Do Realtors offer advice outside of real estate?

A: Realtors are natural connectors because their clients ask for advice and referrals every day. Even if you’re not in the market, but you still want to experience all the city has to offer, an experienced Realtor can help you.

An agent’s contact list goes far beyond traditional home-related specialists such as painters and tradespeople. Good agents know the best schools, parks and restaurants that form the essence of each neighborhood. Realtors cultivate accountants, butchers, caterers, florists and wine merchants, so that they can share them with their clients.

Do you think you can’t afford a home right now but would like to in the future? Ask a Realtor to introduce you to a mortgage specialist who may already have the perfect program for you. Need to save for a down payment? Get a financial adviser to craft a savings plan for you.

You can tap into the best local resources of an entire community of Compass agents with our Vendor Services Marketplace, a network of trusted vendors who are rated and shared by Compass agents in a spirit of collaboration.

John Solaegui, Compass, 415-999-0673, john@havengroupsf.com. A: Realtors are great to spend time with! We tend to be gregarious extroverts and often the life of the party. We network a lot, so get ready to go to exhibits, performances and other social events. We rely on others to recommend us, so it’s natural for us to do the same. We can recommend vendors such as painters, CPAs or insurance agents and we’re more reliable than Yelp!

A Realtor could connect you to the director who gives you the acting part of a lifetime or even your future spouse. A client of ours wanted to enter the venture capital world and asked if we had any connections. We did. And in very short order, his intelligence and work ethic impressed them so much that he’s now a partner in a venture capital firm. Real estate is a way of life for Realtors, so spending time with us helps develop market knowledge that will give you an advantage when your life circumstances change and the market is calling you. Plus, we’re lots of fun.

Maitri Ratanasene, Compass, 415-215-5505, maitri@havengroupsf.com. A: Absolutely! We are a resource to be tapped into. We spend countless hours evaluating properties, listening to comments from the public, keeping track of legislation, seeing the latest design trends. Is putting a line of credit on your property a good idea?

Yes: Someday you may need funds quickly. Is repainting a nondescript beige facade a good investment? You bet: The cost for a row house is minimal, the design impact tremendous. New wall-towall carpet? Don’t waste your money, choose a wood floor.

Can soft-story retrofit costs be passed through to tenants? Yes, within limits.

Are condos affected by seismic retrofit, sewer lateral ordinances? It varies with the county and the building. Am I eligible to transfer my base year property taxes? Hopefully so. The above are just some of the questions we get, so don’t be shy, just ask — we Realtors love to share our knowledge.

Astrid Lacitis, Vanguard Properties,

415-860-0765, astrid@vanguardsf.com.