I think that a forum for people to share the experiences they have had with local realtors is long over due. Whether good or bad, I hope everyone who has found homes on the local economy would take the time to share their experiences so that others would be benefit when and if they have to deal with local realtors/mediators.

We got here this past January and Milena and her husband helped us out a lot. They picked us up at the gate because we still did not have our car here and showed us a bunch of houses and apartments from the information we gave them. We live in the first one they showed us. They were always extremely helpful, and would even still probably help us if we had problems. I know a few other families that have used them as well who are very satisfied with where they live.

We went out with several realtors in a short amount of time. We really liked Milena and Ernesto, but we decided on a house with Tony. We was great to us. Once we told him exactly what we wanted, we saw nothing but that. It was perfect. Milena and Ernesto are very professional and helpful. We really liked them and the houses they showed. We did have one bad experience, with Suzy. She was very pushy and didnt seem to have OUR interest in mind. We felt pressured the entire time, then when we told her we decided on another house, she rudely hung up on my husband, and from what I hear, she has actually been banned from the housing office so that should tell you something!

We found our dream house with Tony Iardio (sp?) and his partner Peter. He has an ad in the Panarama back section. Tony is well-known and respected in the housing office so you can be sure there will be no problems or surprises. They both listened to what we wanted and what our concerns were and held our hands the entire way. Both speak English very well (Peter has dual citizenship) and live in Lago Patria.

We also tried to use Tina out of Pinetamare, as several of our colleagues had found housing with her. We did not have a good experience with her and found we simply could not trust the information she gave us. She has a limited number of rentals available to show and does not have access to housing, which is a huge problem. You definitely want your agent in the housing meetings and contract signings with you! If you are looking to live in Pinetamare then she is a good source, otherwise I would not recommend her.

As an aside, we also went out with a housing employee twice and found that to be a waste of our time. He showed us houses that were clearly not what we were looking for which made me think he was looking for a kickback from the landlords. The process itself is a big joke, as they ask you to make a list of possibilities from their database. But your rep does not call to make appts until the day of your tour, thus limiting your options to the few that may answer the phone and be available that day. I think the housing reps should schedule their tours with landlords at least a day ahead, to ensure someone is available. I also did not see any effort to double up tours, which is supposed to be an option.