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I am looking for an independent home buyer's agent. How can I find one who knows my community well?

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October 03 - Farmington
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Check the web.
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October 20
Profile picture for CHUTTA
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for example my family has practiced real estate on this island for the past 40 years.  That would give us some historical perspective on various real estate issues.
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October 19
Profile picture for CHUTTA
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the idea of "knows my community well"... I agree and diagree with NWHome.us.  

I agree that competent person with access to the data can look at a market and tell you what is going on in that market at any given time.   I disagree with the notion that this somehow makes up for "local knowledge".

I guess it depends on the location, but if we are talking about my neck of the woods in Hawaii.  There is no data that you can pull up which will tell you how water will flow through your property.  A person who is not local cannot tell you the various transactions on specific property, the problems the developer had with not using the correct fill in making a subdivision, etc., etc...  When it comes to raw numbers, I agree, anybody with access to data can interpret that for you, but if you are not familiar with the immediate area, you cannot tell the client why one subdivision is performing much better then another subdivision, and although exactly the same on paper, why one is worth more then the other.

Now I might agree that these are specific issues, and maybe specific to my market, but I can tell you time and time again I hear "my agent didn't tell me that" from a person who used a non-local agent.  And the answer to that statement is "they didn't tell you because, how could they have known?".

I am going to run on here, but if you start to call your Agent "local" just because they've lived in the area for a five years, then you might as well use the outside Agent too, because you cannot expect that Agent to have much more historical perspective then the other.

So... if you require historical knowledge of a certain locale make sure that the person claiming to be "local" really has been there for quite awhile.
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October 19
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I'd like to challenge the notion of the local expert.
I think that buyers know where they want to buy.  The internet has opened up lots of information on amenities, schools, transportation, crime, neighborhood goodies and such.
I find that as a buyer's agent, entering an unfamiliar market, I can focus on the market data and have a clearer perspective on what is happening to the values in the neighborhood.  From there I've also found that local lisitng agents are surprised at how strong the data arguments can be.  I don't fit their mold of the local group.
Search the Zillow FAQ section for lots of opinions on buyer's agents.
Also go to the NAR website and look for questions to ask your Realtor.
 

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October 19
Profile picture for sheasellsrealty
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Why not go to open houses in your area? Look for a Realtor who specializes in your area and has good references.(Ask them, and don't be afraid to ask your neighbors, or even your family atrtorney. )  In CT, each Realtors is an  independent contractor associated with a Broker who holds his/her license. You can interview several Buyer's agents and ask to review their buyer broker contract before you sign. Good luck!

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October 19
Profile picture for MariaMorton
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I'm not sure what you mean by "independent." There is a national organization of Realtors who specialize in Buyer's Representation.
It is called the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council. REBAC
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October 04
 

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