We've used the same broker for 3 transactions in 2 years here in San Francisco. The top 3 reasons we both continue to use and recommend her:

1) Integrity. She absolutely keeps her word and goes the extra mile to do so. She also will tell you exactly what she believes is right rather than what we 'want' to hear. She has our best interests at heart, and actually steered us away from properties we were interested in putting in an offer.

2) Hard working. Hardest working agent I've ever met. Examples on the sale side: willing to do the paperwork to make an important correction to county records, met the carpet folks when the client was out of town, called all 30 leads that came to an open house. Examples on the buy side: always happy to stay up late to write up offers after work. An example of another friend's agent that impressed me, she contacted every 4-6 unit property owner in certain zones whose listing had expired until she found one willing to sell under market to my friend.

3) Knowledge and experience: Just hard to replace solid knowledge and experience. She knows our criteria and has consistently steered us towards good purchases and away from problematic ones. Had a good intuitive sense of the dynamic of not only the other party, but the other offers and their limits.

Fri Oct 26 2007, 18:30

My agent needs to know the market inside and out, from interesting properties to price trends. He or she then needs to be a good and realistic negotiator. Lastly, he or she should be available. Those are my main criteria.

Mon Jun 18 2007, 22:02