It is a fair question, because plenty of agents lead with their own listings first. My answer is simple: I show you every home on the market that fits, not just my own.
An agent's own listings are a tiny slice of what is available. If you only see that slice, you are not really shopping the market, you are shopping one person's inventory. That is backwards. My job as your agent is to bring you the right home, wherever it happens to be listed, and to tell you the truth about each one.
That truth is the part that matters. Any agent can unlock a door. The value is in the read: which street stays quiet, which HOA protects your money, which listing is priced on hope, and which home has a problem the photos are hiding. I would rather talk you out of the wrong house than sell you into it, because the buyers who trust me are the ones who come back and send their neighbors.
When I do have a listing that fits what you are looking for, of course I will show it to you, and I will be straight about it. But it competes on the same honest terms as everything else. You get the full market and a local read on all of it. That is how you end up in the right home instead of just a convenient one.
Common questions
Will Derek show me his own listings if one fits?
Yes — but it competes on the same honest terms as every other home you see, no exceptions.
Why does it matter if an agent only shows their own inventory?
Their own listings are a tiny slice of what's actually for sale. If that's all you see, you're not shopping the market, you're shopping one person's portfolio.
See Derek's full sales recordOther resources
Want the read on your street?
The notes cover the county. Your move is about one address. Tell Derek what you are weighing and he will give you the straight read.