It takes teamwork to win a game, a group of people dedicated to the sport who communicate effectively to achieve their goals.

The same is true of successful residential real estate brokers. While the broker may be the face you associate with your home purchase, he or she actually spearheads a larger group of professionals equally important to the sale.

The key players include:

The lender: In the early stages of the home search, lenders help potential homebuyers understand how much they can afford to pay for a house. The best lenders also inform buyers up front of any obstacles they might face to being approved and help them overcome these issues. Lenders can pre-approve buyers for a loan, giving them better bargaining power, and finally, they make sure there are no surprises at closing that will derail the deal.

The inspector: Once you’ve found a home you like, you need a competent inspector to study the home’s heating and electrical systems, roof, foundation, plumbing and more, looking for issues that might present trouble down the road. Without a reliable inspector, you could end up with problems that haunt you long after you move in.

Contractors: Not every home is move-in ready and inspections can turn up all sorts of safety and habitability issues. Good real estate agents have nurtured relationships with honest, reliable contractors who can quickly get issues resolved. An agent’s contractor database is an in invaluable asset when tackling inspection items.

A transaction coordinator: The details involved in any real estate transaction are enormous, and most brokers rely on an assistant to help shepherd clients through complicated paperwork and other issues. This person is critical to your satisfaction.

As you can see, when you choose a real estate agent, you choose more than one person: you choose a team of players crucial to your success. That’s why it’s important to select your agent wisely.