A smart realtor once told me there are 2 kinds of realtors. Those who try to make the process smooth and those that fight the battle for you.
It is in the agent’s best interest to get get you a house quickly so they get paid soon and have to do less work. This means they may not negotiate as hard as they should, or force the seller to pay for x, y, and z, or walk away when they should, for fear of losing the deal.
Sometimes new buyers like that “smooth process” type of realtor, but it ends up costing, not in terms of commission, but in terms of the deal you get. This can be appealing to busy people who just want it to happen, though.
Most people who refer a realtor to you are referring one of the “smooth process” realtors because they have only bought 1 house and it went smoothly !
Talk to as many former clients and other realtors about the individuals that are referred to you to try and determine if they are a fighter or a smoothie so you can make the right choice for yourself.
Also, sdrealtor on this board is really good at digging up dirt on other realtors. What a guy ! Maybe throw some names at him and see what he comes back with. (Sorry to sign you up for free work, sdr.)
