Thread: How Do I Find the Right Agent?

I don't know if I am posting in the right category so please move me if inappropriate. We have lived in Vegas for almost 5 years and bought our home almost immediately. We were lucky to have bought it before prices started skyrocketing and picked our agent from a newspaper ad while we were staying in a hotel. We had planned to rent for a year but looked around, loved this house, and the rest is history.

Our agent was a professional gem. He did not play games and introduced us to those who were able to help facilitate the paperwork. The sale was quite smooth. The problem: he was very friendly and told us a lot about his personal life which was fine. He also said he would like to come over for coffee on a particular weekend and would call us. This did not happen. Thinking he was sincere, I asked him what had happened and he mumbled an excuse about coming another time.

After the sale went thru, he disappeared. A personal friendship was not necessary for a sale. My husband and I were confused and quite disappointed and did not know what to think. This agent is well known in the real estate community. We had also referred him to our daughter. She and her husband had suffered serious financial losses in NY due to 9-11 and their credit was bad. He offered no help and seemed annoyed with their problems. End of "friendship".

Obviously, we would not consider using this man for our investment needs now, I would appreciate help in determing what criteria I should use in finding another broker here in Vegas.

I am sure there are some agents here in the forum for Vegas.

Personal referrals are always the way to go...

Depending on what you are looking for and if you are looking for a specialist property and so on. As TJ2007 said personal referrals are definatley the way to go as if someone else has had a good experience with an agent you know (hopefully) that you will receive the same treatment, and I am sure you would have referred this agent to other people had this not happened.

I cant believe an agent shot himself in the foot like that !

Originally Posted by spanishproperty

Depending on what you are looking for and if you are looking for a specialist property and so on. As TJ2007 said personal referrals are definatley the way to go as if someone else has had a good experience with an agent you know (hopefully) that you will receive the same treatment, and I am sure you would have referred this agent to other people had this not happened.

I cant believe an agent shot himself in the foot like that !

He did shoot himself in the foot because before our "friendship" ended, I was so taken with his professional skills and personality that I was raving about him to anyone who would listen. Not any more! In fact, I have related our experience to a number of people here in Vegas.......

I guess we will have to ask around and do some research online for "what makes a good real estate agent" as if I were writing an article for someone's website.

I am a real estate professional who's practice is other than residential.

If I were to use a broker, which would be to my advantage, I would walk into real estate firms, walk around, and look for the broker/agent who is new to the firm and looks the most hungry. If you have no referrals from those you trust, here is what I would do:

Typically, the newer broker/agents have the support of their principal broker and other mentors in the firm. They work hard to sell and they work hard for buyers. I did when I was new to the industry and represented buyers and sellers. I bent over backwards to earn business and referrals.

Best of luck!

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Thanks for the advice. Too bad neither of you are Vegas agents. If I was a Vegas agent and saw a post like mine, I would have jumped on it!

Home is where the heart is. If you're like most people, your home is also your single largest investment. It’s not only a monetary investment; you trust this home to hold up through the years, to be safe. Take the time to examine your priorities and find the right real-estate agent.
The first step in choosing a good realtor is finding realtors in your area. The best way to find a realtor in your area is through referrals. Ask your friends, family, or colleagues who’ve bought or sold a home for good recommendations. If you can’t get any referrals, check with your local realtors association. Once you have a few options for realtors, you should set up interviews with each of them.Before the interview, write down the questions you want to ask them so you know you don’t forget anything. While the questions asked depend on your preferences, it’s always good to find out if they are a licensed realtor, how much experience they have, and how familiar they are with the neighborhoods you want to live in. You should also find out their availability. If they have a lot of clients, they may take so much time getting to you about a house on the market that you lose the chance to bid on your dream home. You should also make sure the price range your realtor specializes in matches your own.Above all else, you want to find a realtor that you are comfortable with and who you feel understands your needs. You want someone who is working in your best interest. Good luck and happy house hunting.

As the leading for sale by owner experts, our first feeling is to say "Have you thought about selling your property by owner"? The real estate market has been down lately and from what our clients say..they could use every single penny saved on commissions.

On the other hand a Realtor/Brokerage can also come in quite handy. Make sure they are a Realtor, meaning..they should ahere to the Realtor Code of Ethics. Specifically they should be (taken from Realtor.org website):

[LIST=1][*][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=2]Honest with all parties in the transaction

My biggest peice of advice is to find someone who will put any offer in even if they think its too low. That filters out the crowd real quick. I also look to see how many houses they sell every month.

Doesn't it all come down to whether or not you like and trust the person giving you advice? Regardless of experience or anything else, it seems there has to be trust.