Recommendations for Realtor good for 1st time home buyers

[nebulae47.livejournal.com]

My husband and I are looking to purchase our first condo/home sometime this summer.  We currently rent close to Davis and would like to stay in the area.  

I am looking for any recommendations on realtors who are very familiar with the area and would be patient and helpful for 1st time home buyers. We are signed up for a few info seminars on home buying through my husband's job but I would love to work with someone in the area who is really familiar with Davis, Teele, Ball, Union Squares.  I searched through the tags and didn't see anything recent posts like this so I hope there maybe a few people with recent experience that have recommendations!

Thank you!

Comments

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

We are currently using Ed Feijo/Gail Robers/Margo Delaney (they're a team) through Coldwell Banker (on Mass Ave near Porter) and have been very happy with them. They helped us buy our home in North Cambridge, and are now working with us (very successefully) to sell our condo in Davis.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
1730 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138

[nebulae47.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[ams16.livejournal.com]

I highly recommend Rona Fischman of 4 Buyers Real Estate (4buyersre.com). Though I should warn you, she is VERY direct and will tell you things like "That isn't a good decision" and "You should think about this house some more, because I think you should like it." This isn't always what people want from a realtor, but IMHO, if you are hiring a realtor for their experience, it's nice to hear about their opinions.

No matter what, I do recommend that you think about an exclusive buyer's broker. This means that the realtor does not sell units, or even share an office with someone who sells units. I believe that this makes them more independent.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

seconding both recommendations in this post!

[enveri.livejournal.com]

My husband and I are planning on renting for a few more years, but hey, never too early to start researching options!

This means that the realtor does not sell units, or even share an office with someone who sells units.

I feel like I'm missing something. What does this mean?

[ron_newman]

It means she represents only buyers, and never sellers. She collects her commission from you and not from the seller.

[enveri.livejournal.com]

Oh! I had no idea there was such a distinction! Handy piece of information to have! :D

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

really? My understanding was that the seller pays the commission to the seller's agent, who then splits it with the buyer's agent (if they have one). the buyer pays no money, in that scenario. I was unaware there is a scenario where both the buyer and the seller pay their agents separately. (not doubting you, just clarifying). The two times I have bought, I have not paid my agent anything. the one time we are selling (once it's all said and done) we will pay the commission.

[ron_newman]

I'm not an expert on this -- anyone interested should ask Rona for clarification.

[ams16.livejournal.com]

When I bought with Rona, you paid her a set fee, agreed upon in advance.

Traditionally, 3% of the sale price goes to the buyer's broker. If that 3% were more than the fee, Rona would refund the balance. If it was less than the fee, you would essentially only pay the extra.

I believe Rona does it slightly differently now, but I'm not sure how it works.

This gives the buyer's broker less financial incentive for the house price to be as high as possible, since her fee is static no matter what. (In the traditional model, every $1000 extra you spend on the house, the broker gets $30 of it. Not a lot, but can you see how someone might not bargain as hard in your interests?)

[lady-ceylonna.livejournal.com]

I also highly recommend Rona. When we used her (about three years ago), you paid her a fee upfront. When/if you bought using her, she refunded her fee. She goes over all of it at the first meeting and is very very helpful. She was recommended to us by two separate sets of friends.

[ron_newman]

Seconding Rona, who happens to be a friend of mine.

But your link does not work. Try http://4buyersre.com

[greyling.livejournal.com]

I can't recommend Rona enough. I bounced between a couple real estate agents in the area, but the moment I landed in Rona's office, I knew I was set. She's fantastic, and very knowledgeable about the area.

[dakotakym.livejournal.com]

I heartily agree with hiring an exclusive buyer's agent. It's a much cleaner arrangement than working with a traditional realtor, because there's no conflict of professional interest.

[nebulae47.livejournal.com]

Great info about Rona and using a buyer's broker. We will definitely look into her.

[fefie.livejournal.com]

I highly recommend Lisa Johnson at ReMax in Cambridge:

http://between2rivers.com/

She was my buyer broker when I was a first-time home buyer and I've recommended her to others who have been happy with her as well. She grew up in Somerville, knows the area well, and I found her enormously helpful and supportive through the home-buying process. (Also she did not waste time showing me anything that was not within my criteria.)

[samus-aran.livejournal.com]

We're actually interested in selling a rather nice 1 br, top-floor condo near Davis. :) Let me know if you'd like to hear more details.

[nebulae47.livejournal.com]

What is the square footage? I think we would probably aim for a 2 bed if possible.

[samus-aran.livejournal.com]

900. It's pretty small. It's really nice (very bright) but it's little. It's good for couples or single persons with not-a-lot-of-stuff. Definitely not for families with kids.

[nebulae47.livejournal.com]

Sounds great but it is probably to small for us! We'd like to have room for a kid in the new place at some point.

[samus-aran.livejournal.com]

Front and back decks, hardwood floor, granite counters, spa shower, marble bathroom, nice details everywhere, and OMG sunlight. ...but small.

[nebulae47.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[aislingk15.livejournal.com]

I worked with Ilya Rasner at Keller Williams (http://www.rasnersells.com/) on the recommendation of a friend who had also used him. I had been renting in the Davis area and ended up buying a condo near Ball Square. This was my first time going through the process, and Ilya was extremely supportive. He was also really great about not pressuring me when I told him initially that I wasn't actually sure that I was ready to buy something - that I was still considering my options and seeing what was out there. I would definitely recommend him.

[nebulae47.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'll look into Ilya.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I am a real estate agent, recommended in previous posts. A few people messaged to ask if they should mention me here since I had a baby last year and they weren't sure if I was actively working right now, so I figured I'd comment to say I am here and working with a fabulous business partner. Together we have several decades of experience. I've lived in Somerville for almost 15 years now and can talk about it for as long as anyone would care to listen. (I even do Somerville Trivia when I guide Illuminations tours.)

We'd be happy to meet with you to talk about the home-buying process, the current market, our fair City, etc. Let me know.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

it's true, she and her partner are very good. a+++ would buy again. internet humor aside, they are knowledgeable, approachable, and willing to have extended discussions about all aspects of homebuying and homeowning -- before, during, and after the sale.

[crs.livejournal.com]

surrealestate is great - she stuck with us through years of just sort of poking around at the edges of the market, giving us plenty of advice as we pondered the mysteries of Real Estate. Eventually we saw our perfect place in the listings and she was there for us as we finally jumped in.

Patient, diligent, and knowledgeable, surrealestate simply rocks.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I want to throw in a rec for Robert Corwin with Coldwell Banker in Cambridge, who is a property owner in the area and was extremely patient with us on our year+ long search. We are still super happy with our condo here in Ball Square, and he helped us with everything--inspections, lawyers, everything but getting a mortgage.

[cara (from livejournal.com)]

We've dealt with Arthur at Tory Row for all our rentals and he's been fantastic - he also does sales.

[notnatalie.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you have plenty of recommendations but I just have to throw mine into the pot - Kelly Burke now at Benoit RE, on Highland Ave at the corner of Cherry St. They specialize in the Somerville area and he helped me buy my first condo a few years ago in a competitive market, managing to secure the deal for me even though there was a higher offer on the table -!!- by creaatively thinking through the other positive attributes I brought to seller, structuring the bid in a creative way, and doing it all with utmost integrity. He was patient and happy to view lots of units, think through any situation with me, and basically guide me in every aspect of the hunting, negotiating, and purchase. He loves this area, I see him around often and we remain friendly!

[canongrrl.livejournal.com]

we just signed up with Thalia Tringo - she came recommended and our initial impressions are good (we also have a 4 bedroom condo going on the market in the next two weeks)

[wonggo.livejournal.com]

We used Sara Rosenfeld of Coldwell Banker for both buying and selling. She was across the board phenomenal
http://www.newenglandmoves.com/Sara.Rosenfeld.home