When to Reach Out to a Realtor: Too Early, Too Late, Just Right

I recently conducted a first-time homebuyers workshop because I absolutely love educating people and getting them closer to their dreams of home ownership.

One of the questions that always comes up at these events: “When is the right time to contact a realtor?”

People generally ask this because they don’t think they are quite ready, and they feel like they don’t want to waste my time if they aren’t actively shopping for a house.

The good news? It’s never a waste of my time to talk to someone about buying a home, because I LOVE talking to people about real estate. It’s my career because it is my passion!

So, talking to me is never a waste of my time. But, when actually is the best time?

Too Early

I’m going to be honest—there is never really a “Too Early” time to give me a call or text and say that you’re thinking of eventually buying a home, and that’s for two reasons.

The first is because I can give you some advice about what you can do to prepare, from getting a feel for what you like to learning more about financial decisions that will put you in a better future buying position.

The second is because if I know more about what you’re looking for, I can keep an eye out for you as I’m doing all of my realtor things in all of the many neighborhoods in town. You never know when your timeline gets sped up by a life change or your dream house coming on the market.

Too Late

This is a bit less true right now than it can be in more competitive markets, but if you call me from an open house and tell me you’ve found your future home, there’s a risk you could be too late. 

There are many steps that you can take in advance to help a housing transaction move faster, including getting connected with a lender, and every step that gets added to a time-sensitive transaction can risk the seller choosing another buyer over you.

Just Right

Truly, the right time to reach out to a realtor is whenever you start thinking about buying a house. I’m never going to pressure you into anything, I’m simply going to ask you questions until we both have a great idea of what you are looking for and when you are looking for it. The more we can communicate up front, the better the process (and outcome) are going to be for you!