davis_square | Seeking decent real estate agent

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zymurgist70.livejournal.com posting in

I think it's about time I bought something, probably a condo, maybe a house, but somewhere in Cambridge/Somerville and close to Davis/Porter.

Looking for some third-party, unaffiliated references for agents that are knowledgeable about the neighborhood. In other words, not someone you are related to or really good friends with (or yourself, if you happen to be an agent). No offense, I just want an untainted reference as this is brand new territory for me.

Much obliged for any input.

Cheers,
Murph

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From:

nvidia99999.livejournal.com

recommendations about appraisal or home inspection from the agent you are working with. Obviously, they want you to buy the house. No matter how "nice" people are, their job is to get you to buy, and the more house you buy the more they get.

From:

laryu.livejournal.com

It is illegal in Massachusetts for a seller's agent to recommend a home inspector. I believe they can only provide a complete list of qualified agents. That said, a buyer's agent IS allowed to recommend an inspector; it's a conflict of interest but less so.

I would still suggest turning elsewhere for an inspector recommendation and making sure you understand why someone is being recommended. For example, if someone says, "my inspector told me the furnace is 20 years old," that's great but it's also basic stuff. If someone says, "my inspector walked around the block with binoculars to check the roof out from all angles," that might be worth something. I spent a full 3 hours walking through my current house with my inspector. It's an old house that had a few issues I knew about and lots more that I would never have found out without the inspection. Much more thorough than the inspector for my previous purchase -- and it both knocked a significant figure off the purchase price and informed renovations. Unfortunately, he retired.

From:

pjmorgan.livejournal.com

It is legal for the buyer's agent to recommend an inspector, but there is still a conflict of interest there. A buyer's agent might have a tendency to refer inspectors who do not have a tendency to kill deals. I got screwed in this way before early on, in more recent purchases, I have always used one I found on my own through a friend of a friend's recommendation.

From:

nvidia99999.livejournal.com

Correct. My experience too. People can be very charming and still screw you.

From:

lady-ceylonna.livejournal.com

Her recommendations aren't a matter of being nice. When *asked* she provides lists of people who she has worked with in the past and feels does a good job. We've been happy with the ones we've used.

I did misspeak about the appraiser, I meant to say home inspector. The appraisal was done through the mortgage broker system where no one really knows who you'll end up with.