Buying,
strategically.

For your goals, it’s best you don’t. A listing agent, under agreement with the seller, exclusively represents the seller’s interests, aiming to maximize their position—not yours. Your interactions with the listing agent can significantly affect your negotiating leverage. Having strong buyer representation that prioritizes your interests as a buyer leads to better results.

I’m a Marin local who has been a homeowner on both sides of the Golden Gate Bridge for 20 years. I’m grateful to help clients in Marin, San Francisco, all of the North Bay and Wine Country, all of the East Bay, and the Peninsula. I’m known to go wherever my clients need me and I’m grateful to do so.

No, you won’t have to. Typically and including after the NAR lawsuit settlements, sellers are still offering buyer agents a success fee commission for bringing qualified buyers.

A well-respected, highly regarded buyer’s agent carries significant influence with listing agents, which can be a game-changer in competitive offer situations. Sometimes, an agent’s reputation and professionalism can help their client’s offer stand out, even if it isn’t the highest. Strong relationships also prove invaluable when resolving unexpected issues. An agent with trusted connections to service providers can address problems quickly and effectively, offering substantial value to their clients.

Of course, you want an experienced agent as who you work with matters. The real estate industry has low entry barriers, often glamorized by media portrayals that don’t match the reality. Choosing a professional agent—rather than simply working with a friend or someone who dabbles—is crucial. As professionals, we are ethically and legally obligated to prioritize your interests. Experience drives success, with seasoned agents (those with over five years in the field) bringing the most value. Working with a top-tier agent, who has established processes, a vendor network, legal resources, and a commitment to excellence, ensures you're in the best hands for your real estate journey.

Once your offer has been accepted, you’re now in “escrow.” Managing an escrow transaction can feel like herding cats. While our back-end team provides excellent support with paperwork, I take a hands-on approach to ensure that everyone involved is handling their responsibilities.

We don’t just assume things are on track—we proactively verify. This includes confirming your deposit has been submitted to the title company, inspections are scheduled promptly, working closely with your lender (unless you’re all cash) to ensure they have all the documentation they need, paying for the appraisal, and securing insurance as soon as the contract is in place.

The inspection phase is a key step in the transaction process and can take several hours or even days, depending on the number of specialists the buyer wants to assess the property. A general home inspection often leads to the need for additional inspections, which means quickly finding the right experts to evaluate issues within the timeframe set in the contract.

However, coordinating with contractors and specialists isn’t always straightforward—they don’t operate on the “anytime” schedule that real estate agents do. If you've ever tried to get a repair professional on short notice, you'll understand the challenge.

Experienced advisors know that final walkthroughs are prime opportunities for last-minute issues to surface. These might include sellers who:

• Are still moving out

• Leave the property in disarray

• Pile garbage or unwanted items in the garage

• Shut off the power, causing freezer ice to melt and flood the bin

• Neglect lawn or landscaping before closing

• Stop pool service weeks prior, leaving it green

• Cause move-out damage like carpet stains, scratched floors, or drywall dings

If any potential issues pop up, it’s up to me, your buyer’s agent, to step in. They may be racing to document issues with photos for the listing agent and gathering quotes to clean, repair, or fix damage. Some problems, like scratched or chipped floors—or even torn lower-quality vinyl plank flooring from careless movers—are tough to resolve quickly.

In some cases, listing agents offer little help, dismissing concerns with a “too bad” attitude, leaving an unhappy buyer hesitant to close on a home in poor condition. With the pressure on, it falls on me to find a way to make things right–and I always do.

On closing day, it’s the buyer’s agent’s job to ensure all keys, access cards or fobs, garage remotes, security and garage codes, and any other important property details are provided to the buyer. The agent must also confirm that the listing agent has removed the lockbox and signage. If any items are missing, the buyer’s agent steps in to hold the listing agent accountable or find an alternative solution. Buyers shouldn’t assume that listing agents will leave everything in perfect order.

If the walkthrough revealed unresolved issues, the buyer’s agent should confirm they’re addressed before the buyer signs final documents—or arrange a last-minute solution if needed.

Even after closing, the buyer may encounter unexpected issues when moving in. While inspection reports document what was functional at the time of inspection, sometimes new issues pop up due to sheer bad luck. Often, the buyer’s first call for help is their agent, who knows the right people to call for support.

Once settled, buyers may begin thinking about home improvement projects and will look to their agent for referrals to reliable vendors and service providers. In some cases, a task like lawn care may become overwhelming, prompting the buyer to reach out to their agent for recommendations on a trusted provider.