ZillowVERIFIEDWhoever denies that prayer works hasn't met Eli Schneider! My husband and I had been keeping tabs on the LA market since we moved here and of course, fell in love with a neighborhood that seemed out of our reach as first-time home-buyers.By default, I dont trust people. Behind this writers friendly faA?ade is a New Yorker whos seen enough to initially wonder what your deal is and whether youre going to drive her further into misanthropy. Upon meeting him at the open house, I couldnt help but be impressed by his in-depth knowledge of the area (I'm talking historical!) and even of the building itself. That he went above and beyond in the small details turned out to be an indicator of how he would represent us over the next several weeks.Buying a home is humbling because everything is laid bare - your finances, credit history, virtually all general life choices leading up to you wanting to buy this quaint parcel of delicious LA real estate. Theres a lot of paperwork, involves eye-glazing legalities and oh yeah, a staggering amount of solidly middle-class money. Do yourself a favor and choose an agent who (is) 1) trust-worthy, 2) matter-of-fact (Ill stand over a subway grate for that kind of wind, thank you, just give me the hard info), 3) always available, responsive, all about the full-disclosure, 4) organized, 5) does his/her research and will not pretend to know something when (s)he doesnt, 6) is not afraid to negotiate for even a door fixture, 7) can refer you to other professionals (mortgage brokers, appraisers, etc.) who also turn out to be trustworthy, 8) has a solid grip on technology (makes you more competitive as a buyer/seller and less trees die), and 9) will make you feel that you are the center of his/her working universe. Do your research and you'll feel you got a fair deal at the end of the day. We definitely did.2 thumbs up for Eli (and for no longer paying rent)!