A buyer's agent owes you loyalty and confidentiality — unlike the listing agent, whose duty runs to the seller. In practice they find and show homes, advise what to offer, write and negotiate the contract, coordinate inspection and appraisal, and solve the dozen small problems between contract and keys.

Since 2024, buyer-agent compensation is negotiated in a written agreement you sign before touring — read it: what it costs, who pays it, how long it binds you, and what happens if you buy a home the agent didn't show you.

For assistance-program buyers, one interview question outranks the rest: "How many closings have you done with down-payment assistance?" Programs add steps and days; you want an agent who treats that as normal, because it is.