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No experience with this company but we found our home through one of the small realtors who has a barely functioning website. I drove  by, wrote down the number and called.  It was all very old school and there was no down side for us. A lot of old timers will never list with Corcoran etc.... they would rather use someone's cousin or uncle or friend of a friend.  Why is a buyer's broker involved in your search?

5:01 PM 08/02/2012 | 0 Votes

Dream homes are very difficult to find and if we found them then the cost is comes in the way,but the solano county property management is surely a good resource for Dream Homes as it is dealing in property management from more than 20 years and have all kind of ranges of home from 2-BHK to 4-BHk with lawn and swimming pool within affordable prices.

12:29 AM 08/03/2012 | 0 Votes

@nalasurf - I wrote a response and then it didn't post. ack.
In short - do not get your realtor involved with the mom and pop agencies. they don't want to split commission. and there is no reason why you need to get another party involved. get a good real estate lawyer on your side who understands how to finesse the old school players, and you will be fine. We bought our house through a small Bay Ridge/Staten Island based broker who had the listing for his cousin's house. He doesn't usually deal with our area. Don't be afraid to call the brokers who hang a For Sale sign outside some random beat up house. Some will be responsive, some won't. Be persistant but not aggressive with them. In many cases, you need to go into negotiations respecting that it is/was someone's home and not just a beat up house that you want to immediately gut. It's fine to mention that you want to fix it up, but don't discuss in front of them how the paneling and dropped ceilings are appalling and you can't believe all that amazing woodwork was painted fuschia and mustard yellow. Good luck!.

10:14 AM 08/03/2012 | 0 Votes

Miss718, thanks again for a helpfful response.  Yes, I have recently found that I have gotten much further in seeing places on my own without the realtor and I understand their reasoning for not wanting to deal with a third party.  Solo from here on out!  Agree with the lawyer suggestion.  I am currently in contact with a broker who simply had a sign outside.  My concern is getting our hands on it before his rennovators destroy all the charm!!  Learning quickly that there is a very complex history to many of these homes as they made their way onto the market.  Sounds like you have seen some of the same houses we have!!  We can totally see past the poor color selections and dropped ceilings, in fact we welcome it as it usually means the good old stuff is still there underneath it all!  It's the flippers that make me crazy who completely remove all the beautiful original details.   Thanks again for your insight! 

12:46 PM 08/03/2012 | 0 Votes

using a buyers broker in Brooklyn in some situations makes you an unatractive buyer.  Basically, if the listing happens to be a REBNY member, and youhired a broker who is REBNY, it is prob OK.  If not you are cutting into the brokers commission and they will do whatever it takes to not cut their commission in half.   Many sellers who list with aforementioned non rebny brokers are usually very unsophisticated.  With the internet today, i'd say most clued-in people don't use a buyers broker, which is the exact opposite from Manhattan.  

1:06 PM 08/03/2012 | 1 Votes