What is the best way to find a real estate agent?

Question

We're first time home buyers and I don't know anyone in our area that's actually purchased a home - so I have no way to get a recommendation. Should I just check realtor.com until I run across someone that's particularly helpful? Is there particular well know real estate agents such as Century 21 or Remax that generally has a good reputation?

What would you recommend for finding a decent one?

Answer 1

Attend open houses in the area and just talk to as many as you can. You'll come across one that you "click" with, and that's a much better way of finding an agent than a cold call to the office or walking in and getting whoever meets you at the door first.

As to relying on national companies....don't go on that alone. They have good agents who work full-time and really put an effort into it, and they have part-time agents who piddle with it as a hobby and really don't care if they sell something or not. Plus, they have a high turnover rate (all agencies do).

A real estate agent's job isn't to sell you a house. A house will sell itself. Their job is to help you find a home. So, you need someone who is familiar with the area and more interested in you than just selling you the first thing you can afford that is currently on the market. The perfect house for you may not even be on the market right now, and a good agent will help you be patient and not push off something else on you so they can just close a sale and move onto the next person. Honestly, I've been happier with the smaller, local companies than the big national companies.

Answer 2

A company that is famous (Century21/Remax) doesn't necessarily provide the best agent, but many clients literally DO just find an agent like that. (Looking for C21 Remax in your area and just calling the office). Realtor.com is a good place to start. Frankly though, you'll be lucky if you get more than one or 2 responses.

Open houses are another good way to find someone you like. Also pick up a free real estate publication (HarmonHomes etc. usually located in your grocery stores' cart lobby.) Some may advertise in the book as a "buyer's agent" or pick a team of agents. Teams are great because each person has a very specialized task (one to show properties, one to negotiate the contract, one to help with inspections etc).

For those of you that are suggesting to NOT use an agent, please don't say that. The buyer pays NOTHING for an agent. The seller does. As a buyer, not using an agent is like giving up free advice, free market knowledge, and free contract negotiation help!

Answer 3

Where do you live? im a real estate agent in nj... you can either call your local real estate agency, the person who answers the phone will likely be your realtor. As a buyer, you dont really need an excpetional real estate agent. All agents are licensed and know what they are doing and as a buyer you just want to find someone that you like bc you will be spending some time with them. When you decide to sell thats a different story

Answer 4

Go with the first answer from sortaclarksville. His answer is just like in Real Estate the first offer could end up being the best offer. What are you looking for in a home? How about the school system? How about the neighborhood? Answer all those questions yourself then find someone knowledgeable with your area of interest. The majority of established agencies do do 80 percent of their business in the neighborhood they are located in. They know there home towns. There are many laws to protect you. An agent is not like a car salesman. They could loose their license. They can be sued. They can't tell you what has not been revealed by the home owner. If they are aware of a potential problem they have a duty to reveal it.

Answer 5

Attend open houses. Also, pick up the local real estate books that they give out for free. Find a few houses you like and call the listing agent and ask to see the house. That will give you a chance to meet a few local agents and see if there is anyone you mesh well with. We used Remax with our last purchase/and sell. However, I would not base my decision on a specific company name....each realtor is different and unique. Try to stick with a company that has a more well known name (none of those discounted fees places or tiny companies) so you know you are getting the most accurate information possible. If possible, it would be nice if the agent was close to your age, so that they can relate to why you are looking for certain features or locations, and can better foresee other homes that may be perfect for you that maybe you are overlooking as being somewhat unfamiliar with the area. Good luck! Look at several houses before making any offers!

Answer 6

A good real estate agent, as with good people in general have everyone’s interest at heart. I've been in real estate for about 5 years now, and it's very easy for me to say that I have my clients as well as my best interest at heart. It is not hard to close a deal where the seller received a good deal, the buyer received a good property, and the agents did their jobs and got paid. Getting the property sold in the fastest time isn't only to benefit the agent. The less time it's on the market the better it looks to a potential buyer. Buyers say it all the time "well this property has been on the market for 6 months, what's wrong with it?" Also, it gets more and more difficult to market a property that has been on the market for that long and the list goes on and on. For an agent and seller the longer it's on the market the more it costs to carry, financially and emotionally. I actually run across more agents who carry properties they shouldn't (priced to high and won't sell, or needs work etc) because of an emotional connection with their sellers. Unless the seller doesn't want to sell for a specific amount of time, it's usually in everyone's best interest to sell the property as soon as possible.

Answer 7

I'm not sure what you mean by "decent one" since all realtors, real estate agents all well educated in their fields, have clean records and all are approved by the state, and that includes the brokers they work for. Yes, you can go to realtor.com and find one in the area where you want to buy a home. Agents usually have an area where they choose to work (like for instance beach front properties, properties over $1 million, some are just buyers agents, some are sellers agents, some like to sell homes in the country, etc. and by looking at the websites of those in the area you want to buy you will know their expertise. Give them a call and see which one you feel comfortable talking with, or ask the broker to refer you to someone.

I had a good laugh at reading all the responses. The questioner asked aboiut a "real estate AGENT" not about Realtors, yet many realtors responded trying to twist the questioner's arma and everyone elses' arms to buy from them or give them a commission just so they could do nothing and yet transfer the prospective client to another agency the individual doesn't know. The competition sure was keen from the responders one trying to say they were better than the other or selling (against the Yahoo Q&A community rules).

Most people suggested a specific broker's office to deal with yet several years ago many, yes many, agencies were purchased by the same company...Yes, you read that right, although they have different names for their agencies most of them are run by the SAME main company, it's just that each office is run by a broker who runs it a tad different than the other one like different advertising, different area, etc.

Yes referrals are good (referral from your family). No, agents for the most part are not paid, they are on commission, and the commission is part of the amount they collect from the seller in the closing costs, HOWEVER a lot of those closing costs go to pay advertising fees, fees for the post and sign and installers, long distance phone calls, etc. etc. that YOU requested be done.

The reason everyone needs an agent (rather than selling or buying a house on their own) is because the agents do all the legwork for you. And the reason you need an attorney as well is to prevent you from getting screwed by the buyer or seller (and not by the agent).

Someone was correct when they said you need to get your own loan first (get one for 30 years) and THEN go see an agent. Not too many agents are doing home showings anymore since there is a security risk. So what you do is call an agent and tell them what you are looking for and have them come to you with their laptop. The reason you meet "outside" of the office is that competitor agents steal clients right from under your nose, and so do brokers. So if you find an agent you like then be ready to hire them to work for you and on a confidential basis. That way they will give you all the time you need, they will bring to you every possible match, and will show you the home or homes, etc., they will give you a printout of the taxes, schools, and anything else you ask for.

Answer 8

First, you need to educate your self by investing a few bucks in the Book called "Real Estate For Dummies". Also, on line you can go to Amerisave. They have a Home purchase and refinance calculator that can show you the various Money or Deposit, Down Payment, and Interest Rate break-downs of buying a home.
For example, I know that if you can put down a 20% down payment of the purchase price, you can get the best rates. I also warn you to take your time learning because it is a complex situation which ambitious people can use to confuse you.
Don't just take their word!
Also, don't use a Flexible Percentage Rate because you can lose your house if the economy does not act the way you need it to act with what they call an ARM type loan. Us a Fixed Percentage Rate, like 7% throughout the 30 years.

I am willing to answer other questions if you wish to ask anything. Let me also recomend that you find someone you trust to help you with this purchase. Call the local Communite College and talk to an instructor maybe. Possibly you know someone where you moved from who has some experience selling or buying a home. Find out the name of the company they used and the agent's name and number because they may be able to refer you to someone in your new area.

Cross check everything you are told!

Virgil Clifton
[e-mail]
For example,

Answer 9

as a REALTOR, i recommend looking for one that is an actual REALTOR, not a realtor ( small "r") , agent, or sale associate. These are membership designations, which members must follow certian guidlines or ethic codes.

I also recommend Realtors with designations, such as Residential Specialist. They require more schooling and are often more knowledgeble. I also recommend looking for someone whose been in the business a long time and has stayed with the same company for a number of years. A not-so-great agent will tend to shift offices often to avoid bad recommendations by former customers.

Rememer-- ReMax and Century 21 are franchises--Agents pay to work there!! I recommend a smaller company that can offer you the same resouces where you'll get individual attention--not just a quicky sale!

Get your OWN agent, don't call the one on the sign or at the open house ( duel agency) someone who will represnt YOU--the buyer.

a Buyers agent--Doesn't cost you anything

Good luck on your new home!

Answer 10

I was a real estate agent for 5 years so I've been on both sides of the coin. You want to find an agent that 1)will look out for your interests and your interests alone, 2) knows the market, and 3) has experience.
My best advice is to go to open houses, talk to the agent(s), ask a lot of questions about the property, the market, and the agent(s) themselves. A good realtor will be able to answer your questions easily and will not be overly eager to get your personal information or make the sale.
Additonally NEVER EVER use the same agent that listed the house to represent you as a buyer. ALWAYS have your own representation.

Answer 11

You may want to work with a few and see which one makes you most comfortable. Since most agents can see all of the same homes available in a given area via an MLS system, the big difference from one agent to another will be experience, drive, personality, and overall knowledge of the market. Don't waste your time or the agents time. Make sure you have a nice down payment, and get a mortgage pre-qualification so you know exactly what you can afford to look at. Realtor.com is a good place to start. You can also walk into a couple of neighborhood offices and start the process that way. An office where everyone is sitting around is not the right choice. A busy office is always good. They will generate more leads and more contacts, and probably have more listings.