Houston Real Estate Agencies
Like most legitimate real estate agencies, they do not own or buy the properties that they list, and work on commission only for clients who are looking for homes in the Houston area or who are selling properties Most of these agencies also offer additional services for their clients that might include relocation services, moving quotes, renter’s or home insurance, residential lease properties, mortgage quotes, broker services and the like.
In addition to residential homes and properties, Houston real estate agencies also offer assistance in purchasing or selling condos, apartment homes, lake- or beachfront homes, farms and ranches, and commercial properties, such as office buildings and wharehouses. An experienced and knowledgeable Houston real estate agency will know more about zoning and business areas than will an individual.
The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) is the state government agency that issues licenses to all of the real estate agencies that operate in Texas. TREC regulates agents, agencies, brokers, inspectors and timeshare developers, all all of the agencies must be licensed by TREC in order to operate in Texas. You can use the TREC website to locate agencies in your area or to find out more about how real estate agencies do business in Texas.
In addition to a license from TREC, Houston real estate agencies should offer other credentials as well. The Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), for example, offers a website from which prospective home buyers and sellers can find information about properties and real estate agencies in Houston. HAR has four Houston-based offices: Centra, Bay Area, Fort Bend and Montgomery County.
Using HAR, you can find information about various Houston real estate agencies and from there, make an educated decision. You can also view properties listed with various agencies to get a feel for Houston real estate.
In order to narrow your search for Houston properties, it is best to find a real estate agency that specializes in a specific area or neighborhood. Houston covers a vast area of land, and real estate trends will be different on the north side of town than they are on the east side, and so on. Some of the larger Houston real estate agencies, such as Re/Max and Century 21 will have offices in each of the major Houston areas, but some of the smaller agencies will specialize in a specific area.
Most grocery stores in the Houston area will have MLS property listings in booklet format, and this is a good place to start if you are already living in Houston. Start looking at areas that are closer to your place of employment, and contact Houston real estate agencies that can meet your needs.
