Work with agent if relocation isn't certain and a year away? (real estate, to rent)

[TsarinaO]

We are still in the research phase, and if we decide to make a move, it wouldn't be for at least a year.
Would real estate agents be annoyed or eager to work with you under those circumstances?

[greenie72]

Do you have to have a house upon arrival?

We researched for over a year and decided to rent first. We figured on meeting with real estate agents about 30-90 days before we're ready to buy.

[MikeJaquish]

It's not an issue.
It is a business of building and fostering relationships.

Bear in mind, current clients who have made their decisions and are active in the market will take a priority until you are firmer in your plans.

[m378]

There definitely are agents out there who would be annoyed - especially in this market.

But you wouldn't want to work with them anyway.

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by m378

There definitely are agents out there who would be annoyed - especially in this market.

But you wouldn't want to work with them anyway.

LOL

Uh.... yup.

[JustMeEC]

When we bought our very first house 11 years ago, we had established a relationship with an agent a year in advance. We had gone out to kick the tires at open houses to familiarize ourselves with the process and get a handle on what kind of home we could afford. We met several agents along the way, but one agent distinguished himself by spending 45 minutes talking to us and providing advice. We were very clear with him that we were at least a year away and didn't want to mislead him. He said he was more than happy to spend time with us. Based on out criteria, he set up some automatic feeds from the MLS alerting us when properties came to market. We exchanged a few emails over the year and when the time came to buy, we knew exactly who we wanted to work with.

I think as long as you are transparent in your intentions and reasonable in your expectations, a good agent would not mind working with you that far out. When we moved down here 3 years ago, we established a relationship with an agent 3 months in advance of coming down to house hunt. We spoke on the phone, we exchanged emails. He sent us listings that we could rate and review. He encouraged us to add comments about what we liked and what we disliked so that when it was time to get serious, he had somewhat of a profile on us. We spent the week before we came down narrowing down our list of potential homes and target geography. On the weekend we flew down, we were able to get off the plane, drive to his office and within 30 minutes, we were out the door to look at houses. Without all the legwork in advance, I'm sure it would not have gone so smoothly.