As a Real Estate Agent & Broker, choosing your agent is not only experience but personal preference. Also, you may want to think about how your agent will communicate with other agents. Are they kind but also assertive to get the job done? Will they push the envelope just far enough to get you a good deal but not upset the Sellers?

As a buyer you get to choose where you will close at, asking where they have had previous good experiences, if they know how to read a title commitment, etc.

And please, get a pre-approval from somewhere local or a trusted source. NOT rocket mortgage or another online only lender.

Market is flexible right now, so that's good for you! You might be able to get a house 5-10k below asking (depending on if you are asking for closing cost is a factor)