My opinion is that 5% of agents or brokers are awesome and about 95% offer little value. I know that is a harsh statement but I have really found it to be true both in Destin and in every other real estate market in which I have participated. In this article, what I will do is assume you are looking to buy a property with a Destin using a realtor.

Here is my challenge to you. Go to Google and type in the search term "Destin Realtor". After you get back 14 bajillion results, now start clicking from Google to their web sites.... What do you see?

Probably that almost all of them look exactly the same. The typical realtor's website you'll find will have a smiling photo of the realtor, a place to search MLS, a spot for their listings, an about me section and a brief profile of the community ? everything a prospective buyer needs, right?

As someone that has hunted for real estate agents across the country, let me tell you what is missing...... I HAVE NO IDEA IF THAT PERSON KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT OR NOT. I absolutely know that any agent can show me properties on the MLS, I absolutely know that they will take me around looking at properties, etc. etc.

But why would I want to enlist an agent or a broker if I didn't know if they were awesome at what they do and they know the market like the back of their hand.... That is who I want to hire.

So how can you find the top 5% of Destin realtors? While there are a lot of ways to find a realtor, the first step to finding a truly great one is to become familiar with the market yourself. In a recent blog post, I suggested that buyers take some time and check out realtor.com to study the market in depth in any area where they are considering buying.

Why do this? You'll want to know if the realtors you talk to will really be any help to you as you look for properties in Destin. You should tell the broker or agent exactly what you're looking for then just let them talk ? if they're good, they'll understand and start giving you information you can really use. If not, they'll probably make little sense and keep trying to interest you in one or two particular properties.

Even if you think you have the best person on your first call, don't stop there. Interview a few more until you are absolutely convinced you have the right person. Now you are in a position to really start working hand in hand with person finding the right property for you in Destin.