Thread: Help finding a realtor

Hey man,

I don't know of any review website and I see your dilemma; your getting bombarded by thousands and they all look good.

Your best bet would be to go to an office that's close to your home and meet a potential agent. Find several offices near to you. That way, if you don't like one, you can go on to the next one that's not a hundred miles away.

Here are some things to look for (regardless if anyone else here insists they have to have thirty years experience and ten thousand friends on their facebook page as a measure of their honesty and character).

Do they greet you with a smile and firm handshake? Did they introduce themselves? Do they allow you to ask questions and THEN answer or do they ask all the questions for you? If you're looking to buy, did they ask you if you're prequalified? Do they seem to have at least a little bit of a sense of humor? If you're buying did they offer to drive you to the showings? Did they give you a Consumer Notice? If you're selling, did they ask when it was convenient to come to your house to take some measurements for your CMA? Did you get a feeling that you can work with them? Or does their office remind you of a psychiatrist’s office? Dark, dank, outdated carpeting and only one computer that you could see from the waiting area? Did they seem knowledgeable when it comes to the area such as with taxes, the various developments in the area and their rules and regulations? If it didn't seem so, did they write down your questions and say "I'll find out, right now".?

Hope that helps. Good luck now.
CM

Sadly there are a few agent review websites out there. The problem is they want the agents to pay to be on the site, and the reviews are supplied by the agents instead of being totally unsolicited reviews. Just hand picked and edited by the agent reviews which means the sites are nothing but advertising and not honest reviews. So I would not call them independent at all!

I would suggest reading blogs from agents in the area you are interested in. Get a feel for who they are and then select several that seem like they would be pleasant to work with, and more importantly know what they are doing.

Make sure they deal with the specific area and type of property you are looking for.

Also if you tell us where you are looking at, maybe one of us could suggest some good agents.

Good luck and best wishes.

go to the local chamber of commerce or city hall or equivalent for your town. ask there. good realtors will associate with these organizations often

I forgot to mention you can also find many good agents at ActiveRain. It is a big blogging & social networking site for real estate professionals.

The best place to discover rentals is still the local newspaper and today the majority of them have online websites .. you can also go on official website of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Thanks guys . Appreciate your help .I guess there is no exact science to it but I feel a little more confident

Dina, good luck on your search for a qualified Realtor. There are many real estate agents who really have no business conducting any transactions. The agent should be fair and espectful, be knowledgeable of the local market, and have good communication skills (well, there are many more traits of a great agent but it would take a day to write all that... ultimately you need to have a good rapport and trust in order to build a good business relationship). Good luck.

well y not to search in Google and local newspaper


Grass trimmer
chest freezers

I agree with the poster who suggested going and meeting in-person with several agents. I might even ask him or her point blank, "Why should I use you as my agent," and just listen to the answer.