When you decide the time is right to sell your house, you usually interview a number Realtors from various companies to decide which of them is best for your needs. You’d want somebody who will be your representative as well as someone you think will do a good job at marketing your home.
However, when someone makes a decision to purchase a home, they often end up with their Realtor through sheer accident. Why don’t they do a home buyer search for a Realtor the same way that home sellers do?
Instead, homebuyers typically end up with a Realtor they picked up from an advertisement. The advert will provide a short summary of a home available for sale along with the price, but it doesn’t say a word about the Realtor.

So… does it really make a difference?

Bear in mind that there are two “parties” in every sale. The listing side and the selling side. Usually deals have an agent representing each of the sides, so there are normally two agents involved. The seller’s side is represented by the listing agent. The buyer’s side representative is the selling agent (also referred to as the buyer’s agent).
Agents can deal with both buyers and sellers, but the majority tend to focus their work on one or the other. Some can even exclusively handle only buyers or sellers.

So what should you do?

It is generally recommended that you hire a real estate agent with as much care as you would with any other kind of professional. Ask them questions about their education, experience, and focus. In the end, buying your future home is presumably the biggest and most important purchase you’ve ever made in your life. Does it seem more sensible to find your agent by accident…or by design?