Looking to move to Bend; Recommendation for RE agent (real estate market, 2015)

[Kristin5]

Hello

My wife and I have decided to move to Bend and settle there long-term. We are so excited! The move date is not yet certain, as there is some employment stuff to get straightened away. We're optimistic that it will be sometime in the next few months, but could possibly be in 2015. Basically, we're looking it the move as a "when", not an "if", situation. Upon moving down, we will be looking to purchase a home relatively soon.

Next week we will be driving down to Bend from WA state and spending a couple days there. I would like to use this time to gain a better familiarity with the various neighborhoods and basically start the home search/research process. At this point, my knowledge about the different neighborhoods is limited to what I can glean from the internet and forums like this. So I see this visit as a huge opportunity.

To get the most out of my limited time down there, I thought it would be helpful to meet with an experienced local real estate agent with whom I could sit down with and discuss our home preferences, lifestyle, affordability range, etc., learn from them about the various neighborhoods, pros/cons, etc, and then have the agent take us on a guided afternoon tour of several areas that seem like a good fit for us. I've read several posts on this forum from people who have been planning a near-future move to Bend and commented that, while visiting prior to the actual move, they used this agent-guided tour approach with success. This leads me to my question...

Could folks please provide me with some recommendations and contact info of real estate agents that they've worked with or know of who, in addition to being stellar agents, would happily work with me on such an approach?

As first time homebuyers and future newbies to the Bend area, the key things that we value most in an agent are:

-Lots of experience in and knowledge of the Bend real estate market, representing buyers and sellers
-Good communication, takes time to listen and explain, patient
-Informative and offers objective guidance - willing to point out all important considerations (the good and the bad) about particular neighborhoods and homes. Basically, someone wants to make sure we are happy and find the right fit.
-Not sales-ish
-Helps monitor/screen the market relative to our preferences and keeps in close touch. Shares info and provides resources, not just an MLS gatekeeper.
-Knowledgeable about local builders, building practices, and quality of homes in various neighborhoods
-Willing to do a reasonable amount of legwork, research, etc., i.e., not just a "door-opener" or someone who pushes emails around
-Effective valuation, offer-writing, and negotiation skills

We would greatly appreciate your help, agent recommendations, and any ideas you might have for how to best use our upcoming time down there to learn about Bend neighborhoods. I basically have all day Saturday August 9th open that I have dedicated to this endeavor.

Thank you,
Andy

[delta07]

Please send all recommendations via direct message as posting such in the threads is a violation of the terms of service. Thanks!

[redguard57]

Got it.