Hello fellow-frugalites: Spouse & I are taking the plunge. We're looking for a house. I've been using a real estate agent that I've known for many years. She's a casual friend and a member of my defunct book group. She's also semi-retired, and very sweet.
That said: What should I expect in the 21st century from an agent? So far she has sent me five listings. I don't think she had seen any of these in person, as she was not the seller's agent on them. We sent her a list of things we must have in a house, and our price range. The first place was in the price range, but we didn't like it at all--and there was water in the basement. The second place was about $20K cheaper than what we we expected to pay, but it's a level above a fixer-upper. Spouse asked her what we should be looking at in order to get to the "next step above these" houses. She said $90-$100K. OK, fine--we might be able to do that with help from a relative.
I'm not sure how to phrase this and I hope I'm not babbling. She said "a lot of people just look on the Internet" for properties. I may still be thinking 20th-century, but, um, isn't it the buyer's agent's job to find the properties? We have access to the region's realtors' association page with all the MLS listings, so we do look. I'm just wondering if this is the right agent. She doesn't seem very aggressive (I hate that word, but I think you know what I mean). Like yesterday: she sent us two more listings. One was backing the main street in our town (YUCK) and I'm pretty sure I told her we do NOT want to live in that town any longer. The other had a pool. I know I told her we don't need a pool--we don't WANT a pool.
So...what should I expect from a real estate agent? Is this largely gonna be our job? If so, what do they do to earn their commission? I'm very confused.