Real Estate Agent Point of View

[ntexasdad]

Good Morning: I am an active real estate broker and have been selling for 14 years and have sold over 1000 homes. I see all kinds of families, singles and situations in my work. I see them nervous, proud and sometimes in denial about their home. Many do a wonderful job in taking care of their homes. I love what I do for a living and enjoy working so many neat and different types of people. I have found that many of my fellow agents may not be so in tune with the needs of the client..

I have learned that I need to be a good listener and sensitive to each situation. I am curious.... what are some of the experiences you have had with agents?

[IrishEyes]

I have been through the home buying process twice, and the home selling process once.

In 2003, when we bought our first house, we knew the city neighborhood where we wanted to buy but did not have any referrals/ideas for a good agent knowledgeable about that area. We noticed that a bulk of the homes in that neighborhood were listed with one local agency (part of a national company) and requested one agent by name. We were 'assigned' to another one, who was new to the game and had only sold properties to investors. He showed up to house tours in jeans and dirty t-shirts, and he tried to talk us into a different neighborhood (better re-sale value, in his opinion). After two occasions of looking at homes with him, we had decided not to buy at that time. However, he was listing a house that was just what we wanted. After the offer was accepted, he acted as a double agent (allowed in MD) and the rest of the transaction went OK. Except for the fact that the chest freezer was supposed to convey (it was in the contract) but the owners took it and he said there was nothing he could do. I've heard that this agent has moved out of town, and I hope he isn't doing real estate anymore.

In 2006, we listed our home with an agent we knew would work hard for us. He was young (26) but had worked as an agent for years and had done well, dressed professionally, and was knowledgeable about our neighborhood. Even with the downturn in the market (and many many homes on the market in our neighborhood), we got an offer in 60 days. The only issues we had with the transaction was with the buyer's agent, title company and mortgage company. Our agent was a great advocate in dealing with all the issues that came up.

We had a separate agent hired to help us find a home in a suburban neighborhood about 20 miles away. The issues for homes here were very distinct from the city, so we wanted someone who worked in this area. We got a referral from a family member and this agent was excellent. We looked at 15 homes in one day, and had 2-3 good candidates. By the end of the week, we had written a contract and had it accepted. Our agent knew what inspections to have done in addition to the typical home inspection (we have well water, a septic system, a water conditioning system + reverse osmosis system) and she took care of the inspection visits when we couldn't get there. She also referred us to the best title company I've ever dealt with.

So we learned to take the lessons from our experience in 2003 and make sure we had good agents in 2006, and that made the buying and selling experience more enjoyable.