I agree I am blinded by the spam.

David Chamberlain

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My fellow physhologist peeps also respectfully request that you read the following.....

http://www.trulia.com/terms/

http://www.trulia.com/guidelines/

I do respect your RE agent Degreed, after all wasn't it De Greed that is now providing us with such a healthy market, Dunes

Dunes, Had Thehob attacked you in your career as a psychologist and your fellow physhologist peeps you wouldn't have thought he was just expressing an opinion too. There are many realtors here at this site wanting to help people however they think they can and want to. I'm not the only realtor here and our information is not spam. We work extreamly hard at what we know and do and we are degreed in our profession too.
Maureen.McCarthy@prufoxroach.com
Realtor
Prudential Fox & Roach REALTORS
653 Skippack Pike, Suite 200
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Office: 215-542-2200
Direct:215-619-2316
Cell:484-431-5973
Fax: 215-542-2222
My BLOG Real Estate Matters} http://maureen-mccarthyrealtor.blogspot.com/
Professional profile} http://www.prufoxroach.com/agentoffice/agentsearch_results.cfm
Website}: http://www.prufoxroach.com

Anne,

Sorry if Maureen thought I was making presumptions. Perhaps if she provided advice other than her contact information you could see her views on the question that you asked. Instead Maureen has copy and pasted the same advertisement over and over.

Anne, Thehob wan't making assumptions, he was expressing an opinion. Maureen, I'm sorry Thehobs opinion was interfering with the spam you left as an answer, after viewing your profile and your answers, I respectfully ask if you might take the time to read you read the Community Guidelines refered to in the Terms of Use http://www.trulia.com/terms/

Just my opinion,
Dunes

Hello Anne, I believe The Hob's answer to you is rather narrow minded and I hope it doesn't influence you too much. As the case may be for you to not use or (to use )a realtor in the suburbs (or the exurbs??) there's no pressure from me. I'd just like for Thehob to know before making presumtions that many agents/ realtors are originally from cities myself included; I am from Philadelphia hence why I responded to you Anne. Believe it or not this suburban realtor was born and raised a city girl and went to a high school in the city of Philadelphia which were not too many years back, that's a good thing, and plenty enough years to give me enough information about the city and find my way around it incase I were to get lost and not want to ask anyone for directions. I also have an extensive back ground of knowledge on the housing market due to my experience in real estate in all dfferent area counties of the market including the city of Philadelphia called Philadelphia County. Even though I work and live in a suburb now as many of us realtors do who once lived and worked in a city, (gotta get away from that city wage tax ouch!), I've a license to practice real estate throughout the state of Pennsylvania. It would be whove of me not to know and make myself knowledgeable of all the "different" areas of Pennsylvania as this is my career in doing so for the public who needs viable information in order to help with their move. I'm not one to stick my head in the sand just because I moved out of the city into another area. As a suburbanite I still live work and play as if I were still living in the city. I also network with various agents who have become very beninificial to me when handeling clients not just from out of the area but from out of state, known as referring. If I were not able to help a client out of state then of course I would know my limits and help that client out with a referral agent of best choice for them. Not all realtors do this case said for poor Thehob's experiences. The city of Philadelphia , The City Of Brotherly Love is full of lively places to see shows, exhibits, fine dining, watch professional sports, the historical sites ect. I"ve experienced all of this PLUS going to the schools and still experience the places today even though I live all the way out in the suburbs now and it takes me approximately 1 hour at most to get into the city by my very own car and not public transportation. Oh that's about another hour. Your best bet is to do your homework and interview agents who you think are as experienced enough in the areas that youare looking in. If not then who ever you do go with will just do their homework halfway and just find you hum drum information off of the internet about the city if that's what you want. I hope I was helpful to you , Thehob and fellow "realtors below". If I can be of any more service to you please feel free to contact me.
Maureen.McCarthy@prufoxroach.com
Realtor
Prudential Fox & Roach REALTORS
653 Skippack Pike, Suite 200
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Office: 215-542-2200
Direct:215-619-2316
Cell:484-431-5973
Fax: 215-542-2222
My BLOG Real Estate Matters} http://maureen-mccarthyrealtor.blogspot.com/
Professional profile} http://www.prufoxroach.com/agentoffice/agentsearch_results.cfm
Website}: http://www.prufoxroach.com

Anne, at the risk of being berated by the realtors below, I WOULD NOT work with an agent from the suburbs (especially the exurbs) if you are looking in Univeristy City. I would find a good agent in Philadelphia. I have several reasons for this. The housing in the city is much different than the housing in the suburbs. Agents that work the burbs aren't necessarily accustomed to these types of homes. I would want an agent who lives and works in the area I'm looking. Will an agent from the burbs be able to meet you in the city? How long will it take her to get into town? Does she have recommendations on food, shopping, etc. in the city? Can she tell you about the schools in the city? There are plenty of great brokerage firms and agents in the city that I would use before resorting to a suburban agent. Must my $.02

Ann, contact me and I can help,
Maureen.McCarthy@prufoxroach.com
Realtor
Prudential Fox & Roach REALTORS
653 Skippack Pike, Suite 200
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Office: 215-542-2200
Direct:215-619-2316
Cell:484-431-5973
Fax: 215-542-2222
My BLOG Real Estate Matters} http://maureen-mccarthyrealtor.blogspot.com/
Professional profile} http://www.prufoxroach.com/agentoffice/agentsearch_results.cfm
Website}: http://www.prufoxroach.com

The best way to do this is to call an agent and if you feel comfortable with them over the phone, set up an appointment to see a home. If you are still comfortable with them, sign a buyers agent relationship agreement. This way you are being represented as the buyer. Realtors cannot represent the buyer or seller without having a written agreement first. If they do, they probably won't truely represent either, but represent themself or their own best interest. I hope that helps!

-Cheryl Supplee
Coldwell banker Preferred
610-812-6575
csupplee@cbpref.com

Whether or not someone is willing to take a reduction in pay for services rendered is not a good metric for determining whether or not an agent is looking out for your or for themselves. While all commissions ARE negotiable there are some very high quality agents out there who don't practice discounts as part of their business model.

Think of it this way: Does Nordstroms care if Kmart is having a Blue Light Special?

The best way to determine whether or not an agent is honest and transparent is by A. Interviewing the agent, B. Contacting his/her references and C. Contacting the agents that he/she has done deals with in the past, or D. Getting a good referral from a friend or family member that you highly trust.

Ask the realtor if he is willing/able and allowed to give up part of his commission to make the deal work. Sometimes that is necessary and if they refuse in advance I think they are greedy and looking out for number one. A good realtor deserves its commission ,however the customer is king .That is why we have the motto: We treat you like Royalty.
This might sound as false preaching to many realtors ,but this is how I was brought up and what I and my company practise.
I agree that you should not work with the listing agent. Ideally not even with one of the same brokers office.
If you need help I can help you finding a good realtor.

Somers:

I figured it out. You were including a period at the end of the URL.

I have attached the corrected link: http://activerain.com/blogsview/857535/5-Steps-in-Choosing-a…

Go to http://www.rebac.net/MembershipDirectorySearch.aspx and search your area for one or two or however many. Or, ask someone you trust for a referral to a a good agent. Good agents don't necessarily have designations and designations certainly don't guarantee that its a good agent.

If you can't get a referral, you'll need to interview a couple of agents. If you would like some help in finding and interviewing a good agent, email me at aaronc@johnlscott.com or call me at 208-724-7602. I can help you identify who is out to serve you versus someone who is out to serve themselves. :)

Try working with an agent who has their ABR designation. It stands for Accredited Buyers Representative.
http://www.rebac.net/MembershipDirectorySearch.aspx

Anne:

Try contacting NAEBA (National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents)

These agents only work with buyers and will never be in a conflicting position since there is no seller representation.

Hello Somers, great help you are providing to Anne here. I gave you a thumbs up. Keep up the good work and great blog posts.

Anne,

You are right. I can not access it through Trulia either. I can email you the link if you feel comfortable contacing us with that request. I promise not to send you anything other than our blog post link to that article.

Let me know.

Anne, Read these and it will give you an idea of how you might want to approach deciding who will represent your interests and assist in your financial committment.
http://www.trulia.com/blog/david_chamberlain/2008/12/how_to_…

http://www.trulia.com/blog/rockinblu/2008/12/i_ve_got_my_fin…

There have been a lot of good discussions about this subject so checking thru the Q&A/Blogs would give you a lot of information to draw on. Know your market, know your goals and protect your financial committement..Interview........

Good luck, Dunes

Hi Somers,

Check that link out. I clicked it and it's not working.

Anne,

Great question. "How do I fing a Buyers Agent ...?" Chris and I wrote a blog article on the subject of how to find a Realtor to sell your property but I think the criteria is very much the same. Here is the link if you are interested in reading it:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/857535/5-Steps-in-Choosing-a…

There are plenty of Buyers Agents out there but I am sure you are looking for a great one, with experience negotiating sales and one who has your best interest in mind. I hope our blog helps you narrow down the right Realtor for you.

Hi,

I recomend you research agents who work in that area of the city. I know you aren't looking for an agent who represents you and the seller, but I would start with agents who have current or recent listings in the neighborhood. Pick listings that you aren't interested in to try to avoid dual agency. Interview a few agents and tell them you aren't comfortable with dual agency. Pick the agent you feel is the most qualified.

I personally offer new buyer clients an initial trial period to work with me. I usually do a 2 week buyer agency contract with them to give us both time to see if we are a good fit. If we aren't then we go our seperate ways or we extend the contract for a longer period. Usually 3 months. I find that my clients love the opportunity to try me out. I think you should try it with the agent you think is the best fit for you and your needs.

I loved living in University city. Happy house hunting. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or would like to interview me to assist you.

Sincerely,

Kelly Gidzinski
Long & Foster

Anne,

What was wrong with your last agent?

I am based out of center city and can handle any part of Philadelphia. My office is at 6th and walnut and I currently represent about $9.5 million in real estate. From investment properties, land to resales, I can handle all of your needs. And if for some reason I do not know the answer, I have a team behind me who is always willing to assist.

Feel free to email me at sean.dawes@longandfoster.com

Sean Dawes
Long and Foster Real Estate Inc
215-409-6900 ext. 16

Hi Anne

I specializes in Buyer Agent. If you are looking for someone who is obligated to you only than give me a call at 215=356-3926 or email me at dawn.fussell@realestate.com

Thank you

Hi Anne, I am not clear on your question. Do you have a specific property you are interested in and want to ensure that you don't work with their listing agent? Or are you just looking for a good realtor to represent you?
We would be happy to speak with you about your needs.
Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Thank you,
Dale

Dale Archdekin
Realtor
Coldwell Banker Preferred Old City
223-225 Market St.
Philadelphia PA 19106
Direct: 215-370-1236
Office: 215-923-7600
Fax: 215-940-8207