How Do I Find a Good Agent In Bucks County, PA?

I've been answering questions on Trulia for a while now, and I find the same questions come up repeatedly. One of the most frequently asked (and furiously answered) is:

"How can I find a good Agent?"

Agents, I guess, have a bit of a reputation for being dirtbags...who knew?

I've answered the "How do I find a good agent?" question several times on Trulia: most recently here, got into it a bit with another REALTOR here, and answered it circuitously here.

To break it down to the one critical question you should ask yourself about a real estate agent:

"Do you trust him/her?"

There are a lot of ways for people to be "good agents" and I believe there are many "good agents" here in Bucks County. Some agents think it's being a bulldog during negotiations. Some agents think it's knowing all the numbers. Some agents think it's having good professional practices. While I agree that most of these are necessary (except for the bulldog one - I think that's the absolutely WRONG way to do right by your client...but that's a different post) the bottom line for me is that I want my clients to trust me.

I want them to trust that I'm taking care of them.

I want them to trust that I have their best interests at heart.

I want them to trust that I'll always tell them the truth.

I want them to trust that I know what I'm doing.

If I don't have that level of trust, then I'm not the right woman for the job. Now, trust is earned, and I earn that trust by doing things like: knowing what I'm talking about, actually putting my clients' best interest at heart, telling them the truth, etc.

So, when you're looking for an real estate agent in Bucks County, ask yourself the very fundamental question:

Did this person earn my trust?