Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
To anyone who has recently relocated or is planning to relocate in the near future; what steps do you take to find a real estate agent in the area you are moving too?
For those who have already relocated; were you happy with the real estate agent you worked with?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
I used the realtor the relocation company recommended. But, I found all the houses myself and let the realtor show them to us. I am very hands on. I don't rely on the realtor to come up with the houses.
If there is a Realtor you trust in your own area, they may be part of a larger network and be able to refer you to someone in your new location, usually they will even get a referral fee from the other agent.
My company gave me a list of realtors they work with (i.e., those who know what kind of contracts my employer signs, and how they work), but I'm also watching the web and CL to see what else is available.
We had a realtor friend where we currently are research and interview some agents for us and then gave us the top three to interview and choose from, and of course our friend here gets a referral fee. So far so good, we are in the initial search and offers phase right now. It is difficult to trust someone you really don't know that they are looking out for your best interest. We have since had another realtor and one coworker also recommend this agent (not knowing who we chose) so that is comforting.
However, when I relocate again and am ready to buy a house, I will spend about 1 year looking at all the available properties myself. I'll be attending foreclosed property auctions, calling realtors with signs in the yards of houses in the area I like (I usually spend a few weeks/months investigating everything about an area until I've narrowed down the place I want to live to a handful of blocks.) and talking with FSBO's.
Finally, when I am ready to make an offer, I'll take a look at the legal stuff, review my knowledge, and decide whether it would be cost-effective to hire a realtor or attourney to help me and make sure I don't make any costly mistakes.
Generally, I've found that it's better to DIY most things, as nobody looks out for your interests as well as you can. A realtor would have to work very hard and show a lot of competence to convince me otherwise, especially considering the amount of money involved.
First house we just picked a couple out of a magazine. We set an appointment with each. One tried to bully us when we wanted to follow in our car. Eventually we settle with the one that actually explained to us that a buyer agent can show you any house not just their listings. We were in our early 20's (before realtor.com) and we thought it was like buying a car you buy a Toyota from the Toyota dealer, etc... We said we wanted under 200K and guess what we were shown. Houses 190K and up. Also we didn't know anything about comps and negotiating. We offered 98% of asking price on a new construction spec home. We were so naive.
A year later when we listed that house we asked our listing agent to give a us referral. We actually thought she was going to refer us to someone she knew or a friend of a friend kind of thing. Nope she put as on a referral system and we were sold like property. When we didn't click with the agents(a team) they started to act like we were their property. In the end we rented for a year. We bought an under construction "dream home" with no agent. No comps again. Of course we didn't know we could get those from a buyer's agent at that point.
A year later we put that house back on the market because we were downsized. Bye bye dream home. It turned into our nightmare home. We sold it for the price we paid after a year on the market. We paid the commisions out of pocket. This was a house on a golf community and it was high end for the location. A lot less buyers.
Third house we decide we didn't want an agent. This time we bought a much smaller house, one we could rent if we had to. We tried to negotiate the price down with the builder because we had no agent. No dice. Fine we went and got an agent. Out of a magazine. First one wanted us to sign an agreement for a year. No way, we just met. We didn't want to screw anyone out of a commission but we were not going to marry them. If you show me a house and we buy it you earn your money but if you are annoying and I want to fire you I am not going to pay you out of pocket. Next one we found one that allows to sign just for a month. We were in temporary housing so if we didn't buy then we were going to rent. After we signed we never saw her again. We had to work with her son who was always late. We also looked at some resales but we didn't see anything so we got comps and made an offer. Best house purchase ever. We made like bandits when we sold it at the top of the bubble 4 years later.
Fourth house, first I got a referral from a friend who had just done her house hunting in the area. This agent required an agreement. We then contacted our relocation company and requested an agent that didn't require an agreement. We made a house hunting trip but didn't see anything we liked. I should say anything my dh liked. It was a pain house hunting with a baby. So I sent my dh to continue shopping without me. I did all the leg work from my computer. Again the agent was a pain. I got pictures of a house I liked and asked her is she could draw me a quick sketch of the floor plan. I got the "that is not the way things are done". My dh went back and decide against it. Then we wanted to make an offer for a spec home and she was "you got to make a full price offer". I sent her an e-mail about how she was adding stress to an already stressful process. That our communications wasn't working us. Never heard back from her. She didn't say OK I'll make the offer you want. Nothing. My dh came home and still no house. On a third trip we went back to new construction and yes the first time I saw the house was on the pre-closing walk through. I am happy with it. It is just a house.
We are getting ready to relocate and we have to pick another agent. If anyone know the secret please let me know. We are moving to an area where there are a lot of foreclosures. So we will need an agent. New construction is not the right thing this time because a lot of builders are going under.
Wow, Suzie02, what lousy agents you've had! Can apologize on behalf of those of us that jump through hoops to help our clients?
You know, I agree that it's really difficult for people that are relocating to a new area to pick an agent. And it really stinks on my side of things, too, because it's not fair that those of us that really provide great service are sometimes overlooked while others that don't do much still get new clients.
If it's a local referral that is usually good. You can also go to the prospective agent's website and read their "About Me" page, and see if they sound like somebody you'd want to work with. See if they sound human and sincere and like they'd work hard for you. Then if you've picked out a couple that you think you might like to work with, go ahead and call them up. Just visit a few minutes about the local real estate market. Do they sound like they have a handle on what's going on? Ask them some other questions about how they'll help you find a house. Will they email you listings? Are they willing to preview listings and take additional photos? Will they run "comps" once you find a house to help you decide on a reasonable offer? Will they help negotiate the best price possible when you find a house you like?
Those are just a few of the things I'd ask if I was looking for an agent for myself. Also, I personally would not sign a Buyers Broker Agreement until I had met the agent and we had looked at a few (as in 2 or 3 houses) together. That should give both of us a chance to decide if we want to work together. Then I'll consider signing a BBA. Otherwise, I'll continue to interview other agents.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
