Things to Ask a Real Estate Agent Before You Hire Them

Things to Ask About Experience

Years in real estate can be useful context, but recent experience with your type of transaction and market matters more.

Ask for specifics rather than general claims that the agent is a local expert.

1. How long have you been working as a real estate agent?
2. How many buyers or sellers did you represent in the last year?
3. How many transactions have you handled in this area?
4. How often do you work in my price range?
5. How often do you work with this type of property?
6. Do you work primarily with buyers, sellers, or both?
7. What percentage of your business is repeat or referral clients?
8. Can you provide recent client references?
9. What transaction has taught you the most in the last year?

Things to Ask About Local Knowledge

Local knowledge should go beyond naming neighborhoods. Ask about pricing patterns, inventory, taxes, insurance issues, commuting, schools as appropriate, property types, and what commonly causes transactions to fail.

Agents should avoid steering buyers based on protected characteristics. Ask for objective information and reliable sources where appropriate.

1. Which neighborhoods do you work in most often?
2. How different are listing prices from actual sale prices right now?
3. How competitive is my price range?
4. How long are homes typically staying on the market?
5. What property issues are especially common here?
6. What insurance concerns should buyers investigate locally?
7. What taxes or assessments commonly surprise buyers?
8. What sources should I use for schools, crime, flood risk, or other objective local information?
9. What is changing in this market right now?

Things to Ask About Communication

A strong agent can still be a poor fit if communication expectations differ. Decide whether you want frequent updates, concise messages, phone calls, texts, or scheduled conversations.

Ask who actually answers when your agent is unavailable.

1. How do you prefer to communicate?
2. How quickly do you normally respond during business hours?
3. What hours are you generally available?
4. How do you handle evenings and weekends?
5. Who covers for you when you are unavailable?
6. Will I communicate directly with you or with a team?
7. How often will you update me when nothing has changed?
8. How do you handle urgent offer deadlines?

Things to Ask About Representation and Agreements

Understand whether you are signing an exclusive representation agreement, how long it lasts, how it can be terminated, and what obligations survive termination.

Do not sign a form you do not understand simply because it is described as standard.

1. What representation agreement do you use?
2. Is it exclusive?
3. How long does it last?
4. How can I terminate it?
5. Are there any fees if I terminate it?
6. Do any obligations continue after termination?
7. What duties do you owe me under this agreement?
8. Could you represent both sides of a transaction in any circumstance?
9. How would that be disclosed and handled?

Things to Ask About Compensation

Compensation structures and negotiability can vary. Ask how the agent expects to be paid, what the agreement requires, what happens if another party offers compensation, and what you could owe directly.

Get the explanation in plain language before signing.

1. How are you compensated in this transaction?
2. What amount or percentage does our agreement specify?
3. Is that compensation negotiable?
4. Could I owe you money directly?
5. How does compensation offered by another party affect what I owe?
6. What happens if the offered compensation is less than the amount in our agreement?
7. Are there administrative or transaction fees in addition to compensation?
8. When is compensation earned?
9. When is it paid?

Things to Ask a Buyer's Agent About the Search

If you are buying, ask how the agent identifies properties, schedules showings, evaluates pricing, and handles off-market or newly listed homes.

A buyer's agent should help you understand the process without pushing you to bid beyond your own limits.

1. How do you learn what I actually want rather than simply sending listings?
2. How quickly can you arrange showings?
3. Do you preview homes?
4. How do you help evaluate whether a listing is overpriced?
5. What market data do you provide before an offer?
6. How do you handle multiple-offer situations?
7. Will you tell me when you think I should walk away?
8. How do you help identify inspection or property issues before an offer?
9. How do you coordinate with lenders and inspectors?

Things to Ask a Listing Agent About Selling

If you are selling, ask how the agent develops pricing strategy, prepares the property, markets it, communicates showing feedback, and evaluates offers.

A high suggested list price is not automatically evidence of a better agent. Ask what comparable sales and strategy support it.

1. How did you arrive at the suggested list price?
2. Which comparable sales matter most?
3. What repairs or preparation do you recommend before listing?
4. Which preparation is optional rather than necessary?
5. What marketing is included?
6. Who takes listing photos?
7. Are floor plans, video, or other media included?
8. How are showings scheduled?
9. How will I receive feedback?
10. How do you handle price reductions if the home does not sell?
11. How do you compare multiple offers beyond price?

Things to Ask About Negotiation

Ask how the agent approaches price, contingencies, credits, repairs, timing, appraisal issues, and situations where the other side becomes difficult.

Good negotiation is not always aggressive. The goal is to protect your priorities and keep the transaction moving when that is still in your interest.

1. How do you prepare for an offer negotiation?
2. How do you decide where to push and where to preserve flexibility?
3. How do you handle inspection negotiations?
4. How do you handle appraisal gaps?
5. How do you handle a seller or buyer who stops responding?
6. What is your approach when emotions are running high?
7. Can you give an example of a recent negotiation where strategy changed the outcome?

Things to Ask About Conflicts of Interest

Real-estate professionals can have relationships with lenders, inspectors, title companies, contractors, attorneys, or other service providers. Referrals can be convenient, but you should understand any business relationship or compensation involved.

You should generally be free to evaluate providers yourself unless a specific arrangement or local rule says otherwise.

1. Do you receive any compensation or benefit from referred providers?
2. Are any recommended companies affiliated with your brokerage?
3. Can I choose my own inspector?
4. Can I choose my own lender?
5. Can I choose my own closing or settlement provider where local practice allows?
6. How do you disclose referral relationships?
7. What happens if I want to use a provider you do not know?

Things to Ask About Problems and Failed Transactions

Every experienced agent has seen deals fail. Ask what commonly goes wrong and how they respond.

The answer can reveal whether the agent is realistic, organized, and comfortable delivering bad news.

1. What most often causes deals to fall apart in this market?
2. How do you handle inspection surprises?
3. What happens if financing is delayed?
4. How do you handle appraisal problems?
5. What happens if the other party misses a deadline?
6. How do you communicate when you think a deal is becoming too risky?
7. Can you describe a transaction you recommended a client walk away from?

Things to Ask Before You Hire the Agent

After the interview, compare communication, experience, clarity, local knowledge, compensation, and whether you trust the agent to tell you something you do not want to hear.

Do not choose only on friendliness or a promised price.

1. What do you think will be the hardest part of my transaction?
2. What would you need from me to work effectively?
3. What makes you different from the other agents I may interview?
4. What type of client are you not a good fit for?
5. What would cause you to tell me not to make an offer or not to accept one?
6. Can I review the representation agreement before deciding?
7. What should I expect in the first week if I hire you?

How to Compare Two Real Estate Agents

After the interviews, compare the agents on the same criteria: recent local transactions, communication, availability, agreement terms, compensation, market knowledge, strategy, and whether they explained risks clearly.

Be cautious about choosing a listing agent solely because they promise the highest sale price or a buyer's agent solely because they say they can always win offers. Ask what evidence supports the strategy.

The best fit is often the agent whose process you understand and whose judgment you would trust when the transaction becomes stressful.

1. Which agent gave the clearest explanation of compensation?
2. Which agreement is easiest to understand?
3. Which agent has the most relevant recent experience?
4. Which agent asked the best questions about my goals?
5. Which agent was most willing to discuss risks?
6. Which agent would I trust to tell me to walk away?

How to Use These Questions

Choose the questions that would genuinely change your understanding or decision rather than trying to complete the page in order.

When an answer matters, ask for an example, what changed, what the person means by a particular word, or what would make the answer different. Specific follow-ups are usually more useful than another prepared question.

1. Can you give me an example?
2. What part matters most?
3. What changed your mind?
4. What would make your answer different?
5. What important question have we not asked yet?