So you are moving to Houston and searching for a house… but where do you look and who can you help you?
I moved to Houston in 2005 and I can definitely tell you what NOT to do. My house search involved an amateur agent that relied on us to guide the way. We found ourselves doing the majority of research and fact checking, and still paying him for his services.
To save you from a painful house hunt and to connect you with experts that know the city, the neighborhoods, the process and the housing market, I polled my BigKidSmallCity community for Houston families. What follows are their top recommendations for real estate agents.
Amy Bernstein, Bernstein Realty
Amy Bernstein, Bernstein Realty
Amy Bernstein is the founder of Bernstein Realty. She has been acknowledged many times by the Houston Association of Realtors® as one of the Association’s Top Producers with the highest number of total sales and dollar volume sales. Clients praise her ability to be great at her job while also showing genuine care for the people involved.
“Amy is a true professional. She has excellent knowledge of the legal and contract aspects of real estate, great business sense, and grace, humor and honesty. We received great advice and service while she made the experience easy.”
“I couldn’t have asked for a better, more qualified agent than Amy for my first-time home purchase. She and her team were more than helpful throughout the entire process and I will be sure to recommend Amy Bernstein to every person considering a home purchase for the first time or the 10th. I had a wonderful experience.”
“We would not do a real estate transaction without Amy! Her advice and guidance are invaluable. She is helpful and responsive from beginning to end. Her knowledge of the market and candid communication style make the process of buying and selling efficient and transparent. The level of service from her and her assistant far exceeds what we expected.”
Ashley Day, Circa Real Estate
Ashley Day, Circa Real Estate
Ashley Day works for Circa Real Estate and she is the agent you can see walking our Houston streets each and every day.
Ashley moved to Houston from New Orleans in the fall of 2007. Each morning after school drop off, along with her tri-brown Australian Shepherd named “NOLA,” Ashley walks 3-10 miles admiring the homes and landscapes in the Houston Heights.
Her appreciation for Houston, her legal background and her extensive analysis of the market and significant real estate experience are touted by her clients.
“Ashley is the one of the best there is! She helped us find our dream home and made the process super easy and seamless. She provided in-depth knowledge of the market and was available whenever we needed her. I would recommend her to any of my family and friends in need or real estate services.”
“Ashley Day was knowledgeable and professional through every aspect of the sale of our home. I have and will continue to recommend her.”
Eric Pierce, Champions Real Estate Group
Eric Pierce, Champions Real Estate Group
Eric Pierce started in real estate part time while teaching middle school in Spring Branch and Houston. By 2013 his full-time job was helping clients buy and sell first houses and dream homes, as well as building and renovating older homes in the beautiful older neighborhoods around town.
Eric is also a partner with Color Houses, a renovation and construction company, which allows him to guide his customers on which repairs will be costly and which repairs are minor.
“In 2012, after five years in a condo east of downtown, my husband and I decided to make the change to a single family home. We bought our condo brand new, so neither of us knew the first thing about finding or evaluating a house. Eric was such a huge help! As a former teacher, Eric was really good at breaking the home buying process down into manageable steps. He knows the city well and was able to guide us through the process of identifying a neighborhood and taught us what to look for as we toured potential houses.
Eric has a laid back approach and let us work through the pros and cons of each house while offering feedback as needed. We found his expertise valuable because he was able to help us not get caught up on little fixable details of homes while making sure we were aware of the red flags.
Ultimately, we found the perfect first home, a 1940’s bungalow in the Idylwood neighborhood. After two great years there, we jumped again into a beautifully renovated 1920’s home in Riverside Terrace.”
“Mr. Pierce’s efforts were exceptional as we were moving to Texas from Illinois and needed someone to represent our interests in our house with only remote communication rather than continuous face to face contact. He worked very hard to schedule targeted house showings whenever we were in town. He was our advocate, adviser and our Texas real estate expert. We would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a home in greater Houston metropolitan area.”
Megan Eichner, Indyquest Properties
Megan Eichner, Indyquest Properties
Megan Eichner is a Houston native who finds great joy in working with people and helping them find the right home. She grew up in a real-estate-family and is now a part of Indyquest Properties. If you want to know about Houston, where to go and where to take the kids, ask this Houston mom.
“Very attentive. Seemed very concerned with my happiness and never felt rushed into the transactions. Was present through entire process and all recommendations (loan officer, home inspector) were all very pleasant, professional and competent.”
Other top Houston real estate agents that have been recommended by Houston families include:
- Jennifer Erwing, Erwing Realty
- Sara Roberts, Coldwell Banker
- Caroline Schlemmer, Greenwood King Properties
- John Rose, Keller Williams
- Clayton Kimbrew, Intero Real Estate Services
- Ben Whittle, Keller Williams
