Hil, do you have an agent for yourself as the buyer? Even if you are doing all sorts of hunting on your own you should definitely have your own agent and not be depending on the selling agents when you are looking.

The one I looked at today was in the old Walnut Hills High School building.

I think that's where my Mom went to school.

I think that's where my Mom went to school.

Probably not this building, though -- they moved to their new building in 1932.

Hil, do you have an agent for yourself as the buyer? Even if you are doing all sorts of hunting on your own you should definitely have your own agent and not be depending on the selling agents when you are looking.

I don't yet, but I've got some recommendations. What would an agent do for me? (My mom keeps trying to give me advice, but the last time she bought real estate was 1985, so half of the stuff that she's told me is stuff that I've learned is now wrong.)

Probably not this building, though -- they moved to their new building in 1932.

Heh, in that case no, not that building.

What would an agent do for me?

A good agent will be able to find apartments that meet your requirements before they are officially listed, and give you advice on what to offer based on market conditions (over or under the asking price).

I've been thinking about going Keto. I think it might be good for the whole family, but for me, my blood sugar is a bit wonky and my cholesterol is a bit high, so it would be really good, I think.

"Keto" is a diet developed to treat a very severe, and relatively rare, form of epilepsy. The name and ideas of what the diet entails have been taken over and corrupted by the diet industry. I'd be careful with trying it out without consulting your PCP first. Especially if have medical conditions you're trying to manage.

"Keto" is a diet developed to treat a very severe, and relatively rare, form of epilepsy.

I have a friend who eats a ketogenic diet for seizure control (under her doctor's guidance). She's been able to cut her seizure meds in half and her seizures are really under control now. It's fascinating to me how it works, but I'm a giant nerd.

Me too, Steph!! I have a friend who's a dieticien at Yale working with severely epileptic kids. The pop-culturing of "keto" is pretty frustrating for her.

What would an agent do for me?

A good agent will be able to find apartments that meet your requirements before they are officially listed, and give you advice on what to offer based on market conditions (over or under the asking price).

What Jessica said. I will add that they truly do all of the legwork so that you only see places that meet your criteria. They'll set up private appointments to view the listings, so you don't have to wait for an open house or walk through it with the listing agent (because they know which areas from which to steer you away). A good buyer's agent will put you in touch with good home inspectors, good mortgage brokers, and essentially act as an advocate for you. When I was moving back to PA from MD, my realtor would send me listings in the areas I was interested in, I'd narrow them down, she'd push back sometimes and force me to consider another point of view, and then we'd visit 5 or 6 when I was in PA over the weekend. While I found the listing for my current home myself, my second choice hadn't officially hit the market when I saw it. I would have never known about it if it wasn't for her.

Most importantly your agent works for you and their interests are tied to yours. The selling agent is tied to the interests of the seller. Many selling agents will try to also represent you so that they can double dip and take both commissions on the sale, but then how can they really advocate for both sides of the negotiations? Your agent should guide you through the buying process, inspections, possible renegotiation of the price based on the results of the inspection. They should be watching out for your interests.