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Just in case other people (without a dedicated real estate agent) are trying to find open houses in the Raleigh-Durham area, here are some sites with listings.  It’s kind of annoying to go to each broker to find Open Houses, but it looks like someone tried to pull them all together before (theopenlook.com).  I’m assuming the site didn’t generate the revenue expected…bummer.

• Trulia - this is by no means a complete listing, you still have to go to the broker’s website to confirm ALL open houses.
• Zillow - same as Trulia.
• HPW - broker website, not my favorite but it works if they have a listing you’re interested in.
• FMRealty.com - broker website (Fonville Morisey).  One of the better search sites.  I’m not advocating using their services, I just like their site for ease of use and quick load times.  HPW is much slower and kind of tedious.
• pruysu - click on “Print this week’s Open Houses”, wish they made that more link friendly and easier to find on the page.

That should get you started.

Just a disclaimer, I’m not recommending the services of any of the brokers themselves.  You’ll need to find that out for yourself.   FM has been very responsive when scheduling an online showing through their online tools, that I find very cool. So yeah, there’s a little bias.

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It won’t be one that I’ve met, I don’t think.  This firm looks interesting.   It probably helps that one of my favorite blogs by Craig Newmark at Newmarks Door had a link to the Managing Director’s blog.  It also helps that I found references to my favorite book, Atlas Shrugged on the company website.

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My husband and I have been looking for a house for quite awhile without enlisting a Buyer’s agent.   We have recently become serious about making a purchase in an effort to take advantage of the buyer’s market and I’m contemplating the help of an agent.  Without really knowing any agents I’ve been quietly observing agents we’ve encountered at Open Houses in the area.    Here’s my brief take, although I could go on for awhile on the lack of client focus when it comes to real estate agents:

• Agent A - Real Estate agent made an effort to talk to us even though it was a busy open house, knew a lot about the area and the open house was extremely well coordinated (with cookies and drinks).   She made a lot of eye contact and gave suggestions, actual suggestions about different areas and wasn’t pushy.   Her friend, partner, co-agent, whatever, stared down at me through her nose, I’m guessing my husband and I don’t fit some secret profile.  Liked the nice agent, made a good impression, still looking…
• Agent B - Completely uninterested in talking to myself or my husband, when we mentioned the plethora of things the house needed remodeled, she snapped back that the client knew that already.   I don’t remember her name, don’t care to.
• Agent C - so I called about this one.   This ended up being the agent’s personal house that they had remodeled.   She was really nice, personable, etc.   But my husband is still upset over the lack of detail to the renovations in the upstairs of the house, not to mention that we couldn’t find any permits on wakegov.com.  Picture a house that had a roof leak and they covered it with paint.  The house is 30+ years old…there should be permits somewhere for the kind of remodeling they did.   Based on the work in the house, I’ll keep looking…
• Agent D - nice person, but proceeded to walk us through the entire house never leaving us alone.   Next please…
• Agent E - I don’t think our attire was up to standards, and I’ll admit I don’t wear $200 jeans from Nordstrom, but I actually wore something other than a t-shirt this time.  Seriously, aren’t agents trying to gain business, not turn it away?   We asked questions and at first she wouldn’t take her eyes off her blackberry when talking to us, then she warmed up to us later.  Too late.
• Agent F - one of the best, pleasant, left us alone to walk through the house.   Told us everything we wanted to know about wake county schools and I walked away knowing more about the area and how the system works.   Education here is key, she actually educated us on something, much like Agent A.

That leaves me with Agent A and F - two things in common, didn’t judge us according to a secret profile or whatever it is that most agents do as soon as they see you, and they actually helped by educating us, asking questions…and listening to the answers.  I don’t understand it sometimes, agents meet potential buyers, they are literally right in front of them presenting an oppurtunity to make money and yet some agents turn you away before you even speak.

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