Is ZipRealty a reputable realtor? any recommendations on realtors for williamson co? (Austin: real estate, house)

[carolinajack]

I like Zip Realty but wonder if there are any other Realtors that handle outside of Austin, northern Austin, and Williamson co

[CarnivalGal]

In my experience, the real estate company is not nearly as important as the actual agent. Every brokerage has fantastic agents and horrible ones. We have a FABULOUS realtor who has worked in all areas in and around Austin. I will DM you with her info.

[TexasHorseLady]

There are lots of agents who handle Travis and Williamson (and sometimes Burnet, Lee, Caldwell, and other) counties. mm57553 is right. It's important for both the buyer (or seller) AND the agent that there be a good match.

[carolinajack]

thank you both, i hope to find one that will be a good match.

[TexasHorseLady]

You probably won't get a lot of response on the thread, because these kinds of questions are supposed to be answered with DM's if someone has a specific person to recommend. And agents are NOT supposed to DM you that they're just the agent for you - it's against the rules (aka TOS). But hopefully you'll get enough recommendations via DM to do you some good.

You could also look for blogs for agents that work in the area (there's a lot of them) and see if someone clicks with you that way. Allows you to get to know a bit about an agent ahead of time.

[carolinajack]

yes i understand now that i have to find an agent

[CATXTransplant]

Zip Reaty is made up of new agents. New agents go to work there because the company gives them leads (and gives most of their commission back to the buyer). No agent with experience or sense would work in this model.

[FalconheadWest]

ZipRealty agents are EMPLOYEES and not independant contractors working on their real estate business, which means they get paid whether you buy a house or not...

[Boomerbiker]

I have used Zip realty agents and they tend to be newer agents - that is not always a bad thing - they may work harded - trying to get established in the business. The zip agents I know are working on a commission basis.

Zip does rebate part of their commission to the buyer, however there are other companies that also do that.

Zip does have a very user friendly web site.

[austin-steve]

In my experience, the real estate company is not nearly as important as the actual agent.

Sounds like you are buying. Find an agent who actually sold some homes in 2007/2008 and can recite to you off the top of their head the pros and cons of different areas that would be candidate areas to fit your needs. If schools are a top priority, that should narrow things down a lot. If commute times to a fixed work location are important, that narrows it down. Old vs. New, toll road avoidance, size, etc.

You'll know you're interviewing the right agent (talk to at least 3) when they earn your confidence by answering all of your questions without having to "get back to you" or think, ponder or guess.

Good luck.