Q: We are starting to look for our first house. Is it better to have three or four agents searching for homes that we might want to buy or to work with just one agent?

A: It’s usually best for buyers to have only one agent or broker searching for properties on their behalf, instead of working with multiple agents.

You certainly should interview at least three or four agents before your home hunt begins. The interviews should help you determine which sales professional has the deepest knowledge of the local market and will make you feel the most comfortable when talking about your plans.

Once you’ve found such an agent or broker, it’s best to work with him or her exclusively. There’s really no reason to supplement your home-buying efforts by using others, in part because nearly all agents have access to the same listings: The agent that you have carefully chosen should be able to show you every property that fits both your budget and personal preferences.

If, instead, you have three different agents looking at homes for you, you very well might wind up looking at properties that you don’t like three different times – thereby wasting countless hours and adding several weeks to the home-buying process.

Also remember that most agents still work on a commission basis, which means they won’t collect a nickel for all the time they spend working for you if you don’t eventually purchase a home with their personal assistance.

And if a good agent knows that you’re also working with others who are trying to get that same commission, he won’t necessarily give you a 100 percent effort in helping you find the best property and negotiate the best deal, because there’s no guarantee that he’ll get paid for all his hard work.