The searches that stall, stall before the first showing: no agreed rule for when to move forward, too many voices, too many options. Build the brief here in three minutes, and bring the six questions to every house.
By Eridania M. Bonilla, NC Broker · Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Paracle · updated 29 October 2026
There is no agreement that “if we find this, we move forward.” Every good house reopens the whole search.
The decision usually sits with the buyer or the couple, with one helper on the side. When family and friends all weigh in, more information stops helping.
The money, or not agreeing on a home, or simply too many choices. Under all three is the same fear: choosing wrong and being stuck with it.
From the buyers I have worked with in Charlotte: what stopped the ones who did not act.
Five answers, one sentence. Print it for everyone in the decision, or send it to me and we start from it, before any tour.
We tour three homes a round, then decide against this page, not against the next listing.
The same questions come at almost every house I show. Ask all six, every time, and write the answers down: by the third house, you will be comparing homes, not memories.
My read, from the recent sales of similar homes nearby, not from the list price.
Ask your agentDays on market, and any price changes on the way. Both sit in the listing history.
Listing historyThe monthly dues and exactly what they pay for: exterior, roof, lawn, amenities. Ask for the budget and the rules before an offer.
The associationWhatever the listing agent can share. Timing on their side can shape the offer on yours.
The listing agentFreddie Mac publishes the national average every week; the number that counts is your own lender's quote, which is why preapproval comes first.
Freddie Mac PMMSSince 17 August 2024, agents on an MLS sign a written agreement with you before touring, stating the pay. It is negotiable, and a seller can still offer it off the MLS.
NAR, the settlement
Send me your brief. We agree the rule first, then we tour.
If your agent works on an MLS, yes: since 17 August 2024 the NAR settlement requires a written agreement with the buyer before touring, stating the agent's pay in a specific amount or rate and that fees are fully negotiable and not set by law.
It is negotiated. Offers of pay to buyer's agents are no longer allowed on the MLS, but a seller can still offer them off the MLS, and can offer buyer concessions such as closing costs on it. Your written agreement says what your agent is paid; ask how it is handled before you offer.
The six I hear at every showing: what the agent thinks of the price, the days on market, the HOA a month and what it covers, why the seller is moving, today's rate, and who pays the buyer's agent. Write the answers down for each house so you compare homes, not memories.
Agree the rule before the search: who decides, the price ceiling, three must-haves, two deal-breakers and the longest drive you'll accept. Then tour three homes a round and decide against that page, not against the next listing.
Not legal or lending advice. Facts on this page describe the process, never the people buying. Equal Housing Opportunity.
