Bryan Vogt's Metro East Illinois Real Estate Blog: SEVEN CRITICAL MISTAKES HOME BUYERS MAKE (AND HOW TO AVOID THEM)

Typically, the home buying process goes something like this. You pick up a few newspapers, look through the ads, see a few interesting homes, drive through the neighborhoods, and then you end up calling the agent who advertised the home.

Before you know it, you have called on several homes that fit your needs and desires. By doing so, you have selected your Realtor by default. This is a huge mistake.

The preferable way to go about finding the best home for you is to choose one agent and have them show you homes that match your criteria. The truth of the matter is this: All real estate agents have access to the same information. The Multiple Listing Service provides the same descriptions of homes to every agent, so choosing an agent based on a house they just happened to advertise is doing yourself a major disservice.

The question then becomes how you chooses an agent. How do you know who is good? Well, look for indicators of success. The quality of an agent's marketing will often be indicative of their quality as an agent. Start by asking for a copy of their personal brochure. Do they have one? Is it full color and professionally created? Does it tell you who they are rather than simply provide a laundry list of accomplishments and designations that you can't decipher anyway?

Take the brochures and if you can answer yes to all of these questions, narrow them down by looking for a personality match. Remember all agents have access to the same list of houses for sale, so the most important aspects of their service will be your ability to get along with them and their ability to understand your needs. That is why a face-to-face meeting is usually best at this point.