Interview at least two. Ask the same questions to both. The difference will be obvious.
Most sellers interview one agent, usually somebody they already know of, and sign that day. It is the largest financial engagement most households enter into and it gets less scrutiny than a car purchase. Interview two or three, ask each the same questions, and pay attention to who answers with specifics and who answers with adjectives.
Ask how many homes they closed in your specific area in the last year, and what the range of those homes was. Volume somewhere else is not the same as knowing your submarket. An agent who works your neighborhood knows which streets carry a premium and which floor plans stall, and they will tell you without prompting.
Ask to see the closed comparable sales behind their number, individually, with the adjustments explained. If the comparables are mostly active listings, that is a pitch, not an analysis. If their number is noticeably higher than everyone else's, ask them to defend it with evidence rather than enthusiasm. Buying a listing with a high number is an old tactic and it ends in price reductions.
Not a brochure about the brokerage. What specifically will be done, by when, and by whom. Photography and when it is scheduled. What the listing copy will say. How showings are handled and how feedback gets back to you. Anyone can describe this verbally; asking for it in writing tells you whether it exists.
The most useful answer in the whole interview. An agent who has already spotted two things about your house that will cost you at the inspection and says so is doing the job. An agent who tells you the home is perfect is managing you.
Term length, what happens if you want out, and what is owed if the home does not sell. Commission is negotiated between you and the brokerage — it is a term of the agreement, not a fixed rate, and it is a fair thing to discuss before signing.
Tell us where the home is and what the timing looks like. We will match you and send you the questions to ask.
Get Matched With an AgentEarly questions are fine. Most people talk to us months before they list.