Would you please recommend me a realtor? Can anyone recommend me a realtor please? I'm getting into my first time buying a home and finding this all incredibly...
SyrahFan replied:
Do you know what neighborhoods you are looking at? Ideally you will have a real stir that knows that area.
MrMoneyWhale replied:
We used Berni Bishop Pirollo and thought she was good for first time home buyers in our price range.
Before talking to a real estate agent, I heavily heavily suggest you take a homebuyer's workshop that walks you through the process, talks about details and answers questions from someone who isn't financially or otherwise involved in your transaction (i.e no bank led or real estate company led seminars/workshops). [NeighborWorks](https://www.neighborworkswpa.org/) has a good program and [here's a list of all the HUD approved homebuyer workshops](https://apps.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm?&webListAction=search&searchstate=PA). If it's overwhelming now, it'll be even moreso when you're shopping, making offers, negotiating and closing, so get some education upfront.
Also - interview multiple real estate agents. Make 20-30 minute appointments in-person and let them know what you're looking for, your price range/neighborhoods/etc. It takes a little more leg work, but remember these folks are the ones going to bat for you against other agents, sellers, and the other parties involved (lender, title transfer co, home inspector). Don't sign a contract or any sort of agreement until you've gone on a few house visits and feel comfortable working with them.
Ask them for info about their recent transactions - are they in places near where you want to live? Same type of properties and price range? What are they like interacting with you - are they asking questions? Are they able to explain the process in a way that makes sense to you? And ask them to send you some initial listings based on your convo to see if they really understood what you were asking for. We had a realtor send us listings for condos in Mt Lebanon when we were looking for houses in and around the city and specified "not the south hills", other realtors who were nice but their recent sales were higher end and they probably weren't going to be that interested in us.
thekekkles replied:
Cindy Hughes with Coldwell Banker was great to work with from what I heard! She helped some older family members of mine sell their house and find a better place to live, as they were getting to the point they could no longer live in it alone. It was a very fast and smooth process. 10/10, I highly recommend giving her a call! https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/pa/murrysville/agent/cindy-hughes/aid_200341/
pgh412redditor replied:
Mona Williams of Your Town Realty has been an absolute goddess. She's so smart and insightful, and we couldn't be happier. She helped us get our house below asking price, which is pretty difficult in this market. She's been an incredible advocate for us, even getting the inspection company to go back and re-check the roof, which was covered in snow the day we had our inspection.
Simmion replied:
I smoke cigars with [this guy](https://robdutcherteam.selecthomefinder.com/) hes been doing a lot of business. nice kid and he works hard.
Meisterbrau02 replied:
Just don't go with Coldwell. A bunch of no talent ass clowns unless they've cleaned shop in the past several years. Also buyers don't really need be realtors. You can find a place on your own and the sellers agent won't have to split. you're just on your own for negotiations which is ok because agents no are more interested in closing a sale than getting the best price, especially if they split commission
epowe1 replied:
Kevin Brown, praedium realty. They only represent buyers so no dual loyalties.
beezus_jeezus replied:
Christa Ross at ReMax is great. She was a good communicator and I felt she looked after my best interests although I wasn't buying an expensive home.
TOBPrincess replied:
I used Julie and Ted Block: [http://www.blocksintheburgh.com/](http://www.blocksintheburgh.com/) Super personable, know the business well, and made my first time home-buying experience as stress free as possible! Also -- they didn't show me any properties above my upper limit.
sleepallday345 replied:
Justin Cummings was great to work with, I was a first time home buyer and he made the process seamless and I got a great deal and he advocated for me every step of the way.
ChoinoX replied:
Cowden Creek
hooch replied:
We just closed on our first house after working with Sara Minshull from Redfin. Low pressure experience, very attentive, and she was more than happy to walk us through the entire process. I'm happy that we didn't go with a traditional real estate service. Small nitpick but something I learned for the first time recently -- only agents who work with and are licensed by Realtor.com are "realtors". Everyone else is a "real estate agent".
churningpacket replied:
[Justin Francart](https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/pa/pittsburgh/agent/justin-francart/aid_170460/) sold my house and he was awesome. He took the time to find a family that wanted the property and that I would be comfortable selling it to.
BlackngoldDoc replied:
Big fan of Rachel Mulholland, can't say enough good things about her [Rachel Mulholland](https://www.thepreferredrealty.com/real-estate-agent/2243165/rachel-mulholland/details/)