Choosing the right real estate agent for you will be your first priority when buying a new home. The emphasis here is on the phrase ‘for you’. This is because it is not difficult to find an efficient and willing realtor, but the ideal is to find one that is suited to your personality.

You do not want a realtor who is slow and steady if you are a fast mover, likewise you will not a high-speed realtor if you like every ‘T’ crossed and every ‘I’ dotted. You also need to feel that the realtor that you choose knows exactly what you are looking for in a house and will not waste your time (or their own time) offering you property that is unsuitable. This will only happen if you communicate accurately to your realtor exactly what you really want.

The realtor needs to know the bottom line – your bottom line. For instance if you want a garage, but will prepared to look at houses that do not have a garage, make sure your realtor knows this. Alternatively, if this actually means that you will only look at houses that have room for you to build a garage, let the realtor know this. Be precise. Suppose they have parking space out back? Streamline your choices if you are really selective about what you want. Of course, if you are the type of buyer that says ‘when I see it, I will know it’, you will have more choice of houses to buy, and this is where the Internet is invaluable.

Statistics tell us that 80% of all home buyers will start their search for a new home by browsing the Internet. One of the key requirements these days to being a skillful realtor is familiarity with the Internet. This not only speeds up the property finding, it also means that the computer can do the compilations for you, and you can get the perfect house without getting out of your chair!

While buyers may start off looking at the Internet, it would not be wise to proceed without a realtor. If you see a house that you like, and you do not have realtor, you may just phone the listing realtor. However, this may not be the best choice for you, as they will also be acting for the seller. While there are procedures in place to enable a realtor to conduct both sides of the deal, you may feel more comfortable with your own realtor. If you view a house that you are interested in, take a tour of your local realty offices and ‘choose’ a realtor.

When you choose a realtor, ask them how proficient they are on the Internet. Make sure they can contact you by email and that they can turn up the MLS listings for you to look at. Pick out a couple of homes and allow your realtor to give you the virtual tour.

Many realtors will actually state in their profiles that they are internet proficient. This will often mean that, not only will they have all the realty facts at their fingertips, but also that they will know more about market trends and economic indicators in the business world.

If you find a realtor that knows exactly what you want and who knows exactly where to find it, especially using the Internet, you will save time, money and frustration.

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What exactly is your Realtor supposed to do for you?
We have our house on the market, listed with a realtor. She has placed our house in several magazines, online and in the newspaper. She has only been here one time to show the house. The other times it has been the buyers realtor who has been here. Is my realtor supposed to be here when the house is shown? It seems like nothing is happening as far as our house selling. In 6 months its only been shown a total of 7 times. I live in Fl and our real estate market is crap right now so I've taken that into consideration. But what exactly is a realtor supposed to do?
We questioned if our house was over priced and she tells us no. We're asking 189k and she said it would appraise out at 200k, but because our market is so bad right now it wouldn't be a good idea to list it at that. It does make me question if she's in it for the commission or because she believes its priced correctly. The owner of the real estate office she works in recommended we list it at the 189k.