Should I just hire an attorney to help me buy a home instead of a Realtor?

While attorneys are vital for title and legal documents, they are not your negotiator or boots-on-the-ground expert. To find a Realtor who truly protects you, look for someone who tours homes with you, spots structural issues, and manages contingency timelines—tasks an attorney typically does not handle.

Will my Realtor see houses with me or should I go alone?

Your agent should always see the house with you. When you find a Realtor, their job is to be your second set of eyes, pointing out potential 'money pits' or structural gremlins in the basement that you might miss. If an agent is fine with you going to showings alone, it is a significant red flag.

Should my Realtor go to inspections and the final walk-through with me?

Yes, your buyer's agent must be physically present at the home inspection and the final walk-through. This ensures they can help you prioritize repair requests and verify that all systems (like heat and appliances) are working before you close, preventing costly surprises after move-in.

How do I find a Realtor in DC, Maryland, or Virginia who knows the area?

To find a Realtor with local expertise, ask how many buyers they've represented in your specific neighborhood in the last 12 months. They should be able to explain complex nuances like the difference between a fee-simple townhome and a condo-style townhome, which is common in the DC metro area.

What are the top red flags when trying to find a Realtor?

Major red flags include agents who treat real estate as a side hustle, those who suggest you handle the walk-through yourself, and agents who can't clearly explain the contract process. Always look for a full-time professional with a structured, transparent process from offer to closing.

How to Find a Realtor | The Complete Guide of Questions to Ask a Real Estate Agent

How to Find a Realtor – What Questions Should You Ask a Real Estate Agent Before You Hire Them?

There are 1.4 million real estate agents in this country, and a shocking number of them have no business touching your home purchase. The wrong buyer’s agent will happily collect a paycheck while you move into a house with no heat in the middle of winter. In this guide, I’m going to show you exactly how to find a Realtor – a great Realtor, so you don’t get burned.

I keep hearing people say, “Do I even need a buyer’s agent?” or “I’ll just have my friend’s attorney look over the paperwork.”

Here’s the problem: Buying a house isn’t just “paperwork.” It’s strategy, protection, negotiation, inspections, emotions, and a whole lot of things that can go wrong when you don’t know what you don’t know.

Today we’re going to talk about how to find a Realtor who is amazing so you can tell the difference between someone who’s actually in your corner and someone who’s just collecting a commission.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know:

The non-negotiables your agent should handle for you
The red flags that scream “run”
The questions to ask before you ever sign a buyer agreement

Why “I’ll Just Hire an Attorney” Is Not a Plan

You’re going to hear this a lot, especially in an attorney-heavy town like DC. “Just find the house online and hire an attorney to do the closing.” I love attorneys. I was raised by one. I’m married to one. But you need to understand what they actually do in a real estate transaction and what they don’t.

In DC, Maryland, and Virginia, attorneys usually:

Work in the background
Pull title, prepare legal documents, and conduct closing
Represent the transaction, but not as your negotiator in the way an agent does

They are not the ones:

Touring 30 houses with you
Spotting the weird slope in the floor that screams “structural issue”
Helping you set smart contingency timelines so you don’t lose your deposit
Showing up at inspections and walk-throughs

And here’s a big one that nobody thinks about: If your attorney writes a custom contract, the listing agent may look at that and say, “Our seller needs their attorney to review this.” That means extra time, extra cost for the seller, and a high chance your offer gets pushed aside in favor of the standard contract they see every day from a buyer’s agent.

You must find a Realtor who:

Knows the standard contracts inside and out
Understands how attorneys fit into the process
Is focused on getting your offer accepted, not reinventing the contract wheel

Find a Realtor Who Will ALWAYS See the House with You

Thank you, internet. Most buyers find “the house” online now. They fall in love with photos, decide this is “the one,” and then try to backfill the logic later.

Your agent’s job in that moment isn’t to be a cheerleader. It’s to be the person who gets all up in the house’s business and points out the positives and the pitfalls.

You want to find a Realtor who:

Tours a lot of homes and knows what “normal old house” vs. “expensive problem” looks like
Points out the gremlin in the basement, not just the pretty backsplash in the kitchen
Will tell you when a “cute” house is actually a money pit
Walks through the home alongside you, and not just stand at the door or sit in the living room (I’ve seen both these things when showings overlap and it’s astonishing)

I read a post on a DC mom message board where someone bought a “townhome” and didn’t realize it was a condo-style ownership. And the follow-up comments were gold, with people telling them “there’s really not a difference.” There’s a HUGE difference! A lot of them! That’s exactly what happens when you don’t have a knowledgeable real estate agent walking you through the process. I assure you the difference between a condo, a townhome condo, and a fee simple townhome where you own the land is significant.

Find a Realtor who:

Explains what you’re actually buying
Clarifies the ownership type before you write an offer
Makes sure you’re not confusing two totally different products because the listing sounded pretty

If your agent is fine with you going to see houses alone, or they seem annoyed when you ask, “What’s the difference between this and that?” that’s a red flag.

By the way, hello! I’m Melissa Terzis, DC Real Estate Mama. I help people buy and sell in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, and I’ve been doing this long enough to see sloppy agents and great agents.

This Is Not a Virtual Job: Find a Realtor Who Shows Up – Every Single Time

I spent a decade on our Realtor Association’s Grievance Panel. And we heard from buyers whose agent:

Did not attend the home inspection
Did not attend the final walk-through
Told them, “Here’s the combo to the lockbox – just walk through on your own, I’ll see you at closing”

They moved into a “newly renovated” home, in the middle of winter, and lived without heat for ten days. Why? Because they didn’t know how to find a Realtor to look out for their best interests. That agent should have been with them. And they all should have:

Put utilities in the buyer’s name before closing
Check the appliances
Turn on all the burners
Run the water and make sure the systems actually worked

This is the bare minimum. You want a buyer’s agent who treats inspection and walk-through as non-negotiable.

Find a Realtor who:

Is physically present at your showings, your home inspection, and your closing (or they send a trusted partner if they truly cannot be there)
Helps you prioritize which repair requests actually matter
Shows up to the walk-through and tests everything with you

If something breaks between contract and closing, it’s on the seller to fix. Your agent is the one who protects you on that. I’ve held up closings over issues found at walk-through. That’s part of our job.

If an agent tells you, “You can handle the walk-through yourself,” what they’re really saying is they’re not invested enough in your success to be inconvenienced. Hard pass.

What a Great Buyer’s Agent Actually Does for You

You know how buyers say, “I wish there was a one-pager that explained the process”? That’s because too many agents wing it. Here’s what you should expect a strong buyer’s agent to do, at a minimum. This is the standard you hold them to when you’re interviewing.

They should:

Explain the entire process upfront so you’re not constantly wondering what happens next. I don’t do this on the first call or meeting, but I do it on the second.

Review each step in real time. I’ll explain the whole buying process at that second meeting, but you won’t remember a lot of it. As we’re going through the process though and hitting milestones, I’ll walk you through what everything means and what could go wrong.

Strategize to win the house without overpaying. Pricing strategy, terms, contingencies, and how to beat the competition without throwing your brain out the window—they should be extremely experienced in all facets of offers, negotiations, and strategy.

Protect your interests from offer to closing. They track deadlines, contingencies, and make sure your deposit is never at risk.

Recommend trusted lenders and inspectors. People who share their client-first ethics, not just whoever bought them lunch. And my favorite – when people say to never go with the home inspector your agent recommends. I can’t speak for other agents, but you know what I don’t want to happen? An inspector who phones it in and you pay the price. You’ll never look back on your experience with me negatively, and I’m in this for the long haul, not for a few transactions.

Attend inspections and negotiate repairs. Not just “let me know what the inspector says.”

Watch the appraisal like a hawk. Confirm it’s ordered and on time, advise on low appraisals, and help you either renegotiate or save the contract.

Monitor permits and condo or HOA documents. Look for red flags, incomplete permits, or rules that might make you hate living there.

Guide you through the boring but critical logistics. Moves, utilities, walk-through checklists. All the unsexy pieces that keep you from the “ten days with no heat” story.

When you’re interviewing an agent, you can literally say: “Walk me through what you do for buyers from the first call to closing. Be specific.”

If they can’t describe a clear process, they don’t have one.

Red Flags and Questions to Ask Before You Hire an Agent

The bar to entry into real estate sales is low enough for a snake to limbo under. Getting a license is easy. Building a reputation and staying in the industry is not easy.

Find a Realtor Who is:

All in on their business
Full-time, or working more than full-time
Not just here because it looked cool on TV or because they lost their job

Here are 5 Critical Questions to ask a Realtor:

“How many buyers have you represented in the last 12 months in this area?”
You want recent, local, specific experience.

“Do you attend inspections and walk-throughs?”
The answer should be yes.

“What is your process from offer to closing?”
Listen for structure and specifics, not vague “I stay on top of things.”

“Can you give me an example of a time you protected a buyer from a bad situation?”
You want real stories, not fluff.

“What other job do you have?”
If this is side hustle number four, understand what that means for your response time and availability.

Red flags:

They tell you, “You can just handle the walk-through and inspection questions yourself”
They seem annoyed when you ask process questions
They can’t clearly explain the difference between ownership types in your market
They brag about “winning” at all costs but never mention protecting your deposit or your long-term interests
They brag about all their awards (Hot tip: So many of those awards are BS)

The Bottom Line

So, should you have a buyer’s agent? Yes. But the real question is which kind. You don’t need someone who just unlocks doors and uploads a contract. You need someone who shows up, protects you, and has a real process.

If you’re thinking about buying in DC, Maryland, or Virginia and you want someone who treats your purchase like it’s their own, reach out. We’ll walk through this together, the right way.

Learn more about choosing between Maryland and Virginia.

Helpful Resources for DC Area Homebuyers: