent all of the lead generation is all up to you.  When working this way you need to have

• Keeps up with local and regional market activity and industry news
• Researches active, pending, and sold listings and reviews the daily MLS Hot Sheet or Activity Report
• Completes, submits, and files paperwork, such as real estate documents, agreements, and records with the proper state agencies
• Plans and coordinates appointments, open houses, showings, and meetings with clients and other real estate agents
• Develops marketing plans for listings and creates fliers, newsletters, and other promotional collateral
• Responds to incoming emails and phone calls
• Update websites, social media profiles, and blogs

Review Daily MLS Activity Report

Working with several buyers, all with different property requirements is normal for most buyer agents. These real estate professionals keep their fingers on the pulse of the hottest properties and real estate movements in their areas by pulling and reviewing activity reports from the multiple listing service (MLS) daily.

Contact Online Leads

Most homebuyers make initial contact with their agents online, and there are very successful agents and brokers who receive most of their business from the web. For this reason, responding to emails and inquiries posted on social networking profiles, websites and blogs is a top workday priority. Having the latest tools — smart devices and apps — and knowing how to quickly and efficiently handle online communication is a must.

Qualify Buyer Prospects

The number of hours a buyer’s agent works in a day and the amount of commission she’ll ultimately receive depends on the buyer’s ability to buy a home. Neglecting to qualify prospective buyers before taking them on as clients can lead to frustration and no pay. Experienced agents arrange initial in-person meetings with prospective buyers to find out how committed they are to actually buy homes and to get a feel for whether they have the financial ability to do so. As part of the qualifying process, agents usually ask prospective buyer-clients to sign exclusive buyer agency agreements, which ensure the agents will get paid when their sales transactions close.​

Educate Buyer Clients

Educating clients about the home buying process makes a buyer agent’s job easier. Buyer agents usually prepare information packets with brochures and booklets covering the things homebuyers need to know for successful sales transactions. Some real estate agents buy educational materials from their real estate boards to share with clients, while others go the extra mile and create their own customized buyer education content.

Plan Which Properties to Show

During initial meetings, buyer agents take detailed notes about the kinds of homes their clients are looking for. This allows them to search the MLS and find homes that their clients will be excited to view. Narrowing down the number of homes to show clients also saves time and increases the chances of the agent making a sale in a short amount of time.

Show Properties

Buyer agents put as much planning into showing homes as any other part of real estate transactions. They usually call the owner ahead of time, when appropriate, and make sure they know where the home is located. They also prepare information packets for their clients about each home. Once on site, buyer agents guide their clients through properties, answering questions as needed.

Completing these duties and many more, usually set forth by the broker or area MLS, compile what a day in the life of a Buyer’s Agent looks like.  The last and final benefit of being a Buyer’s Agent is that you’ll be able to focus on being the best agent for buyers that you can be instead of trying to be every kind of agent for every kind of buyer.

Gary Keller, President, and CEO of Keller Williams wrote the ONE THING, a book about mastery and focus.  His quote of focusing on a single purpose may help define how well you’ll be able to center on becoming the best Buyer’s Agent possible.

“Success demands singleness of purpose.

You need to be doing fewer things for more effect instead of doing more things with side effects.

It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world.

Passion for something leads to disproportionate time practicing or working at it. That time spent eventually translates to skill, and when skill improves, results improve. Better results generally lead to more enjoyment, and more passion and more time is invested. It can be a virtuous cycle all the way to extraordinary results.

The ONE Thing shows up time and again in the lives of the successful because it’s a fundamental truth.

More than anything else, expertise tracks with hours invested.

The pursuit of mastery bears gifts.

When people look back on their lives, it is the things they have not done that generate the greatest regret…People’s actions may be troublesome initially; it is their inactions that plague them most with long-term feelings of regret.

Make sure every day you do what matters most. When you know what matters most, everything makes sense. When you don’t know what matters most, anything makes sense.”