Realtors with Good Ratings/Reviews
 

Does anyone know of a good site that Rates & Review Realtors?

I'm looking at buying in either The Villages or Stonecrest. I've talked to a couple realtors already but when I do a search on them I find out that there are no ratings on them and that they haven't sold many houses. I'd like to see evidence that I'd be getting a realtor that has a good record and is a strong fiduciary to their clients.

Stephen

Stephen,

Many, if not most agency relationships in Florida are considered "transactional agency" in nature, and as such have no fiduciary responsibility to buyer or seller. While fiduciary relationships are possible, they must be disclosed to all parties in the transaction.

To my knowledge, "dual agency" (representing both buyer and seller) are not permitted. They may exist in certain other states, hence confusion when an out-of-state buyer comes to Florida.

Ask your potential agent to disclose their relationship to sellers and to you as a possible buyer.

Actually, we were involved in a transactional broker purchase 2 years ago here in The Villages which didn't turn out well. Apparently in Florida, transactional brokers are allowed (representing both buyer and seller in the same transaction) and the broker does not even have to have either party (buyer or seller) sign a statement to that effect in Florida, unlike other states where we have successfully done transactional broker transactions.
Just watch out when you get a broker--some are definitely better than others!

I always think that a recommendation from a happy customer is priceless.
If you do a search on "real estate agents", you will see agents recommended by members of TOTV.
Search button is above.

It sounds like what you want is a Buyers Agent so you must specifically ask for that and sign a contract with the agent that states exactly that. That means the agent represent you, and only you, in the transaction. First, be aware that in The Villages, 'agents' working for The Villages are usually salespersons and not really licensed real estate agents. Second, these 'agents' can only show you properties listed through Properties of The Villages but not any properties listed anywhere else. You would need an MLS agent to look at any homes in The Villages for sale but not through Properties of The Villages. Third, before making any offer through an 'agent' with Properties of The Villages, very carefully read your contract as most deposits (typically they demand 20% earnest money) are NON-REFUNDABLE.

A terrific, honest Villages agent is Tony Trussler. Listens to what you want and won't waste your time. 1-800-346-4556

Tony Trussler was our agent as well. Great guy, he spent two days with us and took us around to see CYV's, cottages, patio villas, anything we wanted to see and he was never demanding or pushy even though we were just spending between $150,000 to $200,000. We've even been invited to Tony's thank you luncheon for all of the five years we've been here.

On our CYV that we bought, it had been discounted once because they were closing out our community, just 5 units left and while I was on the phone with Tony from Baltimore and trying to decide between a patio villa and a CYV, the CYV dropped another $5,000 while we were talking. I don't know how that happened, but it popped up on the computer at a new price. Tony is a Villages agent, so he can only show you property inside The Villages both new and resale.

I have bought two homes and sold one with Cathy Millhorn. She picked up on my likes and dislike immediately and rated every property based on our comments. She is highly attentive and one of the best!!

Beth Pope

Thank you everyone for your input... it's greatly appreciated!

Steve

We closed today on our patio villa. Charlotte Sumner did an outstanding job representing us through the entire process. We have never had a better real estate transaction experience.

village sales agent cannot sell anywhere except the villages.... Beth Pope is a village agent but could possibly recommend a Realtor who can sell in Stone Ridge.

also..... this is the correct wording of real estate

agent.....a person licensed to sell real property


Realtor......a person licensed to sell real property..... a member of a Board of Realtors...


Broker.......a person licensed to sell real property..... a member of a Board of Realtors
..... a person who also or instead took the Broker class and to become a Real Estate Broker.. different class of agent. more schooling...


every real estate office must have a Broker who hangs their license evident in the window of the Real estate office in the form of wording and numbers as required by the DBPR .dept board prof realtors.. usually the Broker is the Manager/owner of the office.

and now you know.....

Villages agent Lance Hamilton and his wife Sharon are great. Bought our home through Lance who was great at knowing what we wanted and what was available.

they dont want to buy in the villages...... a village agent cannot help them....

trust me... then can only refer them....

word of mouth ........best advice ever...

I used a MLS buyer's agent, Linda Sears, 352.205.0713.

Very happy with her services as she negotiated the buying price of my home, to my benefit. Very knowledgeable and pleasant.

Two of the nicest, hardest working realtors you'll ever have the pleasure of doing business with.


Tim & Sheila Davis with ERA Grizzard Real Estate


http://tdavis.eragrizzard.com/shared...compressed.jpg

whoops.....

you are so right.....i have the flu and taking so many medications.....

I am sure that everyone likes the person they worked with.

I am a huge fan of the way The Villages sell homes. It obviously works. They no longer offer limosine rides and free stuff to get you here.

I think all of us who live here are the extended selling arm of this place.

Everyone should investigate thoroughly, but this is the most impulsive bunch of money we ever spent and I was sick with buyers remorse the first time we bought here in Hadley, after just three days of looking and with no intentions to buy.

We loved that house,loved that neighborhood, enjoyed it for four years, decided to live here full time and sold it and built this house and do not wonder why this is the fastest growing area in The United States.

I don't care if some of you think I defend the developer. I am a pretty smart old person who has never been in any trouble with the law and have the most wonderful grandchildren in The Villages.

Incoming.

I am normally not one to complain. I am disappointed at the non service that is being provided so far by the person who is supposed to be helping us find our home. There are many differences between purchasing in our present home area and Florida, I was not born with the knowledge that I now seek to make an educated decision. I am more than upset when a Realtor/Salesperson answers a question with a question on a regular basis. This is not a joke it is a very important decision in our life. When a person MLS/Villages tries to line you up with their bank, inspector, title company, lawyer....watch out. I believe I have now found the correct Realtor/Salesperson to help us to the finish line and it feels great but like Ronald Reagan said "Trust But Verify". You have to have eyes in the back of your head. The best person I have spoken to who is a true professional and a credit to home inspectors was Frank D'angelo, he gave me a fountain of information in the hour he spent talking to me. I am grateful to him and other TOTV posters who help those who need a hand. I'm sure there are many fine people to help, so far the luck of the draw hasn't been great but things are looking up.

Vic and Judy: It appears that you offer good counsel to the OP, especially if an agent, sales person realtor, broker ,etc is going to claim transactional agency.

I was a fiduciary agent for my company and it is an enormous responsibility. In its simplest form a fiduciary undertakes to act for and on behalf of a buyer or seller. A fiduciary holds both legal and ethical obligations.

If it is true that people selling only village homes are only transactional agents then it leaves one to wonder.

I say this because no matter how many times you have bought or sold a home unless you are a trained expert lawyer, realtor, etc leaving this complicated piece of business to a person who can claim s/he only acted as a go between and not on behalf may leave the buyer/seller in a lurch.

I am of a mind, and people may refer to meas naive, that business transactions must be made openly honestly and ethically which in my meaning is FULL DISCLOSURE

I abhor "gottcha" moments in business dealings.

I do not often make personal recommendations for doctors, dentist realtors lawyers because what you posses now are knowns from your experience but unknowns are out there...just ask the people that invested with Bernie Madoff

Personal Best Regards:

I am able to explain how sales reps and realtors work in The Villages. Sales reps that work for the developer always represent the seller as a single agent. What that means is they have no representation for the buyer regardless of who they are. that relationship will be disclosed at the time of the contract. That also means they have no responsibility to the buyer. If you want to know where the transfer station/dump, lift stations, etc. are located you need to work with a Realtor that represents the buyer as a transaction broker or else an exclusive single agent for the buyer. All Realtors can offer both type of representation if they are a knowledgeable Realtor! But a broker cannot represent both the seller and buyer in the same transaction, so that is why a lot of brokers work as a transaction broker because it is easier to explain to sellers and buyers. But they still have to disclose material facts to you. Ask the Realtor if they work exclusively in The Villages or not. The ones that are really good do not work the outside area because I do not have the time. To see Stonecrest, Del Webb etc. you will probably need somebody different. Good luck! Go to Zillow.com to see ratings for agents.

There is no reason to get upset. Just make sure your question is very clear and repeat the exact question again. If they do not give a satisfactory answer, repeat the question again. And again.

Pretty soon they will understand you want your questions answered clearly.

I'll have to respectfully disagree.

I might ask a specific question twice, but if it is a reoccurring issue I'm dumping the agent/salesperson.

I don't do well with passive-aggressive people and that is exactly what folks who answer questions with questions are.

You and I think alike. I will get the answer to my questions or go to another agent. I am loyal to a fault. If you ask how much the taxes are on a home and the answer is ninety dollars ($90) a year that's fine that the present owner is getting all the deserved credits but it is not how much I would be paying. They do not readily give the tax amount in a Village listing you have to bleed that information out of the salesperson. Really the entire give and take of the conversations or emails are tough. I'm cooled off now and it does take a lot to get me revved up. I have a MLS agent that seems to be a crackerjack. Very responsive and knowledgeable. Time will tell. :coolsmiley:

You are correct. I should probably change agent's but I will continue on this basis for a while longer. Ten years ago they would have been ejected already. Forgetaboutit! Good advice..Thanks.:coolsmiley:

Nucky, maybe you do this already, but if you know the address of the house and the county it's in there is a wealth of information on the appraisers' and tax collectors' websites. There you can find such things as the sales history, property taxes, square footage, the appraised value of the property and those around it.

Thank you Carla & Barefoot. Yes we have one from column A & one from column B. If I owned the place I would do the same thing, two agents. It sure doesn't make it easier on the customer. I hope the one who is long winded finds us a great home so the slug doesn't get the commision. I'm going to familiarize myself with these websites later today...good job and thank you.:mademyday: