My zeal for guiding homebuyers and sellers (especially first-timers) sprang from my own experience buying our first home before I was a realtor. While it’s a funny story now, that adventure taught me that not only does an agent need to be knowledgeable, professional, proactive and responsive, but they also need to answer the questions a client doesn’t even know to ask. A homebuyer or seller can never be too educated or informed.

As a one-person ...