Many buyers and sellers can be weary of hiring a real estate agent to help them in the home purchase or sale process; some may have heard horror stories, others may have had their own bad experiences, and a few may just think they're all bad. Most agents in this market are actually quite remarkable, since the slackers, the con-artists and the pushy salespeople have been weeded out in the down market. Good, reputable agents have been able to thrive in this market, since they work off of referrals and reputation. If you're wondering if your real estate agent is right for you, you may want to get to know them a bit before hiring them. Here are a couple good ways to get to know your agent:Dinner - You can ask your agent out to lunch or dinner to get to know them better. It doesn't need to be too formal, but you can ask them to bring some information about their past sales history or ask them how they got started in real estate. If you were referred to the agent through a friend, maybe they would be willing to sit down with the two of you and grab dinner or drinks. Most people only need a few minutes talking with someone to start to get a feel for the kind of person they are, so even a short lunch or a happy hour would do. Dog Park - Agents are just like you! Many of them have pets, and are very involved in their communities. If you have pets, offer to meet at a dog park and keep your meeting incredibly casual. A dog park is a great way to get to know someone because you can see how they interact with their pet and how they interact with other pet owners. If they are polite and friendly and know other pet owners at the park, you can assume they are just as well-connected in the rest of the community.

Visit their office - This is a great way to get to know a younger or newer Berkeley real estate agent. Often times it can be hard to break into the business; especially in a bad market. Older agents tend to be intimidated by the young, "hungry" agents and are less willing to help them get started. If your agent is new to the real estate world, they'll likely be getting plenty of assistance from their broker and other agents in their office. Ask them to show you around, introduce you to their broker and have them show you some of their marketing techniques and their sales style.