Selling NWDC rowhouse, then rent for a while, then buy in Bethesda. Which realtor to use?

[Anonymous]

I see three options:

1. An expert in my current NWDC neighborhood for both transactions
2. An expert in my target Bethesda neighborhood for both transactions.
3. Two different realtors, each expert in a neighborhood.

The pros for 1 and 2 is easier logistics and likely a lower negotiated commission. But they might not want to wait in between transactions (and thus give me less attention). And critically, the guy in "1" won't likely know about pre-market homes in Bethesda or how to best approach Bethesda, while the guy in "2" might not know how to market and price my current NWDC home.

"3" would solve those cons, but it might be logistically more difficult to deal with two different realtors, plus the commission may not be as reduced as with the first two.

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

OP here. One more thing: the fact that both neighborhoods are hot makes 1 less desirable than 2, I think: it will be easier to sell my current home than to buy the Bethesda home. Right? That means that option 1 should be the least desirable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see three options:

1. An expert in my current NWDC neighborhood for both transactions
2. An expert in my target Bethesda neighborhood for both transactions.
3. Two different realtors, each expert in a neighborhood.

The pros for 1 and 2 is easier logistics and likely a lower negotiated commission. But they might not want to wait in between transactions (and thus give me less attention). And critically, the guy in "1" won't likely know about pre-market homes in Bethesda or how to best approach Bethesda, while the guy in "2" might not know how to market and price my current NWDC home.

"3" would solve those cons, but it might be logistically more difficult to deal with two different realtors, plus the commission may not be as reduced as with the first two.

Thoughts?

What neighborhood in nwdc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see three options:

1. An expert in my current NWDC neighborhood for both transactions
2. An expert in my target Bethesda neighborhood for both transactions.
3. Two different realtors, each expert in a neighborhood.

The pros for 1 and 2 is easier logistics and likely a lower negotiated commission. But they might not want to wait in between transactions (and thus give me less attention). And critically, the guy in "1" won't likely know about pre-market homes in Bethesda or how to best approach Bethesda, while the guy in "2" might not know how to market and price my current NWDC home.

"3" would solve those cons, but it might be logistically more difficult to deal with two different realtors, plus the commission may not be as reduced as with the first two.

Thoughts?

What neighborhood in nwdc?

A neighborhood where homes are less expensive than those in Bethesda, but there is very low inventory and homes sell within days, often with multiple offers.

[Anonymous]

If you already know what you want redfin.

[Anonymous]

We did the same move and went with option 3. The MoCo realtor just didn't understand the DC market (her suggestion for price for our rowhouse and how to stage it was totally off) and the DC realtor didn't have any insight into our target neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Brian Maury is developing in 20816.

[Anonymous]

There are many good realtors that work in both areas. Pick one that leans closer to option 2, for the reasons you stated.

[Anonymous]

Redfin for the sale, a MoCo realtor for the purchase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are many good realtors that work in both areas. Pick one that leans closer to option 2, for the reasons you stated.

Agreed. This is a very common transition, and there are a number of good realtors who work extensively in both of these areas.

[Anonymous]

Don't use Brian Maury -- yikes!! Just don't.

[Anonymous]

We did this in Clarendon and sounds like similar situation.

We found rental home in target neighborhood. We ultimately decided to keep our NW row houses we did minor renovations to it and rented it.

We then were in a position to take our time and not rush into home purchase which was good because the area had no inventory and multiple bids all the time. It took us 18 months to find our home. It was nice to really get a feel for each street, traffic patterns and be so close to pop in homes when something came on the market,

We use craigslist for rentals. This is we rent Georgetown home and how we found N arl rental.

Get a realtor that has knowledge of pre-market homes otherwise don't bother with a realtor.

[Anonymous]

Redfin. Don't waste $ on full commission. Realtors don't do anything anyway.

[Anonymous]

Use a group like Wydler Brothers with Long and Foster. They have team members who are experts in both NW and Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

You can find a good agent who knows both. I used Brandon Green who is mostly NW DC after he helped my mom buy (she was looking in Chevy Chase and Bethesda) to sell my house in Kensington. He did a great job in all those areas, even though the bulk of his listings are in NW.