For the realtors here, and for those that have made home purchases in the past, what are some things to look for (good and bad) in searching for a a realtor?

I've been going to open houses, and quite a few of the ones there have offered to be my agent.

I had one recommended to me before from a work colleage, who was supposedly super awesome. But I felt all she did was send me a link to a search result from a website (not Zillow) that had about 30-40 houses based on what I told her I was looking for, and told me to tell her what she liked. Is that the norm? I feel like I could've done that myself with Zillow.

Also, how can you tell if they're motivated to really negotiate the price down for you? I've heard a lot of stories of realtors that seem unmotivated to get a good deal beyond some token negotiation.

In California at the moment.

There should be some good replies tomorrow. I'll let the experienced agents opine. I'm mortgage. My one piece of advice is get a loan preapproval before going to far in this search. Realtors don't want to waste their time on someone who can't buy. And they want to know your price range. That is not what the most you qualify for but rather what payment you can sleep at night without giving you nightmares.

My contact info is in my profile. There are other good mortgage folks here as well. Almost all of us are Ags.

Good luck.

Saw your edit. I can't do CA.

I've had a real estate license for 25+ years. I've typically only used my license for my own rentals over the years, but I have helped friends and family and the occasional neighbor over the years.

A good realtor is one that probably will piss you off LOL. Hear me out:

Like the other post mentioned, you need to have your finances in order. A good realtor will make sure of this up front and will challenge you on the amount you're going to finance, escrow, taxes, etc. The other poster is right: a good realtor will not want to waste his/her time otherwise.

Also, depending if you're buying or selling, a good realtor is going to challenge you to define exactly what you're looking to purchase and he/she will challenge you on what they think they can get for your house, which often times is nowhere near what a home owner thinks they will get.

It sounds like you're looking to purchase. I'd want to know exactly what area(s) you want to look at and if you're open to other areas. What size house do you want and why do you think you want that size house? Are you sold on a single story or multiple stories? how much land? What is your time frame and how fast can you move if the right house becomes available.

In other words, I'd want you to rank what's really important to you, what are the deal breakers, and where can you compromise. If you couldn't tell me these things, I'd challenge you to go do some homework and get back to me. There are many reasons for this, buy primarily, a good realtor should be able to see if a home has good "bones" and compare this to what you are looking for.

These are all things I've done for my own rental homes as well as for others that I've helped. I've annoyed the heck out of some family members and friends along the way, but in the end, they understand why I did what I did and they have all thanked me immensely for my help.

Part of the game today is also sending you links to homes to weed out those homes that may or may not be what you're looking for, but realistically, looking at homes online and seeing them in person in most cases are apples and oranges. Most realtors can't take photos and present them for sh*t! Just saying.

good luck with your search!

One thing I wish I would have done differently is hire a realtor who is an expert in that neighborhood/area of town. My last agent didn't know what concessions to offer in the neighborhood I wanted. It was my mistake to hire them when I was very particular about the area I wanted to buy in.

Proposition Joe said:

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Diggity gave me the best advice (that I initially did not heed or I'd be in my dream house right now), and that is to drive around and see the houses that you like and go with the realty company that represents most of them. That will give you the best access. Aside from that, it's really just about who works the back channels the best to know of properties that don't ever hit the MLS market.

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in a super competitive market...having an area expert is crucial.

You could argue it shouldn't be that way with an open MLS, but pocket listings give every advantage to the broker who has them. There's a reason Compass is fighting so hard to keep them legal/compliant.

TXCityGirl said:

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One thing I wish I would have done differently is hire a realtor who is an expert in that neighborhood/area of town. My last agent didn't know what concessions to offer in the neighborhood I wanted. It was my mistake to hire them when I was very particular about the area I wanted to buy in.

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very good point as well!