Ask how the agent handles financing timing. A good agent tracks your pre-approval and financing condition deadlines alongside the possession date, and flags early if a rate hold is close to expiring, rather than leaving you to track dates on your own during your first purchase.
Ask how the agent evaluates a home beyond the listing photos. A first-time buyer usually cannot tell a cosmetic flaw from a structural one, so the agent should be willing to walk a property with you, point out what a $400 to $600 home inspection is likely to flag, and say plainly when a house is priced above what comparable sales support.
The right agent for a first-time buyer treats the purchase as a process with real deadlines, not a single showing day. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.