Attaining the right agent

[Allen Stuart]

Me, my wife and daughter are moving to Oregon, looking for a home in the Portland suburbs for a job promotion. I have questions on what I should seek in finding the RIGHT agent that knows the area. I have been solicited by a couple agents I don't know much about. 2 examples...

Example (agent) 1- Was contacted by a R**** agent who says she's helped clients sell, buy nearly 50 homes in the area. The problem is when I check her online reputation, there's no sort of testimonials or references associated with her profile. I asked her for some references from some of her past clients, I got 2 phone calls from 2 different people. The first reference said something to the effect "________ did a great job helping me buy a home". I asked the question, paraphrasing "what did the agent do for you that you liked the most"? I got some weird answer like "________ helped me out with all the paperwork". Huh? The second reference who called me simply left a message saying the same thing reference 1 said in a voicemail. I tried to call back the number back but I've gotten no answer. Am I reading to much into this?

Example (agent 2) 2- Contacted by agent new to the Portland area. I see that this agent is somewhat new to the real estate world but I have a couple concerns about this person. Through my business relationships I found out that this agent foreclosed on his own home in a different part of the country where he lived. Is this a red flag? Also his online reviews all 5 stars yet this agent hasn't sold more than 2-3 houses. I believe this agent ran his own business and using those relationships from another business to dress up his online reviews from clients/friends. Also suspicious that this agents wife also worked for B******** H*******, maybe they work as a team but his foreclosure, questionable and authenticity of his online reviews concern me as a buyer. Again, am I reading into this to much? 

We might just get an apartment for about 6 months since we'll be moving to Portland area in mid January. Unfortunately I found out within the past 2 weeks I'll be moving. With the busy work schedule, wife, daughter and all the drama that goes on with moving whole family, I'll have more time in January to look more thoroughly for a home since my employer will be giving me about 3 weeks off to get settled. What kind of tips can any agent offer? Please don't take this post as a solicitation, more of an inquiry. 

[Kim Knox]

An important part of locating your Agent is to find someone you are comfortable with, and that you like.  You will be relying on them to help you make smart decisions.  Someone that impresses you as familiar with the market and with standard practice.  Another thing you want to be sure of, is that Agent works full time as a Real Estate Agent.  Portland has low inventories, so your Agent needs to be easily available to act quickly (as will you).   

Honestly, I have never been asked for references.  You might find that odd, but it is true, and I am on my 16th year.  It is likely because I lead the conversations, because I feel that is part of my job, to guide someone through the process.  I also tell them what is important to know about me, and how I run my business.  When you get the impression that an Agent is interviewing you, you are on the right track.  It shows they value their time.     

Nor should you be interested in their foreclosure history.  Fact of the matter is, Real Estate Agents are more likely than most to regularly invest in Real Estate.  Additionally, we work on commission, so when the market crumbles, we are in a high risk situation.  I have seen very successful agents with their names on the notice of default lists.  I have also seen very intelligent Agents go out of business because they let people abuse their time and knowledge.

Even though you might not require good reviews or references, I do suggest googling to see if an Agent has BAD reviews, as that would be a red flag to me.  I have seen Agents that I consider sub-par with a billion 5 star reviews.  I have also seen great Agents with no reviews.  Bad reviews, however, would get my consideration.