If you're buying a home as well as selling a home, many people select the Realtor that they will work with based on how each Realtor will market their home for sale.

If you're a first-time buyer, and you don't already have a relationship with a Realtor, this leaves you with the following main options:

1. Visit open houses, call the listing agent on houses you wish to view, and eventually work with the listing agent on the house you purchase.  This is not a great idea, but I'll touch on that in another post.
2. Select a Realtor based on the recommendations of friends, colleagues or family members.
3. Meet with several Realtors (who may or may not have been recommended to you) to determine the Realtor you are most comfortable with and confident in.

My suggestion?  Option Three!

Set up a brief meeting with a few Realtors and talk to them generally about what is important to you in a house, and in a Realtor.  Select the Realtor you will work with through the buying process based on having had real, in-person conversations with several Realtors so that you understand the service that they will provide to you, and so that you can sense whether your personality and communication styles will work well together.

I would certainly love to be one of those Realtors you talk to as you decide who to work with through the buying process.  Call (540-578-0102) or e-mail (scott@cbfunkhouser.com) if you'd like to set up a time to get together, perhaps for some coffee.