DENVER HOME BUYER’S GUIDE · STEP 1 OF 10
How to choose a buyer’s agent in Denver
What a buyer’s agent does for you, the questions to ask before you hire one, and how buyer agreements and agent pay work in Colorado since the 2024 changes.
The seller has someone in their corner. Their listing agent’s job is to get them the highest price and the best terms. You should have the same thing on your side of the table: an agent whose legal duty runs to you, who has seen enough transactions to spot a problem early, and who will tell you plainly when a house isn’t worth what it’s listed for.
What a buyer’s agent does for you
I narrow the market down to the homes that actually fit, and I research each one before we walk in. I look at dozens of homes a week, so I tend to notice the things that are easy to miss on a first visit: the patched foundation crack, the furnace near the end of its life, the addition that may not have been permitted.
Once we find the right house, I pull comparable sales, talk to the listing agent about what matters to the seller and help you decide on a price and terms. After you’re under contract, I handle the repair and price negotiations, keep every deadline in the Colorado contract on track and make sure you understand each document before you sign it. My transaction coordinator double-checks the paperwork so nothing slips.
I work daily with inspectors, contractors, lenders and title companies across the metro. When something goes sideways, and something usually does, you have someone who has solved that problem before.
That includes new construction. I walk builds at every stage, from framing to final, so I know what to look for before the drywall goes up.
Questions to ask when you interview agents
Colorado has more than 50,000 licensed real estate brokers, and experience varies widely. Plenty of agents close only a handful of deals a year. These are the questions I’d ask if I were hiring someone for my own purchase, and what to listen for in the answer.
How long have you been selling real estate?
An agent who has only worked in one kind of market may not know how to adjust when it shifts. Unless they come from a background like real estate investing, years in the business and experience with different market cycles matter.
Are you on a team or a solo agent?
On a team, ask whether this person will be the one at your showings and negotiating your offer, or whether you’ll be handed off. A solo agent should be able to tell you who covers for them and what support they have.
Is real estate your full-time job?
Good homes in Denver can go under contract in a weekend. An agent with another job may not be free when a showing or a deadline can’t wait.
How many transactions do you personally close each year?
Ask for their own numbers, not the team’s or the brokerage’s. Fewer than 10 or 12 deals a year may mean less practice negotiating. On the other end, a solo agent working with more than four or five buyers at once may not have much time for you.
What’s your availability?
Boundaries are healthy, but real estate doesn’t run nine to five. Make sure their schedule works with yours.
Where does most of your business come from?
Agents who take good care of their clients tend to get a large share of their business from repeat clients and referrals.
Do you own your home or any investment property?
A surprising number of agents have never bought or sold a home of their own. Going through it as a consumer changes how you understand the client’s side.
How do you give back to the community?
Agents who care about the people they serve usually show it outside of their transactions too.
For the record, here are my answers. I’ve been licensed since 2015 and work full time as a solo agent with a transaction coordinator and trusted colleagues who cover showings if I’m unavailable. Before real estate I spent ten years as a financial advisor, and my parents and grandparents were real estate investors. My husband and I bought our first Denver home in 2013. A percentage of every commission goes to Project I See You’s Shared Power grants for Denver women buying homes.
Buyer agreements and agent pay in Colorado
How buyers’ agents get paid changed in August 2024 after a national settlement involving the National Association of Realtors. Here is how it works now, and how I handle it.
You and I agree on my fee in writing, up front
In Colorado, an agent can only represent you as your buyer’s agent under a written agreement. Realtors are also now required to have a written agreement with a buyer before touring homes together. The agreement spells out what I’ll do, how long it lasts and how I’m paid. The fee is negotiable. It isn’t set by law, by Compass or by the MLS.
Read it before you sign it. Colorado regulators have heard from buyers who signed an exclusive agreement thinking it was a routine form. I’d rather walk through mine line by line with you and answer every question first.
Who actually pays
Under the agreement, paying for my services is your responsibility. In practice, many Denver sellers still cover some or all of the buyer’s agent fee, and we can ask a seller to cover it as part of your offer. If a seller covers less than the fee we agreed on, you pay the difference at closing.
I don’t get paid until you close. And because the money is the part of this decision that matters most, I check your cash to close on every home we get serious about, with my fee included and based on what that seller is currently offering. You’ll know the real number before we write an offer.
What I commit to
- Find homes that fit your criteria through the MLS, my network and off-market leads
- Research each property before we tour it
- Handle all communication and negotiation with listing agents and sellers
- Give you my honest opinion on your criteria and on whether a home is a sound investment
- Record a video walkthrough if a home is moving fast and you can’t get there
- Guide you from pre-approval through closing, and stay your resource after
What I ask of you
- Send homes you find to me instead of calling the sign or clicking “schedule a tour” online. Those usually reach the seller’s agent or a paid lead service.
- Let me be the first contact on off-market and for-sale-by-owner homes
- Call me before visiting new construction, and tell the builder’s rep I’m your Realtor
- Go to open houses whenever you like, and mention that you have an agent
- Get a pre-approval or proof of funds before we tour. Many sellers require it.
How to reach me
Text or email is the best way to send me a home. It lets me check the disclosures and history from my desk before I call you back.
My office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 5:30, with evenings and weekends by appointment for showings. My office is at Compass in LoHi.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a buyer’s agent to buy a house in Denver?
No law requires one. But the listing agent works for the seller, and the builder’s sales rep works for the builder. Without your own agent, nobody in the transaction has a duty to you. For most buyers, the pricing advice, negotiation and deadline management are worth far more than the fee.
Is the buyer’s agent fee negotiable?
Yes. Agent compensation isn’t set by law and is always negotiable between you and your agent.
Will the seller still pay my agent?
Often, yes, in whole or in part. It varies by home and by seller. It can also be negotiated in your offer. I’ll tell you what each seller is offering before you decide to write an offer.
What happens if I find a house on Zillow or another site?
Text me the address. I’ll look up the details, check what the site may have wrong and schedule the showing. If you click a “contact agent” button, your information usually goes to agents who paid for the lead, and you may get several calls.
Interview me
Ask me every question on this page. I’ll walk you through my buyer agreement before you sign anything, and if we’re not the right fit, I’ll tell you.
Book a call720.454.5432This page is general information, not legal advice. Compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable. Last reviewed September 2026.