You would not choose just anyone to invest your life savings. Why should choosing a real estate agent be any different? Don't leave one of the most important investments you will ever make to chance. Do your homework before you hire a real estate agent. Start the process by asking friends and relatives for recommendations, and then check out the agent's qualifications ( level of experience and productivity).

If your move is not a local one, ask a local real estate agent to recommend a real estate agent in the area in which you are moving. There are also several things you can do to help yourself get started such as:

• Go online to find out what real estate agencies or agents are located in your new community. Real estate web sites often provide information about their real estate agents, how to contact them, as well as available residential and commercial property.
• For a more tactical approach, drive around neighborhoods that you find attractive. When you find homes for sale that interest you, write down the real estate agent's name and telephone number from the For Sale sign. Make it a point to notice how often a particular agent's name keeps cropping up. Popularity is often a good indicator that the real estate agent is producing results for his or her clients.

If you still can't decide on which real estate agent to hire, you can always let a real estate agency recommend someone from their staff. When you take this approach, however, you typically get whoever is on "floor duty" that day. While there is nothing wrong with this approach, you need to understand that the real estate agent on “floor duty” may or may not be the agency's top producer. To ensure that you hire a real estate agent that can produce results, make sure you get the agent's résumé and ask a few questions.