I was looking at Activerain this AM and the first thing that I saw was a post from a Realtor that has the same pet peave as I do. Out of area internet Realtors that leverage the internet to gain clients from across the country then refer them to a local agent. This is a huge business and leaves the clients exposed to a rickety transaction.
What is local? Well I think that it is dependent on what type of transaction that you are going to have. If it is residentail then an agent that is more than an hour away that does not attend local MLS meetings can perform well. It is when you get into ranches and vineyards that you better pick a Realtor that lives right in the area. Local knowledge is key.
A lot of Realtors have left the market and the ones that are left have a pretty good grip on this business. I would imagine that those of us that are still here have over the years developed some pretty good relationships with our copetitors. There is a lot of power in using a Realtor that is willing to drop their ego and go to any other Realtor for help so they get THE VERY BEST HELP for their clients.
I feel the same about lenders. Lenders can and do perform well for out of the area transactions. If you have a lender that you like and have a relationship use them for out of the area investment transactions. A perfect example is like my friend Dan Stevens at Wells Fargo Home Loans. Dan was a CPA and has been with Wells now for ages. He is as good on the east coast as the west coast but Dan always leaves his ego at the door and reaches out to his team for help.
When you are hiring a Realtor. Hire someone that is local. That commission that we EARN is spent where we live and helps support local causes.
While I am at it SHOP LOCAL. I am not one of those anti corporate nuts. It is just that by the time you drive to Costco do you really save that much, no! The same with Wal-Mart. If you do your research you can save a lot of money shopping local and feel good about it.
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