Q: From my past experiences with real estate agents, I’ve concluded that they don’t always work on behalf of their clients. How do I go about finding an agent who is not only qualified, but also one who is professional and who works for my best interests? — Kathleen Knotty

Dear Ms. Knotty (Thesaurus, anyone?): Without knowing the specifics of your previous experiences, I have a feeling you’re talking in terms of the almighty dollar. I’ve encountered far too many real estate agents over the years — both personally and from problems surrounding former clients — who serve their own interests when it comes down to the percentage rate that can make an enormous difference within their individual wallets.

As an illustration, let’s say your real estate agent in today’s market advises that you price your attractive and well-kept home at $165,000, knowing full well that someone probably will buy it for $50K more, IF you wait a few weeks or even a couple of months. This agent could prefer to make an immediate sale and pocket several thousand dollars right off the bat, rather than to hang around and perhaps make a better deal down the road. Too busy with too many irons in the fire? Greed? You decide.

Thank goodness it appears that more folks than not in this field are honest and hardworking. Let me suggest just a few tips to help you decide on a great agent for selling or buying purposes. Generally, most good real estate agents are out working in the field, not stuck in their offices so check out open houses to meet different agents. If you’re impressed with their demeanor and professionalism, make an appointment for a more in-depth dialogue. Secondly, if you know others who’ve recently bought or sold and were happy with the transaction, then check out their agent(s); you can be pretty sure the latter will do the same for you. In fact, once you have some names, then Google the potential agents (and their companies). This should give you an indication of the amount and types of homes they sell and if yours is a close enough match for a successful operation.

On to the interview, and I can’t stress enough its importance. The very first question that flies from your mouth is to verify whether the prospective agent works for the buyer or the seller. While companies naturally promote both, the agent with whom you contract is YOUR agent, working solely on YOUR behalf. (More about this later.) Hopefully, you’ve come up with a list of questions to ask that make you sound knowledgeable about the topic. (The worse kind of consumer in any situation is to be ignorant… and show it.) Perhaps your questions pertain to your new-found information. If the agent doesn’t know a whole lot more than you, then move on down the road.

Explain that you’re not prying, but ask where the agent lives — at least the area. She’ll be more apt to be well-informed about the local housing market and the community itself. Along this same line, be sure to ask if the person can recommend service providers who can help obtain a mortgage, make repairs, and so forth. By and large, any agent should recommend more than one provider and tell you if he or she receives any compensation for the referrals. (If so, that “road” beckons again!)

As my readers know, I do love to illustrate Q & A’s with personal experiences. Remember when I mentioned the seller’s or buyer’s agent? I worked with a Chattanooga real estate agent for over two years while still living in Northern Virginia. During that lengthy period, Susan dropped everything when I came to town and drove me all over creation. When we bought our home here last spring, she continued to hustle on my behalf, even though — by that time — her promotion to managing broker didn’t allow as much “deal-making” for (prospective) clients. Before my husband and I even moved, she found painters, contractors, took valuable time from her busy schedule to meet them at our new home whenever the seller agreed and the list goes on and on; I even pester her today, in fact, and she’s still always available. Believe me, Susan’s earnings on this transaction weren’t enough to cause any great excitement for her family. Monetary compensation aside, though, perhaps she truly earned more than she bargained for. Not only will this agent (who became my friend along the way) broker our home when we sell, but also I stop friends and strangers on the street to tout her 110 percent professionalism, knowledge, dedication, and likeability. This sort of advertisement is worth far more than a few percentage points!

Note: I failed to mention in last week’s column that consumers must request their two $40 digital television coupons from the sources I cited. You may also call 1-888-DTV-2009.

2008 IRS Tip: Capital gains tax is a scary term unless we know what to do. If you sell a home during the five-year period ending on the date of the sale that you owned and in which you mainly lived for at least two years, you can exclude up to $250,000 (single person) or up to $500K (married, filing jointly). For more complete information, call (1-800) 829-3676 to receive a copy of IRS Publication 523, entitled “Selling Your Home.”