What Questions Should I Ask Before Hiring a Real Estate Agent in NYC?
Everyone in New York knows a real estate agent. That's not the same thing as knowing a good one. NYC has more agents per square foot than almost anywhere in the country, and the range between "genuinely excellent" and "just has a license" is enormous. Before you commit to working with someone on what's probably the biggest purchase of your life, ask these questions first.
"How many deals have you closed in this specific neighborhood?"
Not Brooklyn generally. Not "the city." The actual neighborhood, sometimes the actual blocks, you're looking at. An agent who's closed a dozen deals in Fort Greene knows things about that market that someone who mostly works Manhattan simply won't. Ask for specifics, not vibes.
"Do you work with buyers, sellers, or both?"
Some agents focus almost entirely on one side. That's not automatically a red flag, but it's worth knowing, because an agent who spends most of their time on the seller side of deals may not have the negotiation instincts or buyer-side experience you actually need. Ask them to walk you through their split.
"What's your experience with co-op boards?"
If there's any chance you'll be buying a co-op, this question matters more than almost anything else on this list. Co-op boards can be unpredictable, and an agent who's shepherded buyers through a dozen board packages knows how to build a package that gets approved on the first try. An agent who's never done it is learning on your dime.
"Can you walk me through your process from offer to closing?"
A good agent should be able to answer this without hesitating, in plain language, without making it sound more mysterious than it is. If the answer is vague or rushed, that's usually a sign they haven't done this enough times to have a real process, or they're not interested in walking you through it.
"How will you communicate with me, and how often?"
This sounds small until you're three weeks into a deal and can't get a response for four days. Ask directly. Do they text. Do they call. Are they the one handling your deal personally or handing you off to an assistant the moment you sign. You deserve to know this upfront, not find out the hard way.
"What do you think I'm missing?"
This is the real test. Any agent can tell you what you want to hear about a listing. The good ones will tell you what you're not seeing, whether that's a red flag in a building's financials, a block that's louder than it looks on a weekday, or a price that's not going to hold up under negotiation. If they only ever agree with you, they're not doing their job.
"Do you get paid differently depending on which listing I choose?"
This one rarely gets asked, and it should. You want an agent whose advice isn't quietly shaped by which listing pays them more. A good agent will answer this honestly without getting defensive about it.
The bigger picture
Most people spend more time researching a couch than they do vetting the person who's going to guide them through a six or seven-figure purchase. Don't be most people. The right agent isn't the one who shows you the most listings. It's the one who helps you see the ones that are actually worth it, and has the honesty to steer you away from the ones that aren't.
Xx Andrew
