How to Choose a Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home
Most people interview one agent before they sell their home.
Not three. Not even two. One conversation, and then a decision about who represents their largest asset.
That is not a criticism. It usually happens because selling already feels overwhelming, and stopping to compare feels like one more task on a long list. But a little bit of research before that conversation changes how it goes, and changes what you notice while it is happening.
Here is what is actually worth looking at.
Start with the reviews, and read past the star rating
Almost every agent has good reviews. What they actually say is the useful part.
Look for detail. Did the agent communicate clearly through the whole transaction? If something went sideways at any point, how did they handle it? Did the client come back for a second sale, or send their family and friends?
Repeat clients and referrals are the strongest signal in this business. That means the relationship lasted well past closing day, not just through it.
Read reviews in more than one place if you can. Google, an agent’s own website, and any portal profiles each tend to show a slightly different side.
Look at how they actually market a home
Every agent will tell you they market differently. The way to find out is to ask them to show you, not just describe it.
Ask to see examples. Photos from a recent listing, any video they have produced, and the written description they used. You are not looking for perfection. You are looking at whether it feels intentional, or like the minimum required to get a home on the MLS.
Then ask the harder question. Is their marketing the same for every listing, or does it change based on the home? A $350,000 starter home and an $800,000 property with a pool are not the same sale, and they should not get the same marketing plan. An agent running blanket marketing treats every listing like a form to fill out. An agent running customized marketing treats every listing like its own project.
Social proof matters too. Do they show past results and real client experiences as part of how they present themselves, or would you have to go dig that up yourself?
The goal is not to catch anyone doing something wrong. It is to see whether an agent can walk you through their approach clearly and specifically, or whether the answer stays vague no matter how you ask.
Make sure you actually trust them, not just get along with them
Most lists like this treat this one as the soft criterion. It is not soft at all. If anything, it may matter more than the rest combined.
Getting along with someone is a starting point. What you actually need goes further than that.
You need someone who has your interests at heart, not just the sale. They should stay on top of every contingency and deadline in your contract, because a missed date can cost you leverage or worse. Negotiating on your behalf, not just relaying offers back and forth, is part of the job. Every question deserves a full answer, even the ones that feel small. And when a decision comes up, their first instinct should be protecting your position, not closing the deal as fast as possible.
You will be in close contact with this person for weeks. They will be the one delivering news you were hoping not to hear, and the one you are calling with a question at an inconvenient hour. All of that goes smoother when you trust the person doing it, not just enjoy talking to them.
Pay attention to the interview itself. Did they ask about your goals before talking about their own results? Notice whether they answered your questions directly, or talked around them. Ask yourself, once the conversation ends, whether you felt protected or just pitched to.
Trust that read. It tends to be accurate, and it is the one thing you cannot fully evaluate from a website or a review.
Ask whether they have navigated your specific situation before
Every sale is a little different, and some are a lot different. Years in the business is a useful number, but it does not tell you whether an agent has actually handled what you are about to go through.
If you are selling and buying at the same time, that is one of the hardest things to coordinate in residential real estate. Two closings, two sets of contingencies, and the very real question of where you live in between. Timing has to be planned deliberately, not figured out as you go.
If new construction is part of the picture, builder timelines run on their own logic and rarely line up naturally with a resale closing. An agent who has coordinated both knows where the friction usually shows up.
If your sale involves a trust, a divorce, an out of state move, or a property that is not entirely straightforward, the paperwork and coordination around it is its own skill, separate from simply listing a home.
So ask directly. Have you personally guided someone through this exact situation, from start to finish?
That answer, and how confidently they give it, tells you more than almost anything else on this list.
Ask how they are thinking about today's market, specifically
The last year or two has moved slower than a lot of sellers remember, and slower than what became normal during the years right after Covid, when homes sometimes sold within days.
That shift alone catches people off guard. A home taking longer to sell than a neighbor’s did three years ago is not automatically a sign that something is wrong with it. Often it is just a sign that the market itself has changed pace.
This is exactly why the conversation with an agent matters more than a general headline about the market. Ask them what they are seeing right now, in your specific neighborhood and price range, not the valley as a whole.
Find out how they are advising sellers to think about timing given how things have shifted. And press for something realistic you can expect, so you are prepared rather than surprised three weeks in.
An agent who is paying close attention to the market will have a real answer, grounded in what is actually happening month to month. An agent who is not will give you something generic.
Read the listing agreement before you sign it
The listing agreement is a real contract, and sellers sometimes don’t really look at the fine print.
A few things worth understanding upfront.
The term. How long are you committing to, and what happens when it ends?
What they include. Photography, video, staging guidance, and marketing or are there other fees. Get clear on what you are actually getting.
What your options are if it is not working. You do not need to expect the worst. You just want to know the answer before you need it, not after.
None of this is confrontational. You want to have a clear understanding.
FAQ: A few questions worth bringing to any listing appointment
If you only interview one agent, at least go into that conversation with real questions instead of letting it be a one way pitch.
- Can I see photos, video, and a description from a recent listing?
- Does your marketing change based on the home, or is it the same for every listing?
- Have you personally handled a situation like mine, start to finish?
- How will you keep me updated on contingencies and deadlines, and who is watching those dates?
- How long is the listing agreement, and what happens if it is not the right fit?
What to do next
Even one thoughtful conversation, armed with the right questions, puts you in a completely different position than most sellers are in.
If you would like to see how I would answer every one of these questions prior to talking click below to see how I work with Las Vegas Homeowners.
As always, helping you bring it all together, Ally
Allison Miller 702-592-0488 S.0182728 | Realty One Group