Are you looking for a good real estate agent?  It may be harder than you think for a couple reasons.  I recently heard some staggering statistics from our state's real estate commission.  It seems that the top two complaints of consumers about agent services, or lack of them, as the case may be are:

1)  Ignorance -- that's right. The number one complaint is that agents just don't know what they're doing!  That's not surprising, however.  Agents with little raining and less supervision are allowed to write contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.  They ddon't know how to write a contract that protects their client and avoids potential misunderstandings.  They have no negotiation skills.  They are clueless about what it takes to bring a transaction to a successful and smooth conclusion, etc., etc., etc..  And the sad reality is that so many won't take the time or invest the money to learn!

2)  Misrepresentation-- There's a very distinct line between misrepresentation and fraud; it's called intent.  "Did the agent intend to mislead?" becomes the question.  Unfortunately, there are too many agents who have chosen the path of "willful ignorance" and do not exercise "due diligence" on behalf of their clients.  Others are guilty of "puffing" which walks a fine line between expressing their opinion and outright lying.  It's little wonder that the public opinion of real estate agents is so low!

My advice to anyone thinking about buying or selling real estate is to interview several agents and ask them some very specific questions.  Test their knowledge and competency.  Ask them to explain how they work and what you should expect as a buyer or seller.  If they can't do that to your satisfaction, find another agent!  Now for a final word of caution: Don't equate experience (years in the business) with expertise, knowledge and competence.  They're not the same. 

For more helpful consumer tips, check out my website at www.FlorenceHomeTeam.com