Real estate practice varies considerably from state to state. Anyone who has moved from another state and purchased in this region understands this.

Besides those "roles" as we will call them, some states in our region have also adopted or are actively considering adopting designated agency, limited agency, and broker agency. As a practicing licensed broker in Massachusetts, Vermont and New York, I have had to adapt myself and my practice to differences in all three states. For the purposes of this column I will primarily focus on real estate practices within Massachusetts and Berkshire County specifically.

Massachusetts currently recognizes the roles of agents and

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If you're a seller in this market it is crucial you and your representative take carefully into account what buyers are looking for or chances are less than ideal for a favorable sale or a sale at all for that matter.

If you're a buyer you know what you want and as such you aren't going to waste your valuable time on any listing or any real estate agent that doesn't offer it.

Here's what buyers want:

The best property they can purchase for their budget meaning great value.

• A real estate licensee who is forthright, honest, diligent, pleasant and above all knowledgeable
• Unless they specifically want a fixer-upper to flip, buyers want

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This is to be the first in a regular series of real estate columns I'll be writing for iBerkshires. I want to thank iBerkshires for inviting me to write these columns and at the same time thank those who read them and invite you my readers to provide me with suggestions for new columns on topics you would find of interest.

Naturally the first of the series should be on 2013 looking back and 2014 looking ahead.

There is a great deal in the national and even local media on real estate trends and statistics so I hope to provide a slightly different slant offering primarily a local flavor. Reading national headlines proclaiming a dramatic increase in sales or median prices

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Paul Harsch, president and founder of Harsch Associates, a Berkshire County based real estate brokerage firm, is a licensed real estate broker in Massachusetts, New York and Vermont, serving a diverse residential, business, commercial and land client base for 40 years. He has achieved personal career sales exceeding $131 million and company sales from 1979 will top $500 million in 2014. Harsch is a member of the Berkshire, Massachusetts, Southwestern Vermont and National associations of realtors, is a licensed Massachusetts real estate instructor and earned the CRB, CRS, GRI and CBI designations. Harsch is a 1969 graduate of Williams College.

To submit comments, questions or requests for future blog topics write him at paul@harschrealestate.com.