(no subject)

[bzarcher]

Oh, while I'm thinking:

Columbus friend-types (and others if you've input!) - any suggestions on good Realtors?

We started doing a bit of house hunting with some "help" from an HER realtor who apparently got my email address from one of the various homes for sale sites I registered on, and he's been offering suggestions that...well...

Lemme give an example: We'd ideally like to move somewhere near OSU campus (easier for Alex's job, Lisa's return to School, my ideas down in that area, and far closer to our actual social circles!) but out of the resimuter housing, and not on the Morse Rd. / 71 line.

Most of what he's given us has been East of Morse Road, in Westerville, in Hilliard, or in one case today, closer to the Guardtower than to OSU campus.

Great for the gaming jones. Bad for the actual criteria he's supposedly using to help us.

I think we're close to telling the gentleman to politely take a hike, but I'd like to find a better replacement. Any reccomendations for local or national realtors to contact?

Comments

[chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest asking in columbus or some other Columbus community.

So, basically you want to move to Clintonville?

[bzarcher.livejournal.com]

Clintonville, or North or West of that area, or even Upper Arlington if we found something we liked.

I may go to the Columbus comm., just not sure how many people in there have been buying houses. :D

[chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com]

As I recall there's a reasonable proportion of "grown-ups" there. ;)

[las.livejournal.com]

Aw, no looking in our neighborhood? Would you be mine, could you be mine, would you be our neighbor? ;-)

Our realtor was Harvey Hlinka. He seemed pretty good: http://www.herrealtors.com/harvey.hlinka/default.asp

[bzarcher.livejournal.com]

If I don't get the job at WOSU or OIT, I -realllllly- don't want to have to crawl over the 23 curve every morning and night at Rush Hour. :D

But, who knows? We might go back to the well there. :D

[dasubergeek.livejournal.com]

OK, some things to be wary of.

If the Realtor you're trying to get rid of showed you a house and you end up buying it, the Realtor you're trying to get rid of gets the commission on it -- even if another Realtor did all the work. FULL DISCLOSURE TO YOUR NEW REALTOR!

Next. Find yourself a buyer's agent. What that means is that you want someone who represents your interest, not yours and the seller's, and certainly not just the seller's. What does this mean? You need to have the Realtor sign a contract of agency for you, and that means any houses they have listed are right out, because if they're listing the house, they represent the seller's interests -- and that means taking you for the most money possible.

Next. Once you enter into an agency contract with your buyer's agent, never, ever, ever go to an open house or tour a house without your buyer's agent present. Technically if you go to an open house alone, the seller's agent saw you first and they get to keep the whole commission. Unbelievable that it works this way, but it's totally "whoever was present when the house was first shown to the buyer" is the rule.

Pick a buyer's agent who knows the area -- if you're looking in Columbus and Denver, get different agents in Columbus and Denver. My Realtor specialises in what he calls "the 101/134 to the 118 and the 405 to the 210", which is a small chunk of LA. When we buy in Orange County we will find a buyer's agent down there.

[bzarcher.livejournal.com]

He hasn't shown me anything, unless sending me a copy of new listings counts? I'll take care on that - I'd rather not cheat someone. The only houses I've "seen" were ones we actually drove to ourselves and looked at the neighborhood. Haven't walked inside anywhere.

I'll probably look at getting a buyer's agent in the near future, then.

[las.livejournal.com]

Getting listings doesn't count. And actually him showing you a place doesn't count unless you've signed an exclusivity form. But yeah, get a buyer's agent (Harvey did this for us).

[bzarcher.livejournal.com]

Ah, good.