How did you find your realtor?

[ChristyMarie]

So we finally sold our house (in another state) and need to find a realtor here who isn't annoying. Any ideas on where to start?

Thanks!

[lhall]

We found ours from some friends. We were very happy with her.

Some friends used her after his dad & stepmom bought a new house through her. They recommended her to some other mutual friends. We figured with three couples we know who were happy with her it was worth a shot. We were also pleased.

Leigh

[HejazSunKat]

I think we happened upon her when we called about a listing for a house we were interested in. Not the best way to go about it but she turned out to be great and 11 years after that purchase she still calls to say hello and sends us periodic mailings (one mailing a year includes scratch tickets! :) ). Because she has worked hard to maintain the relationship I'd like to use her again should the need arise (DH has currently got a bug in his ear to buy rental property :rolleyes: ), except my son-in-law has now got his RE license and we'd probably be in big trouble if we didn't use him. :rolleyes:

[Kristal]

We found our realtor when we walked through an open house she was showing. We instantly clicked with her; she had a laid-back and friendly approach vs the aggressive/ pushy approach we had encountered with other realtors. We decided to use her when we purchased our first home. She was wonderful, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her or use her again in the future.

[ChristyMarie]

Kristal!

Does she work in the city or burbs? If burbs would you mind giving me her name?

Thanks!

[Beth]

Referrals are really the best way to weed through the many realtors. Ask people at work, around the areas where you want to live and among people connected to home sales (anyone you know who works for a lender, title company, contractors, eetc.). Buyers agents help minimize the potential conflict of interest many buyers are concerned about, but I would not sign an agreement for representation until I had spent at least a couple of hours talking with and viewing with an buyer's agent. You don't want to get stuck with someone that you don't click with.

[Kristal]

Kristal!

Does she work in the city or burbs? If burbs would you mind giving me her name?

Thanks!

Hi Christy!

I know she works in the city, not sure about the burbs. Here's a link to her Web page. She's a really nice person, and so easy-going!

http://windycityhomes.com/laura_arnett.html

[ChristyMarie]

Thank you I'll check her out!

[Jessica]

We went to several open houses and called the realtor we liked the best. Oh, and we went to the open houses in the neighborhood where we wanted to live, because we wanted someone who knew the area.

[JRM24]

Through lending tree - Corus Realty located in the PA, MD and VA area. They were excellent!

[stefania4]

We would call to set up look-sees at houses we were interested in. Usually the seller's real estate agent handled everything, and almost always would ask if we had an agent. On one of these excursions we met the seller's agent and he was super-prepared - he had mapped out other available houses that fit our criteria, AND believe it or not he was the ONLY agent who spoke to me as well as DH. The others seemed to think I had no voice in all this (mind you the entire down payment came from my account). We signed with him and he did a great job.

[sharris315]

We found our realtor by going to open houses, and talking to the realtors without their knowing we were not looking for a HOUSE, but actually looking for a REALTOR. We found our current one that way, immediately hit it off, and we have absolutely loved her. She was professional, seemed to genuinely care about her clients, treated us both equally, and seemed excited and confident about finding the perfect house for us. She was all of that, and the whole process has been easy because of her.

In the past we've had some real lulus, though!! I think the worst way to pick one is over the phone, sight unseen--which is what we did once. Awful.

Take your time choosing. Good luck!

Shar

[mbrogier]

We found ours through friends that used her. She was great. We liked her so much we used her to sell our house.

There was a guy in our church who was a realtor, and he kinda wondered why we didn't use him. He vacations in Florida half the year, and that is not convenient when you're trying to make an offer on a house in a buyer's market. DUH.

[rosie_one]

Here's another, if you are looking in Oak Park or River Forest (very urban suburbs with good schools and decent commutes).

Historic Homes Realty. 510 S. Wesley, Oak Park, IL 60304. Phone 708-848-0190. Fax: 708-848-0670 ... Margaret McSheehy.

She's great. Very, very good with older home appraisals and sales. Well respected in a busy market and she knows it inside and out. She may come off as a bit dizzy at first, but she decidedly isn't. We loved her.

We found our "good" realtor here in Wisconsin through a home showing. She just impressed us from the start.