I definitely think that some buyers do avoid aligning themselves with a real estate agent.  Sometimes I get a phone call from a buyer that wants to look at one of my listings. That’s a good thing! But it is not uncommon for those buyers to be very skeptical about forming a relationship with one real estate agent in particular.  I know that I can not influence everyone, but sometimes it is hard to watch someone make the process so much harder than it needs to be.  I recently showed one of my listings to a couple that have been looking for a new home for several months.  They are looking on Zillow and Trulia and could not be persuaded that an agent could help them finetune their search.  I told them that they did not have to choose me as their agent, but that I highly recommended that they find an agent that they were comfortable with and let that agent assist them.  I explained that when they found that perfect house, that they were placing themselves in the position to then ask an agent that was a relative stranger to actually write the offer for them and stay with them their whole transaction.  I suggested that they develop a relationship with one agent so that when they got to the point of signing an offer that there would be some level of trust and understanding between them and their agent.

Real estate agents are like any other professional.  Some are good, some are better and some need to find another profession.  Sometimes personalities between the agent and their client click and sometimes the mix doesn’t work as well.  So, spend some time and find an agent that you are comfortable with and allow them to do their job which is to provide you with information and to guide you through a very important transaction.  And that is my little tidbit of advice for today!