Your Realtor will act as a broker in the true sense of the word; that is, he will act as "matchmaker" between you and the vendor of the home you eventually purchase. To find the right home it is important to find a Realtor that you feel at ease with, one with whom you can be candid with. A good Realtor is a good listener, one who will hear what you want and need, who will find it for you within your price range. How do you locate such a Realtor?

Asking friends for referrals, searching local newspaper ads, driving through neighborhoods looking for "for sale" signs, going to open houses, and attending home-buying seminars are just a few of the avenues you can follow to locate a Realtor. Upon speaking with one or two Realtors, you should develop a sense of whether that person is one you can speak with freely, whether he has an idea of what you want in a home, and whether he is being honest and forthright in his advice to you.

Expect the following from an agent:

• to know the local real estate market as a whole, both in general terms, as well as by the different neighborhoods. After all, knowing what homes are worth is his job!
• to provide you with a market analysis for the areas that interest you.
• to help you inspect prospective homes at a mutually convenient hour.
• to keep you abreast of new homes on the market.
• to give advice on mortgage financing, including some of the more innovative options available.
• to know how the asking price compares to others recently sold in the area.
• to provide full details about a property on which an offer will be submitted.
• to be candid with you about setting a realistic price for the home you desire.
• to negotiate skillfully in setting the price and terms in the offer.
• to act quickly and efficiently, to act as either a mother hen or a devil's advocate, as required.

Your Realtor can help you purchase either a resale home (pre-owned) or a new home (sold by a builder). When purchasing a resale home, your Realtor will make appointments to show you the home within your preferences and price range. When purchasing a home sold by a builder, in order for your Realtor to earn a commission on that sale he must accompany you at your first showing and register you with the builder. Otherwise, if you later purchase one of the builder's homes, your Realtor will not get paid. So let your Realtor know if you might be interested in purchasing a new home, or if you have already looked at a few. It's all part of just being honest with him so he may do the best for you that he is capable. Either way, a good Realtor will help you decide which home seems to best suit your wants and needs and help you to purchase that home whether he earns a commission or not. Personally speaking, I do my best to help my clients make good decisions when buying a home whether I earn a commission from the sale or not. Finding the right home for them is what matters. I would rather have long-term clients who use my services again and who refer me to their friends than have clients upset with me because I caused them to purchase a particular home just to earn a commission from the sale.

When choosing a Realtor, he or she must provide you with documentation concerning the  Agency Agreement laws. If you have not received these documents and do not have the Agency Agreement outlining your relationship with your Realtor, ask your Realtor for them. The signed Agreements must now accompany any Offer to Purchase that you sign.