• Personal referrals. Good friends know your personality, and likes and dislikes. If your friend had a good experience and thinks you will too, that’s a good start. The lawyers, accountants, and other professionals you trust usually know some reputable agents too.

• Advertising — newspaper and online. Moving to a new town? Peruse the local papers and real estate companies online. Call or e-mail some of the top agents. If they respond promptly, do some fact-finding and interviewing .

• Go to open houses. Spend some time going to open houses. You’ll get more familiar with the market and meet agents in the area. You might just hit it off with someone who meets your needs.

• Drive around and look at signs. Or go to an MLS site and see who has lots of listings.

• Avoid family members. Hiring an agent in the family usually isn’t a good idea. It’s hard enough to get along at Thanksgiving dinner. Who wants to share personal and financial information with close or even not-so-close relatives? And you can’t fire your cousin.

• Don’t walk into a real estate office and say you want to buy a home. Most real estate offices have "floor time” which is a way for newer agents to pick up buyers. An agent gets you as their client because it’s their turn to sit in the office.

• Part-time agents. A lot of pitfalls here. Why are they part-time? Don’t they need the money or do they have another job? Agents who make the occasional sale usually aren’t as up on the market as full-timers.

Related links: Choosing a Good Agent; How Buyer's Agents are Paid; Working With Your Buyer's Agent