We also had a great experience with Betsy Twigg. She knows the area really well.

We worked with someone when we bought our house in McLean a year and a half ago, and had a great experience. Responsive, tech-savvy and personable. Name is Rhonda Hayden, worked for Zip Realty at the time, not sure where she is now, but I'm sure you can google.

Whatever or whomever you choose, read this website before you proceed. And remember, ability to market oneself or a property is VERY different from advising someone on the largest asset investment they make:

http://www.keepagentshonest.com/

OP here. Thanks for the recommendations. We really need a buyers agent as we don't know the area all that well and have very little time to spend on homework and research. We bought our condo 3 yrs ago and although our agent was nice and knowledgable, she was not very proactive and really only showed us homes we found on our own. We are hoping for a bit more of a "hustler" for lack of a better term, but not over salesy. Appreciate the help!

I'd say a good buyers' agent can help if you want something VERY specific -- for example, a rambler in Vienna for under $600k that has a Walkscore above 70. They might get wind of a house on the 400-500 block of say Cottage and get you to the front of the line.

Otherwise if you have an attorney you trust and a home inspector you trust, you CAN do this through Redfin or even representing yourself.