I am not alone!!! In his article “Top Home Seller Mistakes When Selecting A Realtor” (January 6, 2014) Bill Gassett puts a question mark on the axiom that sellers are better off with an agent that lives in their neighborhood. And all the way from Canada, it was Brian Madigan that wrote about : The Myth Of the Local Agent (http://www.ontariorealestatesource.com/articles/TheMythoftheLocalAgent.pdf). Like Bill and Brian, I also agree (and listings we sold will support that) that an agent that lives in the same neighborhood is not automatically qualified for the job of selling one’s home. Furthermore, I also think, that the same works for buyers as well. An agent that “knows the neighborhood” is not necessarily better than an “outside” agent, and the risk in hiring an agent who “knows” the neighborhood is that the agent might not be as objective as an “outside” one will be. The tools we have today (that did not exist 10 and even 5 years ago) allow us, the agents, to explore and analyze each and every community and neighborhood. We know exactly what was sold and for how much. We can tell what listings did not sell, how many days there were on the market and how many (if any) price reductions they had. In short, there is not a single piece of information we cannot find on any given property. We also know the nearest schools and their ratings. An agent that is committed to protect their buyer’s best interest will do their homework, and will know the ins and outs of the area their clients are interested in.