How to find a good realtor and how to interview

[meatface]

Hi all,

My wife and I are thinking of buying a first house in the next year or so. We'd like to at least pick out a real estate agent. Having never done this before, I come to you, the amazing MMM community for advice.

1.) Aside from word-of-mouth, how would you advise finding the right real estate agent?
2.) Is it necessary to focus on someone who specializes in my town? For example, I'm looking at a specific Boston suburb, so should I deal with some who works only that town? Or, at least, should a minimum amount of their work come from that town?
3.) What are the best questions to get a sense if I should pick this person as my agent?

I've googled all these things, but I value your answers very much.

[birdiegirl]

When you are buying I do think its very important to have an agent that knows the neighborhoods you are looking in.  They should have a good idea of what neighborhoods will meet your needs and be able to steer you away from areas with crime, bad schools, etc. (Of course that is just a starting point - always do your own research and don't just rely on what the realtor is telling you.)

I think the most important thing is to feel comfortable with the person you're working with and to make sure they are listening to you.  Make sure they give you a good explanation of how they work with buyers and what you can expect from them. 

I'd also ask them to give you an example(s) of problems they've run into with transactions and how they handled them.   When we were buying I thought searching for the home & getting an offer accepted was the hardest part....turns out the hardest part was dealing with issues found during the inspections.  We had to walk away from 3 houses and then had a very difficult negotiation on the one we bought.  That was the time it was important to have a realtor that was experienced and could help us work through those issues. 

[cliff]

Hi all,

My wife and I are thinking of buying a first house in the next year or so. We'd like to at least pick out a real estate agent. Having never done this before, I come to you, the amazing MMM community for advice.

1.) Aside from word-of-mouth, how would you advise finding the right real estate agent?
2.) Is it necessary to focus on someone who specializes in my town? For example, I'm looking at a specific Boston suburb, so should I deal with some who works only that town? Or, at least, should a minimum amount of their work come from that town?
3.) What are the best questions to get a sense if I should pick this person as my agent?

I've googled all these things, but I value your answers very much.

Give me a call and I would be happy to share my thoughts and experience.  You have good questions though there are several other important things to consider.  A bit more than I could type into a message.  My cell is 401-524-3716.  Feel free to drop a text first.

Best,
Cliff Nulman




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[NoNonsenseLandlord]

Find a realtor that is willing to give you at least 25% of their commission.  You can go to a online site and find properties.