A Realtor is a person that’s sole responsibility is to help you buy or sell a home.  The person that you hire (yes, you need to hire them) should be very strong in their communication skills, be able to explain to you in layman’s terms what the whole process involves when buying or selling a home and you should be feel comfortable in asking them for their opinion and they should have an acute knowledge of the market area.  I would recommend working with a Full Time Realtor in the market place. There are many people that “dabble” in real estate and when it comes to hiring your real estate professional, would you want a part timer or someone that gets out there every day and knows the market?