Patrick.net

Finding a good Real Estate agent

By Tom Stone   Follow   Mon, 30 Jul 2012, 8:56am   1,785 views   13 comments
In Sebastopol CA 95472   Watch (1)   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (1)   Dislike  

Half of all agents are below average, by definition ( Half of all Americans have an IQ below a hundred, enjoy your commute).
How do you find a good one? Word of mouth is one way, get the names of three agents who work the market you are interested in, sit down and talk to them. If they clearly know the market and their responses are nuanced then ask yourself if their style is compatible with yours. If it is, go with them. Another method is to walk into the offices of several brokerages in the area where you wish to buy and talk to the receptionist. Bring a NICE bouquet of flowers or a box of good chocolates and ask the receptionist who they would use, get a couple of names and go through the same interview process.
Ask the agent you are interviewing with who they use for various kinds of inspections and why. You should get a pretty good feel for the agent in a five to ten minute conversation and know whether they are a good fit or not.
Do your own due diligence, to the degree possible. Few agents are also certified mold inspectors, licensed Real Estate Attorneys or General Contractors and they have a lot of potential legal liability if they make a statement of fact about a subject upon which they are not provably expert. There is a tremendous amount of information available on line of varying quality and accuracy. Sonoma County's Planning and Resource Management District has a website with an interactive map which contains a nearly overwhelming amount of information about soils,aquifers,zoning, permit histories and much more.
Many other cities and counties do as well. It is not perfect information and especially with regard to permit histories it is wise to call and speak directly to a planner to confirm that the online information is complete. There's a lot of money involved and in most cases it will be the home you live in for a decade or more. Many people do more research when buying a new laptop or car than they do when buying a home, don't make that mistake.

Viewing Comments 1-13 of 13     Last »     See most liked comments

1. kpinna Follow Befriend 1 threads 19 comments

   1   9:45am Mon 30 Jul 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   Tom, would it be better to use inspectors, mortgage brokers, and appraisers recommended by the realtor, or to find independent ones to prevent bias and kickbacks? Also, I've noticed that the Sebastopol and West Petaluma market has fairly high prices for houses compared to West Contra Costa, where I now live. Are there some hidden areas up there with slightly (50K or so) lower prices that are less obvious to outsiders like me? I often imagine I might like to relocate up there in a few years.

2. Stepheng.bishop Follow Befriend 30 comments

   2   1:31pm Tue 31 Jul 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (1)   Dislike   Problem is 100% of them are pathological liars and will tell you anything to get you on the hook and keep you there. Pinna, NEVER let the realtor choose people the realtor recommends and never let the realtor know who you did use.

3. APOCALYPSEFUCK is Shostakovich Follow Befriend (28) 169 threads 4,153 comments Premium

   3   5:16pm Tue 31 Jul 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   Protected   I know where to find the perfect Realtor - a graveyard.

4. jvolstad Follow Befriend (4) 988 threads 1,120 comments San Antonio, TX jvolstad's website

   4   7:49pm Tue 31 Jul 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike

5. APOCALYPSEFUCK is Shostakovich Follow Befriend (28) 169 threads 4,153 comments Premium

   5   7:52pm Tue 31 Jul 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (1)   Dislike   Protected   The great part is that you can sit on top of the headstone with your butt out and take a dump on the Realtor's face in solid comfort.

6. jvolstad Follow Befriend (4) 988 threads 1,120 comments San Antonio, TX jvolstad's website

   6   7:55pm Tue 31 Jul 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   When I die, I want to be buried face down so people can kiss my butt.

7. kpinna Follow Befriend 1 threads 19 comments

   7   8:43pm Tue 31 Jul 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   I can see this discussion has degraded into meaninglessness.

8. mike2 Follow Befriend (2) 8 threads 150 comments El Cerrito, CA

   8   4:41am Wed 1 Aug 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   This discussion is just an exuse to throw insults around, It is not a discussion at all and the comments are pretty ignorant. I am sure all the commentators are very "highly educated" as well since they use no criteria for any of their thoughts.

9. Michael Cooke Follow Befriend 2 threads 61 comments

   9   1:05pm Wed 1 Aug 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   Hello, Does anyone know where I can find a smart conservative and discerning street prostitute?? Please let me know.

10. KILLERJANE Follow Befriend (3) 12 threads 600 comments

    10   1:59pm Wed 1 Aug 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (1)   Dislike   Sfb area, they gotta pay da rent.

11. Call it Crazy Follow Befriend 228 threads 2,748 comments

    11   6:39pm Wed 1 Aug 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (1)   Dislike (1)   jvolstad says When I die, I want to be buried face down so people can kiss my butt. I want to be buried the same way, but I want my butt sticking out of the ground so my visitors have a place to park their bicycles!!

12. Massive Housing Inventory Follow Befriend 1 threads 21 comments

    12   4:48am Thu 2 Aug 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like   Dislike   Realtors Are Liars. NEVER trust them.

13. bubblesitter Follow Befriend (5) 10 threads 2,329 comments

    13   7:49am Thu 2 Aug 2012   Share   Quote   Permalink   Like (1)   Dislike   Realtors Are Filthy Liars says Realtors Are Liars. NEVER trust them. LOL. Welcome back. :)