How much do I trust my realtor?

[Emily Shirk]

Hello!

My husband and I are first time buyers and new to the area (San Jose).  We met with a realtor who I found on zillow with high ratings and she instructed us that because the housing market is so competitive here, it is important to have all of our underwriting completed and our contingencies as small as possible.  She explained that she has a close working relationship with a mortgage consultant at WellsFargo who underwrites for all her clients and gives them priority.  I have been researching first time home buying and read that its important to speak toh multiple lenders, however she made it sound as if he handles all her clients and in order for the process to go smoothly we needed to go through him as well.  Is this normal?  After speaking with him he said to expect a 4.2-4.5% interest rate on a conventional loan with 5% down.  What are your thoughts?