Hi Gizelle,

I have four properties I'd like to email to you for consideration near "Ft. Sam" as we call it here. Please email me if you'd like me to send them to you.

I am an independent broker here in San Antonio and have been licensed since 1990. I am also an Accredited Buyers Representative (which means I have taken the classes, passed the test and have the required experience to get the ABR designation).

Please email me at lynettediane@yahoo.com and I"ll send over the listings for you to review.

The best way to get to know a realtor if you are not living here in San Antonio is to correspond through email and see if you have a good rapport. After all, you are trusting this person to find you a home that will fit your needs and your budget and make the whole process enjoyable!

Take care,

Lynette McClaran
The McClaran Group
210-861-3684

Gizelle,

Be very selective in your choice of a Realtor, some are part time and with this being your first home and such a large investment make your choice wisely. I am a Accredited Buyer's Representative with Keller Williams Realty and have been in and with Keller Williams for 10 yrs. Our motto is "win win or no deal". I maintain the highest integrity. I truly enjoy first time homebuyers in assisting them in finding just the right home not only for now but for future sale, as we all know life changes and sometimes rapidly. I work with a team of 3 outstanding agents. Call me and I would be happy to assist you in your search. Eileen Willis, Realtor, ABR, CSR, NHSR. 210-415-5131.

Hi! My name is Jennifer Crown with Century 21 United here in San Antonio. We moved here ourselves about 3 years ago and SA is a GREAT place to live. I would love to help you find your new home! It is not only my job to help you find your new home it is a great pleasure for me to help people find what they are looking for.
My goal is to help you find the right home, at the best price, in the least amount of time possible.
If you send me what you are looking for, I would love to set up a search for you!
Please email me at jennifer.crown@century21.com or call me at 210-392-2216.

GREAT! You will love San Antonio. I am the sales manager for Century 21 here in the heart of the City. I can help you do most of your searching before you get here. Once you arrive, you will have myself and a group of specialists to guide you through the entire process.

The BEST thing about buying a house, as first time homebuyers, you may qualify for the $8000 tax credit.

My job will be to help you find the right home, at the best price, in the least amount of time possible.

If you would like, I can begin pulling info on homes and emailing you.

Please send me a "wish list" with all of the things you want and need in your first home.

You can email me directly at rick.tankersley@century21.com. Or call me toll free 800-938-6700.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Rick Tankersley

I am a Real Estate Investor here in San Antonio with many homes available. If you would like to check us out please visit us at http://www.AyresRealEstateInvestors.com, there you will be able to review our entire program. We have helped many military families that are relocating to and from San Antonio, even in today's market.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,
JAMES HARTLEY

Gizelle,

I too moved here from Japan. Great place for a family.

Let me know if I can help. We are a military-oriented family of agents. We are all retired military and know what a relocation move means.

Welcome to San Antonio!

Dominick Dina, Broker/Owner
Christian Realty San Antonio

Is it me or was this question posted May 4, 2009.

I was an AF dependent, and am a retired vet. I understand your needs and know the ins and outs of the market. I'd be happy to help--and be there for you through your next PCS move.

Hi Gizelle,

You will love San Antonio! It is a great small town/big town! I have been a REALTOR since 1982, have my GRI (Graduate REALTOR Institute) and have been through Professional Development Training with Century 21 - the most recognized brand in the world! I have assisted many buyers through the home buying process and my goal is to help you find the best home, at the best price with the least inconvenience to you!

I have a 5 step plan to help you buy a home. Check my website at http://www.YourSanAntonioHomePro.com

We, at Century 21, are committed to excellence!

Hi Gizelle. all the answers that have been posted are good ones. The first thing that you need to do is meet with an experienced lender that can show you the programs and all the changes that are taking place with right them right now. I Want you to end up with the best loan program that will suit you and your families needs. I will be happy to do this for you at any time that is convenient for you. You may call 210-412-3953 or e-mail me at
catmciver@gmail.com

All the best of Luck to you. Take Care.

Hi Gizelle,

Just checking in. Were you able to find a Realtor to help you out? If you need more information about San Antonio and the surrounding counties, please feel free to check out my website! Good luck and if you need anything, please feel free to call me.

Brenda Mullen
Home Team of America
210-807-0819
brenda.mullen@sbcglobal.net

Hi Gizelle,

First and foremost, How did you get so lucky to get Japan?! Was it beautiful there? I retired from the Army a little over a year ago and never got a chance to visit there. Sure wish I did though.

If you haven't found an agent to help you as yet, please feel free to give me a call, 210-807-0819 or you can email me at brenda.mullen@sbcglobal.net, (brenda.mullen@us.army.mil). Most of my clients are military and stationed at FT Sam Houston.
I have been told by my other clients that I have a knack for finding that perfect home and getting them through the process easily and efficiently. At the same time, you can bet you will have a great time! Buying a home should be exciting and fun!
I look forward to hearing from you!

Gizelle,

First and foremost... thank you so much for your dedicated service to our country! It's very easy to admit that we all still have the God given right to own property only because of those such as yourselves fighting for us to maintain those rights! Thank You!

You only asked to find a "good" Realtor and not a "great" Realtor so........

In my opinion, it's a pretty simple Military analogy... if you are only looking for a GOOD soldier, then you may consider the Air Force or Navy... but if you want a GREAT soldier, then go Army or Marines!! lol

Ok.. I have clients, friends, & family I think from just about every branch and they all have gotten to know very well that I have respect for all service branches, just I like to have fun and kid around at times.

What I am getting at is it all boils down to personality and trust! And you find that out by interviewing them and speaking w/ solid references. Everyone can make a pretty good case for themselves and even portray others' strengths as weaknesses. (ex. Having so many clients may mean that you wont have time for you etc.)

I love what I do and enjoy having fun throughout the process and so do all of my clients; that's why we are such a good fit. I'm also great at what I do solving problems all day w/out sobbing about it and thinking that the earth will end. Please take the time to interview via e-mail a few other Realtors or in Danny or Matt's case, knuckle-heads (ha ha.. I know those guys and think very highly of them and they know that!!) and you will surely find a GREAT Realtor.

God Bless,

Josh

Gizelle,

As there was some discussion about what to look for in a Realtor®, I thought I'd share this post with you that I wrote here on Trulia. Some will agree and I'm sure some will disagree with what I have to say in it, but I think its a pretty good summation of the thought process of looking for an agent (I wrote it based on my own experiences with buying and selling).

Hope it helps you in your search process.

Matt Stigliano, Realtor®
210.240.6222
Exit Realty North-San Antonio
http://www.rerockstar.com

PS If for whatever reason you decide I'm not the agent for you, I would take a good look at Danny. He's always very helpful around Trulia and although I've never had the pleasure of working with him, he does have a good reputation amongst agents and his answers here are always excellent.

Hello Gizelle,

Two thirds of all the buyers I have worked with so far this year are First Time Homebuyers! Perhaps the $8000 tax credit is actually having an effect on the statistics!

I have been a full-time Realtor for over 15 years here in San Antonio and I am also an Accredited Buyer's Representative trained to assist the needs of home buyers (since 1998).

I would certainly appreciate the opportunity to be considered in your selection for a Realtor to assist you with your real estate purchase/investment here. I am also a native San Antonian, and I really do think you will love it here!

Feel free to visit my website at http://www.AmandaHerring.com for more information. You may also contact me by phone or email below. I would be glad to answer any questions you may have!

Sincerely,
Amanda Herring
Accredited Buyer Representative
Realtor-Broker
(210) 771-8608
amanda@amandaherring.com

Hi Gizelle,

I'm not in your area so my services wouldn't be available. But I would like to answer your question. The first thing I would look for in a Realtor in the number of transactions they did per year over the past few years. Interview Realtors and make them produce their results. Ask them how many of their transactions involved first time home buyers.

After you get a good feel for a few, go to a bank or seek out a mortgage lender. Ask them who would 'You" use for a Realtor? I would do this with several professionals and if some of the same names keep coming up. interview them.

Remember they work for you.

Good luck.

Phil Bailey

Hi Gizelle,

Japan to San Antonio – now that’s a move. I think you will really like San Antonio (I was born and raised here so I might be a little bias)! I’m currently working with a military transfer out of Maryland. She too will be working at Fort Sam Houston.

You can learn more about San Antonio by going to: http://yvetteallenproperties.com/san_antonio and http://yvetteallenproperties.com/san_antonio_resources

Some questions to ask yourself: how far do I want to drive each day to work? Do I want a new home community or an established neighborhood? You want to also write down what’s important to you in a home - list your top 3.

Technology will play a major role, but can be done easily. Many of my out of town clients use Google Maps to look at homes that I send them so they can get an idea of the street or neighborhood (you can view all around the area and scroll with a bird’s eye view – technology is great!).

The exciting part is looking for a home, but another major component will be meeting with a lender. The lender will confirm a price range that you can comfortably shop plus they can guide you through the different loan programs that may be offered to first homebuyers.

We have some great homes out there and I would be happy to help you through the process. If I can answer any other questions please let me know.

Yvette Allen
210-215-6897
Yvette@YvetteAllenProperties.com http://www.YvetteAllenProperties.com

I recently helped a couple who moved from Japan.. they purchased a wonderful home in north east San Antonio, and now they actually go to my church so I get to see them pretty much every week. I love my job!

There are a lot of great agents in San Antonio, and I think with a little research on your end, you could have excellent representation and buy a great home, at a great price. Part of that research should have to do with your rapport with an agent - whether you like him or her... But I think that this is a very important event in your life so you really should consider a few other things: experience, both in genereal and in the areas you will be looking, reputation, brokerage, integrity, and philosophy of business.
I'll answer to those things :-) -- I have been licensed since 1994, and have helped over 800 buyers and sellers with their real estate transactions. I have worked with many agents in San Antonio, both within my brokerage (Keller WIlliams Realty) and with other brokerages. Most of the agents were professional, but uinfortunately some were only after that next check... I believe if you were to ask around, other agents who know me would tell you that I am professional, ethical, and honest. I try very hard to treat other agents the way I would like to be treated. I take my job very seriously and know that I may be working with these agents again, so my relationships in the Realtor community are very important, and ultimately benefits my client as well. There have been times where our offers were accepted over other offers because of the agents confidence that I will do my job diligently and professionally.
As for my philosophy, it is rooted in treating others they way I would want to be treated. I view each client and each transaction as eaqually important. If you were to choose to work with me, I would meet with you, listen to your needs and wants in a home, discuss your financial goals regarding a home, and explain the process clearly within th econtext of your goals and needs. My priority is that you get a home that is a solid investment so that when the time comes to sell, you will profit. Also, that you would be buying a home that meets your needs and that you and your family will be happy living in.

I am a San Antonio native - I have lived in 8 different homes in San Antonio (my wife and I have made good money buying and selling residences- actually we are moving again.. here comes number 9!) I empathize with my clients -- moving is not the most fun in the world... So my job is to be the calming force in a sometimes chaotic time.

There you have it.. call me or email me if you would like to talk -- DannyT@kw.com or 210-979-0111

Gizelle,

Wow that's quite a trip! I would love to offer up my services and hel you find what you're looking for. Being a first time home buyer puts you in a good position. The $8000 tax credit is a good thing (wish i was a first time home buyer) and the San Antonio market has great prices and at the moment a very good selection of inventory.

Being far away can make it difficult, but because of all the technology available these days, things can be done via the internet long before you get here.

I know you'll have many offers of help of this question, so I hope you take some time, get to know me via my site (and feel free to email or call with questions) and if you think we'd work well together, then I'll work hard for you and help get you through the home buying process.

Feel free to take a look around my blog and get to know San Antonio a bit.

Hope you're having a great time over there and I look forward to speaking with you.

Matt Stigliano, Realtor®
210.240.6222
Exit Realty North-San Antonio
http://www.rerockstar.com