The team · Buying a home
Buyer's agent
The one professional who's unambiguously on your side of the table.
What they do
A buyer's agent represents you and only you. They surface homes, including quiet, off-market ones, pull real comparable sales so you know what a place should trade for, write and negotiate your offer, and quarterback the timeline from accepted offer to keys: inspections, contingencies, deadlines.
When you need one
From the very start, before you tour a single home. The listing agent you meet at an open house works for the seller, letting them 'help' you write an offer puts one person on both sides of the deal.
What to look for
- A track record in your lane, buyers closed in your price range and towns, not just a licence.
- A plan for a bidding war, ask exactly how they'd compete without overpaying.
- Clear terms, how they're paid, in writing, in the buyer-agency agreement.
- Local knowledge, schools, commutes, which streets flood, what's coming.
What it costs
Historically the buyer's agent was paid through a commission split funded by the sale. After recent rule changes that fee is increasingly negotiated and disclosed up front in a buyer-agency agreement, so confirm who pays what, and how much, before you sign anything.
Watch for
- Dual agency, the same agent representing buyer and seller. Your interests and the seller's aren't the same.
- Pressure to waive the inspection to 'win.' Winning the house and losing on a hidden problem isn't winning.
See where your agent fits the buying journey. Back to Buying a home →
Keep exploring the team
Everyone on this team, and where each one fits.
Mortgage broker / loan officer
Turns your finances into a pre-approval, a rate and a real budget.
Explore →Home inspector
Finds what a showing can't, and hands you a punch-list.
Explore →Radon, pest & sewer inspectors
The targeted checks a general inspection doesn't cover.
Explore →Appraiser
Values the home for the bank's collateral, not for you.
Explore →Home insurance agent
Binds coverage and compares carriers before you get the keys.
Explore →Real-estate attorney
Runs the closing, title and escrow, required in Massachusetts.
Explore →New-construction & REO specialists
Builder deals and bank-owned homes each carry their own rules.
Explore →Relocation specialist
Compresses a sight-unseen, deadline-driven purchase and the move.
Explore →See any home scored to you.
The pros get you through the deal. Wiew tells you whether the home fits, sourced, dated, and yours to keep long after the keys.