PDX realtor referral (Portland: buying a house, neighborhood, buying)

[Futilitarian]

Hi all. My family and I are planning to relocate to the Portland area next year. Does anyone have a recommendation for a buyer's agent - ideally one licensed in both WA and OR? Vancouver isn't Plan A but with 1.1 months of inventory on the market, I'm not ruling anything out.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

[Nell Plotts]

I think you need to find a realtor familiar with the neighborhood that interests you.

[texasdiver]

Honestly with inventory so low you may want a realtor who isn't so busy. Who has the time to drop everything at a moments notice and show you a house that comes on the market.

In another city my wife and I started out shopping with a top rated high volume realtor in a tight sellers market but it quickly became obvious that he didn't really have the time to spend with us running around to check out every house that came on the market. It was almost like pulling teeth to get him to show us a house, and we were working around his schedule. So we learned our lesson and found a different realtor who was much less busy and willing to show up at the drop of a hat and show us houses on our schedule.

Point being, the realtor skill set you want when you are trying to sell your house isn't necessarily the skill set you want when you are buying a house, especially in a hot market.

You can do all your own research and everything is online these days. I'd be looking for someone younger and hungry who is willing to work around your schedule. All you really need them for is to open the homes so you can see inside.