If I don’t have any family and no close friends in my area for a referral how can I find a reputable realtor?

Zillow.com you can read real people reviews there.

Go onto your local Craig's list, post under 'discussion forums - housing' and ask for referrals for the area of the city you're searching in.

Go to open houses and do informal interviews. Ask them about the house they are showing as if you were interested in it while gathering an understanding of whether you like them or not. Don't waste their time too long especially if they are busy. Ask for their card (they should have given you a couple already) and tell them you'd like to talk more.

If you're selling interview three Realtors. If you're buying it's more of a loyalty issue. When buying you don't want to be working with more than one agent. To get started go to www.realtor.com and search by city. Once you find a home you like contact the listing agent.

However if you're buying talk to a lender and get a mortgage pre-qualification letter first. All sellers want to see that letter when you make an offer and agents want to know that you're qualified to look at houses.