If you are wondering how your house hunting needs can be best served by your real estate broker, wonder no more.

Read about what you can do here to get your broker to get you the house of your renting on Guam.

• It doesn't cost you anything to use a real estate agent. Some people are under the impression that there is some savings involved in going it alone. Agents are compensated by the owner, not the renter.

• Nearly everyone will spend time searching for properties that look good to them. Keep in mind that the rental market on Guam moves pretty fast, the premium properties go fast. What's here today may be gone tomorrow.

• When you're searching for properties on the different real estate websites, the data base you're searching is called the Multiple Listing Service or "MLS". All companies use the same MLS on Guam, there's only one. So the properties you see from website to website will be the same. What this means is that even if you see something and it's on another company's website, we can still help you with it. All we need is the address, or preferably the MLS number, which will look like "13-1234". From there we can look it up in the realtor version of the MLS and get back to you with other details and what we know about the area from personal experience.

• Always have a checklist - leaving behind something very important to you, or forgetting essentials, can suck big time. In order to avoid anything like this from happening, always have a checklist for your move.

• We like to meet as soon as possible after your arrival so that we can review the properties that are available with you, and make plans for going out and seeing them in person. We usually only need a days notice so that we can research the properties you want to see, and determine if they're vacant or occupied, and if there's anything we need to do to arrange a showing. Sometimes we have to make appointments or pick up keys. Other times there's a lock box that will give us access on our schedule. Normally we discourage showing properties that are not vacant. The housing office will not approve a home that still has a tenant.

Be sure the agent you choose is showing you the properties that you want to see, not just what they want to show you. You'll sometimes find unscrupulous agents that push unnecessarily hard for you to rent a property listed by their company rather than ones that are available through competitors. Your agent should be working with your best interests in mind, and finding a home that fits your needs.