4 Questions Real Estate Agents Wish They Could Ask Buyers While Hooked up to a Lie Detector

When you’re interested in seeing a house for sale and call a real estate agent, there are a few questions they’re likely to ask, which may seem a little bit prying or pushy. After all, you just want them to show you a house; it’s not like you’re asking them to marry you.

So when an agent starts asking you what seem like rather personal questions, it’s pretty easy to feel okay telling a little white lie so they’ll move on and just get to the fun part of showing you houses.

But they ask these questions for good reason, and it’s for your own good as much as it is for theirs. Without knowing the answers to these questions, it can cause you and the agent issues when you find a house you fall in love with and want to make an offer.

Considering how hesitant people are to answer these questions to begin with, asking you to submit to a lie detector test might be asking way too much. So let’s just try and avoid the need for a polygraph by taking a look 4 questions you should answer honestly when you call a real estate agent:

1) Have you been pre-approved for a mortgage?

This is often the first question agents ask, because it not only helps assure them that you’re able to buy a house, it also ensures you aren’t looking at houses you can’t afford! It’s pretty easy to say you’ve been pre-approved and have an agent take your word for it, but you’re only setting yourself up for potential heartache when you find your dream house only to be told you can’t buy it.

So if you haven’t honestly been pre-approved yet, tell the agent and ask him or her for a list of lenders they recommend. Chances are you can get pre-approved within less time than it takes to take a polygraph test.

2) Are you working with another agent?

Perhaps you’ve been looking at houses with another agent already, or have a friend or family member who’s licensed and plan on working with them to actually buy a house… but you just need someone to show you a particular house right this second and your agent is busy, or you don’t want to bother them.

To begin with, it’s just not fair to ask an agent who ultimately won’t make a dime to take time out of their day to show you houses. But the reason they ask this for your benefit is because if they do show you a house, and you end up working with another agent to buy it, they could claim that they have “procuring cause” and be entitled to the commission. So it could actually hurt the agent you intended to work with, and/or lead to you working with an agent you didn’t really want to work with, which isn’t fun for anyone.

3) Do you need to sell a house in order to buy another one?

You’re not alone if you need to sell a house in order to be able to buy another one. Lots of people need to use the equity in their current house in order to buy their next home.

While it might seem like you’re putting the cart before the horse by selling your house before even finding a house you want to buy, it’s actually the other way around. If you find a house you want, the chances are you won’t be able to sell your house quickly enough to beat out other buyers interested in it, and most sellers won’t be all that keen on taking their house off the market for you to give you time to sell your house.

You’re better off being honest about having to sell your house, and asking the agent for advice on how to go about the process in your current local market.

4) Is there anybody else who needs to weigh in on which house you want to buy?

Perhaps you have parents who are chipping in some money for your down payment, or just want to chime in with their opinion. Or maybe you have a cousin or friend who considers themself as a bit of a real estate expert because they’ve bought a house or two over the years. Whoever you’ll need the blessing of before signing on the dotted line to buy a house should be involved in the process from the get-go.

Otherwise, if you only bring them to see the house you fall in love with, there’s a good chance they’ll tear it to shreds and say you shouldn’t buy it for one reason or another. It’s the easiest and safest thing to do, and just feels productive for someone who’s trying to look out for you. But it’s actually counter-productive, because if they haven’t seen all the houses you didn’t like, it’s impossible for them to appreciate why you decided upon the one you want to buy.