Finding the Right Realtor

[gold33]

Hey guys,

So, I'm looking to buy a house and recently determined all of the financial specifics with my bank. I'm just curious if anyone has had the mind-numbingly awful experience I've had so far with realtors. I've had people tell me they wouldn't show me houses until I was pre-approved. I've even outright contacted these people directly, told them exactly what I wanted, and never received a call back to go and see the houses that we're interested in. This whole process has become extremely annoying -__- You'd think you either want to sell someone a house or you don't...

Anyways, does anyone have any advice in picking the right realtor? Am I just talking to the wrong ones (well, obviously, but have any of you had a bad experience as well)?

 

[NoirHat]

Hey guys,

So, I'm looking to buy a house and recently determined all of the financial specifics with my bank. I'm just curious if anyone has had the mind-numbingly awful experience I've had so far with realtors. I've had people tell me they wouldn't show me houses until I was pre-approved. I've even outright contacted these people directly, told them exactly what I wanted, and never received a call back to go and see the houses that we're interested in. This whole process has become extremely annoying -__- You'd think you either want to sell someone a house or you don't...

Anyways, does anyone have any advice in picking the right realtor? Am I just talking to the wrong ones (well, obviously, but have any of you had a bad experience as well)?

You should get preapproved before looking at houses, it can be a massive waste of time for a realtor if you don't even know what you can get approved for. I would ask friends and family for a referral. But you seem to have realtors that don't like money

 

[gold33]

Well, the first realtor we went with was extremely rude about it and then we ended up getting approved for exactly what we were looking at. You would think most people have a good general idea of what they can afford to begin with anyways. And of course it ended up being a waste of time for him because we never spoke to him again after that lol. Referral's a good idea. I'll start asking around.

 

[loclhero]

Background: 57 years old and have purchased 3 homes in the past 20 years, 2 in the last 5

Buying a house and finding a realtor to help you buy should not be difficult. If you were selling you'd want to interview 2 or 3 realtors but buying is easy. Why you're having trouble is beyond me. Are you in the USA? If you are, call a local real estate office that is a name brand i.e. Remax, Prudential etc. Tell them you're in the market for a house. I cannot imagine them not having someone available.

As for the approval process what has been my experience and most everyone I know is that you find a realtor and start looking at homes. The realtor usually works with a mortgage lender or broker who can start the pre-approval process or you can just contact lenders yourself. The key is that you want to be pre approved not pre qualified. The lender will tell you, based on your credit and income, how much of a loan they will give you. With this info, you now know what price range to look at.

If the people you are contacting are telling you they won't work with you UNTIL you're pre-approved, you don't want them working for you anyway. I've never heard of anything so moronic. The first house I bought 20 years ago was only $180,000 and I never had that type of attitude from a realtor.

Another way to find a realtor, and the way my wife and I found our most recent one who we'll use in the future, was to go to open houses and talk to the sellers agent at the open house.