What Does a Buyer’s Agent Really Do?
Hint: More Than Just Unlocking Doors
Real estate is something everyone has a relationship with. Unless you’re living completely off the grid in a yurt, you grew up in a home your family either rented or owned. From day one, real estate has been woven into your life.
But here’s the thing: until the late 20th century, there was no such thing as a “buyer’s agent.” If you wanted to buy a home, you had to go through the listing agent aka the person representing the seller. After enough lawsuits (and unhappy buyers), laws changed in the ’70s, and by the ’80s and ’90s, buyers finally had the right to their own representation. Game changer.
Most people have a general sense of what a listing agent does. But a buyer’s agent? That role is still widely misunderstood especially today, with headlines about lawsuits, discount brokerages, and “DIY” apps making it seem like agents just open doors and push paperwork. Spoiler alert: if it were that simple, everyone would do it.
So what does a buyer’s agent really do?
They don’t just pull listings off the internet.
You can do that at midnight in your pajamas while scrolling on Zillow. The real work is digging up the homes you can’t see online. Off-market deals, office exclusive listings, opportunities that only surface through relationships. And honestly, half the job is saving you time by filtering out overpriced, poor-fit properties so you don’t waste weekends on houses that don’t make sense.
When you find “the one,” the finesse begins.
Writing an offer that actually wins (without overpaying) is part art, part strategy. There are always multiple parties (sellers, lenders, attorneys, inspectors) and getting them to move in unison takes serious coordination. My role? Run interference. Keep the trains moving. Prevent you from tripping over a contract deadline or regulation you didn’t even know existed.
It’s not just business, it’s emotional.
Buying a home isn’t like shopping for shoes. It’s personal, it’s stressful, and yes it’s emotional. No app is going to reassure you when you’re about to drain your savings or second-guess your decision. A big part of my job is guiding people through that terrain, like a trail guide helping you navigate safely to the summit.
The bottom line
A buyer’s agent isn’t here to “sell” you a house. That’s just the natural outcome of doing the process right. The real goal? Get you the house you want, on the best terms possible, while keeping you sane along the way.
So the next time you hear someone say buyer’s agents just “open doors,” you can smile. Then tell them the truth: the good ones open doors and make sure they don’t slam shut in your face.
XO - Gee
