You're moving to New Haven, Connecticut and thinking about buying your own home. If you've previously only rented your Mississauga condo you might not have much idea of how to go about it. For instance, many people seem to be doing without real estate agents. Could you do without a real estate agent? What does an agent do for you anyway? Before you make any decisions about whether or not to hire one, read our rundown of an agent's job description.

Buying

When you're looking to buy a house, your agent's job is to find you the perfect house. Your Toronto real estate agent will ask you for a list of things you want in a property and will then take that list and search the MLS (an online real estate databank) and the local listings for properties he or she thinks would be good for you. Your agent will then arrange viewings of the properties you're interested in and take you on guided tours of the houses.

Once you've chosen the house that you want, it is your agent's job to get it for you. Your agent will ask you how much you are willing to pay for the Toronto condos and attempt to get them for you for less. Your agent will have a real estate lawyer draw up a proper, legally binding contract with terms in your favor and without loopholes the seller can use to exploit you. The agent will then conduct the negotiations on your behalf, continuing to check in as needed.

Selling

When you decide to sell your house, it is your agent's job to find someone to buy it. That means advising you on any changes or staging that needs to be done in the house to make it appealing for buyers, asking you how much you would like to sell the house for, and making up the real estate listing to put in the listings alongside Ontario commercial real estate and other homes.

Your agent will take calls and answer questions from buyers and their agents, arrange open houses and viewings for buyers, and pitch your home to the buyer and his or her agent. When the buyer makes an offer, the agent will then conduct negotiations on your behalf (which can be helpful if the buyers don't have English as a second language and your agent is bilingual) until he gets a price for you that you are happy with.