How to choose a real estate agent

Buying or selling a home is one of the largest financial decisions most people will ever make. The agent you choose to guide you through that process can be the difference between a smooth, successful transaction and a stressful, costly one. And yet most people spend less time choosing their agent than they spend choosing a restaurant.

This guide covers the six factors that actually matter when evaluating real estate agents — and the red flags to watch out for along the way.

1. Production history — not just years licensed

Experience matters, but it's not measured in years alone. An agent who has been licensed for fifteen years but only closes four or five deals a year has a very different level of practical knowledge than an agent who has been in the business for eight years and closes thirty or more. What you want to know is not how long they have been licensed — it's how actively they have been producing.

Ask for their transaction volume over the last twelve months and over their career. Specifically, ask how many sides they closed — not just total transaction value. An agent who closed forty buyer sides and thirty seller sides over the past decade has seen enough to handle most situations. An agent with two hundred total transaction volume in a single year is operating at a completely different level of depth.

2. Local market knowledge — specific, not general

Real estate is hyperlocal. An agent who is excellent in one neighborhood may be merely adequate two zip codes away. When you are evaluating agents, push past the general claims of market knowledge and ask specific questions: What has happened to list-to-sale ratios in this zip code over the last six months? Which streets or subdivisions are commanding a premium right now and why? What's the average days-on-market for homes in this price range?

A great agent answers these questions with specificity and confidence. An agent who reaches for their phone to look up the answer may be technically competent but isn't working your market with the depth of knowledge you deserve.

3. Full-time vs. part-time — it matters more than you think

Part-time agents are everywhere. Real estate licensing is not particularly difficult to obtain, and many people carry a license as a side income source or a way to help family members occasionally. There is nothing wrong with that — but you do not want to be their client when you are buying or selling your largest asset.

A part-time agent cannot attend a showing on short notice, may not notice when a new listing that fits your criteria hits the market, and is not engaged enough in the day-to-day rhythm of their market to give you the negotiating intelligence you need. Full-time agents — those for whom real estate is their primary profession — are simply more available, more informed, and more invested.

4. Communication style — your preference, not theirs

You are going to be in close contact with your agent throughout what is often a stressful process. If you prefer to communicate by text and your agent only responds to phone calls, that friction will compound over weeks and cause unnecessary stress. If you need detailed, frequent updates and your agent is a once-a-week check-in type, the relationship will feel misaligned from the start.

Ask directly how they prefer to communicate and how quickly they typically respond. Then pay attention to how quickly they respond to you during the interview process itself. If they take three days to get back to your initial inquiry, that is your data point.

5. References — recent, not hand-picked

Every agent can produce a list of satisfied clients. What you want are recent references — clients from the last twelve months — and ideally ones who were in a situation similar to yours. If you are selling a vacant inherited property, the testimonial from the family they helped buy their dream home in 2019 is not particularly relevant.

Ask for two or three recent references and actually call them. Ask how the agent communicated, how they handled a problem that came up (there is always a problem), and whether they would use them again. The answers will tell you more than any review on a website.

6. Clean professional record

Every state maintains a public record of disciplinary actions, license suspensions, and consumer complaints against real estate licensees. It takes about five minutes to look up an agent's record on your state's real estate commission website. Do it. Most agents will have a clean record. Occasionally you will find something — and when you do, you will be glad you checked.

Red flags to watch for

• Overpricing your home to win the listing. Some agents will suggest an unrealistically high list price to convince you to sign with them, knowing they will ask for a price reduction later. Compare CMAs from multiple agents — if one is significantly higher than the others, be skeptical.
• Part of a large team but you never meet the lead agent. Team-based real estate is common and not inherently a problem. But if you hire a well-known agent and then find yourself working primarily with a newer team member, that is not what you signed up for. Ask specifically who will be handling your transaction day-to-day.
• Pressure to sign quickly. A good agent will give you time to make an informed decision. One who pushes you to sign a listing agreement or buyer representation agreement on the first meeting without giving you time to think is prioritizing their interest over yours.
• No clear marketing plan for your listing. If an agent can not tell you specifically how they plan to market your home — beyond putting it in the MLS — that is a red flag for sellers.

The bottom line

The best agent for your situation is the one who knows your market cold, closes consistently, treats you like a priority, and will pick up the phone. Those qualities are not always correlated with the biggest billboards or the most Instagram followers. Take the time to interview two or three agents, ask real questions, and trust what the data tells you.

If you would rather skip the search process and have a real person match you with a pre-screened agent in your market, that is exactly what GreatAgents.Net does — free of charge.