How to Pick A Realtor With ZERO referrals or first hand knowledge?

[Amethyst]

And a friendly, professional expert trumps them both! That's the kind I look for. In a hot market like the R-D area, you should be able to find any kind of agent you prefer.

I try to be as concerned about their time, as I expect them to be about mine.
Once, I had an agent in a hot market tell me we couldn't work together - it would waste his time to take someone around who wasn't buying right then. So I took him at his word.

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Originally Posted by OldShooter A dour and crotchety old expert trumps a personable and friendly idiot every time.

[RunningBum]

Yes, on the sell side I like a high volume agent who will get my house sold. On the buy side I want patience over pushiness.

Midpack, over lunch I looked at the locations you were talking about. I used to love driving both 751 and Leesville Rd, though with both being more developed I may not like them so much anymore. Wake Forest I just didn't get up to much. FWIW, the South Hills ones are going to be more associated with Durham, and I think the Brier Creek area is more Raleigh but I can't say for sure. The distinction for me is if I was looking for someone to do some work in my house in Cary, and asking people at work for recommendations, it usually did no good to ask people who lived in Durham because they often didn't go out there, but Raleigh repair/delivery people would. There was also a bit of social barrier. People seemed more willing to drive to any part of Raleigh, but to drive all the way to Durham or Chapel Hill would take a special event--even if it took the same amount of time!

[Midpack]

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Originally Posted by RunningBum Yes, on the sell side I like a high volume agent who will get my house sold. On the buy side I want patience over pushiness. Midpack, over lunch I looked at the locations you were talking about. I used to love driving both 751 and Leesville Rd, though with both being more developed I may not like them so much anymore. Wake Forest I just didn't get up to much. FWIW, the South Hills ones are going to be more associated with Durham, and I think the Brier Creek area is more Raleigh but I can't say for sure. The distinction for me is if I was looking for someone to do some work in my house in Cary, and asking people at work for recommendations, it usually did no good to ask people who lived in Durham because they often didn't go out there, but Raleigh repair/delivery people would. There was also a bit of social barrier. People seemed more willing to drive to any part of Raleigh, but to drive all the way to Durham or Chapel Hill would take a special event--even if it took the same amount of time!

Wow, you're very kind! I appreciate all you've put into this thread, we hope to put it to use in the weeks and months ahead.

[IMATERP]

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Originally Posted by Midpack We're looking for a small (2000sf plus/minus) but well finished open concept 3/2 single story, where most homes are two stories. Open concept is what makes us believe we're limited to new construction or within the last 5-10 years. Older homes with distinct living and dining rooms won't make our list. We're still somewhat early in the process but the specific neighborhoods that are popping up are (in no particular order): Richmond Park, Traditions Wake Forest, Enclave at Ellis Crossing, Drayton Reserve, Longleaf Estates, Fendol Farms, Heritage Wake Forest, Jordan at Southpoint, Kings Glen, Preserve at Kitchin Farms, Courtyards at Heritage Grove, and Hills at Southpoint. DW is adamant that we use a realtor (vs going to a development/builder directly) to sort out neighborhoods and builders, and I don't disagree. We're not ruling out small 55+ communities (since they're building the type of homes we're looking for), but Del Webb communities are not in the running for us. There are a few that are mixed age communities with a block or two of single story homes that are appealing. Not specifically age restricted, but I'd imagine they're targeting empty nesters without segregating them entirely, sounds appealing to us. Thanks again for the suggestions, I'll be researching for the next few days.

Fendol Farms has just started breaking ground. Just behind the Del Web project. Del Web in Briar Creek is just about sold out. There are a couple of other 55 and older being built in Brier Creek.

Traditions, another Del Web project is being built in Wake Forest.

Before looking at the Triangle, please keep in mind that Traffic has gotten much worse here and the price of housing has appreciated 40% + in the last three years. The Triangle is still averaging 60 new residents per day on an inflow.

The folks retiring from the Northeast are not moving to Florida but instead to Raleigh and Charlotte.

[Amethyst]

Boy, this is true. High sales volume = pushing sellers to take less, pushing buyers to pay more, anything at all to close, close, close, never mind if people end up in a house they really wanted.

There is one extremely successful, high-volume agent/brokerage in our area, and I haven't liked any of our interactions. It's not that they're rude. They're just overconfident and pushy, like it's a privilege for you to list with them.

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Originally Posted by simple girl Do you have a friend who is a realtor or a prior realtor you trust? Our friend used her referral service and screened a realtor for us. We are SO happy with who she chose. Compare this to when we used zillow and went with the person who had the most sales and great reviews. We liked her initially...but we discovered - after we had signed a contract and were working with her for a while - that she was AWFUL, worst realtor we have ever had! High sales volume does not = great realtor.

[haha]

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Originally Posted by Midpack I’ve done a bunch of searches online and every one says get referrals from family, friends, co-workers and then get references. But we don’t know a soul in the intended relocation metro area 750 miles away, so no referrals. Any suggestions? All I know to do is call the larger real estate offices in Raleigh-Durham, tell them what we’re looking for, and see who they offer up. From there we’d ask them some questions (good questions to ask are easy to find online), ask for references and do some research on our own, and narrow it to one or two and proceed. When I was working it was easier as co-workers at the new location were always there to help, and Megacorp had relo peeps that knew good realtors in most of the their (75) locations. Now retired, we don’t have that handy resource when relocating.

How about put most of your stuff in storage in R-D, move there and rent a house or apartment as close as possible to where you want to live, and see how it feels on the ground?

I spent almost my whole life either in Seattle or in Seattle metro but not in city. Still, I really didn't know pluses and minuses of various neighborhoods and streets until I rented in the one I though might work best. I am slow about feeling that I really know what's what, so I benefited from taking my time.

Ha

[Midpack]

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Originally Posted by haha How about put most of your stuff in storage in R-D, move there and rent a house or apartment as close as possible to where you want to live, and see how it feels on the ground? I spent almost my whole life either in Seattle or in Seattle metro but not in city. Still, I really didn't know pluses and minuses of various neighborhoods and streets until I rented in the one I though might work best. I am slow about feeling that I really know what's what, so I benefited from taking my time. Ha

I am sure we should rent for 6-12 months, and we may still. Obviously that will add cost and logistics, but that could prevent us from making a location error. Moving again would be MORE costly. I guess we’re hoping a good realtor should be able to help us get location right?

[JoeWras]

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Originally Posted by IMATERP Fendol Farms has just started breaking ground. Just behind the Del Web project. Del Web in Briar Creek is just about sold out. There are a couple of other 55 and older being built in Brier Creek. Traditions, another Del Web project is being built in Wake Forest. Before looking at the Triangle, please keep in mind that Traffic has gotten much worse here and the price of housing has appreciated 40% + in the last three years. The Triangle is still averaging 60 new residents per day on an inflow. The folks retiring from the Northeast are not moving to Florida but instead to Raleigh and Charlotte.

That's a growing area, but it baffles me that they are allowing such huge growth without doing something about Leesville Rd. That used to be tobacco farm country, and country roads. Leesville is still grossly undersized. At least from the Del Webb community, there is a back door out to 70. Fendol Farms is boxed in to Leesville. It is going to be ugly.

And your inflow quote is sure supported by what I've noticed to be a recent change. 540 traffic from 70 to 40 is becoming impossible every morning. After they widened the offramp to 40 several years ago, it was almost always a breeze. Not anymore.

I don't even want to talk about evening traffic.

6 more weeks of this commute!

* PS: yes, I know, it isn't Chicago. I know. Grew up there. But even metro-grizzled-vets get sick of this traffic growth too.

[Amethyst]

I'm mystified why so many people want to retire to a place that is obviously a hot employment center. The Research Triangle is one of the biggest employment growth areas in the U.S. , and Charlotte is not far behind. NC state taxes are hardly the lowest in the U.S.

not a knock on OP, but am puzzled about the inflow of retirees generally. Just don't get it.

[Midpack]

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Originally Posted by JoeWras * PS: yes, I know, it isn't Chicago. I know. Grew up there. But even metro-grizzled-vets get sick of this traffic growth too.

You took the words right out of my mouth. We did see some crazy traffic on Leesville Rd and IIRC N Mangum St (going east at evening rush hour) while there about a month ago. A disaster for commuters, but a little less so for retirees?

[Midpack]

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Originally Posted by Amethyst I'm mystified why so many people want to retire to a place that is obviously a hot employment center. The Research Triangle is one of the biggest employment growth areas in the U.S. , and Charlotte is not far behind. NC state taxes are hardly the lowest in the U.S. not a knock on OP, but am puzzled about the inflow of retirees generally. Just don't get it.

For us it’s a simple as (winter) weather and the amenities and (outdoor) activities we most enjoy.

There are many cheaper places to be sure, but after over 25 years near Chicago there’s a limit to how many amenities we’re willing to give up. The kind of amenities we enjoy only seem exist where the economy, therefore employment, is “hot” and COL follows somewhat.

And while we’re escaping winter, there’s too warm too (we’ve lived in Tampa and Dallas), and DW gets really crabby wilts in high humidity...

[RunningBum]

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Originally Posted by Midpack I am sure we should rent for 6-12 months, and we may still. Obviously that will add cost and logistics, but that could prevent us from making a location error. Moving again would be MORE costly. I guess we’re hoping a good realtor should be able to help us get location right?

Yeah, though there are always personal things to evaluate. Spend a couple of days and act like you're living there. Go to the grocery store and see how convenient it is, and if they have things you typically get. Go to the coffee shop, library, hiking trails, golf course, hobby supply store, whatever it is you like to do or have to do. A realtor could take my criteria of nearby running trails, but I'd have to check it out myself to make sure they are asphalt or unpaved instead of concrete, through trees rather than wide open exposed to weather, and not running right along side a busy road or having to cross them. Tennis courts could be plentiful but shoddy. Or that neighborhood grocery store might be a run down old Food Lion with the basics, instead of something like an upscale Wegmans if you want gourmet options.

[JoeWras]

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Originally Posted by Amethyst I'm mystified why so many people want to retire to a place that is obviously a hot employment center. The Research Triangle is one of the biggest employment growth areas in the U.S. , and Charlotte is not far behind. NC state taxes are hardly the lowest in the U.S. not a knock on OP, but am puzzled about the inflow of retirees generally. Just don't get it.

We're staying for the reason Midpack is coming. We have a lot of new friends who come here to follow their children (when they job hop here). Then the kids move away and the retirees stay!

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Originally Posted by Midpack You took the words right out of my mouth. We did see some crazy traffic on Leesville Rd and N Mangum St (going east at evening rush hour) while there about a month ago. A disaster for commuters, but a little less so for retirees?

That's a good point. The rush IS much shorter than Chicagoland and you can work around it and do your thing outside the relatively short windows. At least for the next 10 years or so. Not sure what will happen after that.

[Amethyst]

Summers in central NC are hot and humid. Naturally they don't last as long as in Florida, but it would be something to check into.

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Originally Posted by Midpack And while we’re escaping winter, there’s too warm too (we’ve lived in Tampa and Dallas), and DW gets really crabby wilts in high humidity...

[RunningBum]

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Originally Posted by Midpack For us it’s a simple as (winter) weather and the amenities and (outdoor) activities we most enjoy. There are many cheaper places to be sure, but after over 25 years near Chicago there’s a limit to how many amenities we’re willing to give up. The kind of amenities we enjoy only seem exist where the economy, therefore employment, is “hot” and COL follows somewhat. And while we’re escaping winter, there’s too warm too (we’ve lived in Tampa and Dallas), and DW gets really crabby wilts in high humidity...

What are the outdoor activities? Some may have local knowledge to help.

[Amethyst]

You haven't seen a nice real estate agent work hard not to roll his/her eyes until you've seen them react to my criterion of a decent fitness center within a 10-minute drive. And not a few machines in a dang clubhouse, either.

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Originally Posted by RunningBum Yeah, though there are always personal things to evaluate. Spend a couple of days and act like you're living there. Go to the grocery store and see how convenient it is, and if they have things you typically get. Go to the coffee shop, library, hiking trails, golf course, hobby supply store, whatever it is you like to do or have to do. A realtor could take my criteria of nearby running trails, but I'd have to check it out myself to make sure they are asphalt or unpaved instead of concrete, through trees rather than wide open exposed to weather, and not running right along side a busy road or having to cross them. Tennis courts could be plentiful but shoddy. Or that neighborhood grocery store might be a run down old Food Lion with the basics, instead of something like an upscale Wegmans if you want gourmet options.

[JoeWras]

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Originally Posted by Amethyst Summers in central NC are hot and humid. Naturally they don't last as long as in Florida, but it would be something to check into.

I came from Florida, so I have perspective. Yes, our July-August is equivalent to Chicago's Jan-Feb. It is our "winter" of sorts. But you can still do stuff, especially in the morning. Bike rides in July-Aug early morning are the bomb. What I couldn't stomach with S. Florida was the unrelenting humidity in Sept-Oct. That at least relaxes here. I've come to accept a little humidity. It sucks, but then again, the desert sucks you dry.

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Originally Posted by RunningBum What are the outdoor activities? Some may have local knowledge to help.

Many to mention. Although we are not IN the mountains or coast, we are close enough to enjoy on day trips. But more than that, all kinds of stuff you can do. One of my favorites is the outdoor pop symphony concerts in late May through early July.

[RunningBum]

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Originally Posted by JoeWras That's a growing area, but it baffles me that they are allowing such huge growth without doing something about Leesville Rd. That used to be tobacco farm country, and country roads.

My Leesville Rd story. 1985, driving home in the evening from RTP, after rush hour had cleared, maybe 8pm (still light out) and a friend was following me. Pull off of 70 onto Leesville toward Strickland in my newer VW Rabbit GTI. Looked in my rear view mirror and gunned it around a corner. My friend in his turbo Buick Regal was a bit slow in the turn but caught me on a straight. So I opened it up again and he chased me. We got onto Strickland, and kept it up. Probably not 2 lane anymore, but it was then, but I think I only had to pass one car. Turned onto Six Forks, also 2 lane that far north at the time, and passed a couple more cars to my apartment. When I finally got there my friend pulled up and we were both laughing our asses off, saying how much fun that was, and went in for a beer (none before driving). Foolish youth, but on a summer weekday evening we were pretty much able to go as fast as we wanted all the way, with hardly any traffic to contend with. No way that happens today.

[RunningBum]

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Originally Posted by JoeWras Many to mention. Although we are not IN the mountains or coast, we are close enough to enjoy on day trips. But more than that, all kinds of stuff you can do. One of my favorites is the outdoor pop symphony concerts in late May through early July.

Well, I was asking midpack, since he's the one looking. But I know there is a lot to do there. If he's into fishing, looking for someone to tell him which of the lakes is better, rather than just looking to be near any lake, for example.

[RunningBum]

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Originally Posted by JoeWras One of my favorites is the outdoor pop symphony concerts in late May through early July.

Are those still out at Regency Park? When I was married we lived in a house just up the hill from there, and really enjoyed those concerts. Extra nice not to have to deal with the traffic leaving, especially since the back way out wasn't there yet.