Questions to Ask a Realtor
For anyone interviewing a realtor or real estate agent before signing with one, whether you are buying, selling or doing both. The list runs from experience and local knowledge through a section for buyers and one for sellers to fees, the agreement and communication. Each question has a note on what a strong or weak answer sounds like, and where the rules differ by country or state the note says to ask how it works locally.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Experience and local knowledge
How long have you been an agent, and is this your full-time work?
Why ask it
Years matter less than how recent and steady the work has been. A part-time agent can be fine, as long as you know who picks up when a viewing or a deadline falls during their other job.
How many sales did you close in the past year, and how were they split between buyers and sellers?
Why ask it
Recent volume tells you whether their feel for prices and paperwork is current. If the split leans heavily away from your side of the deal, you would be hiring them for the part of the job they do least.
How many of your recent sales were in this neighborhood and near my price?
Why ask it
An agent who is busy two towns over, or at twice your budget, knows less about your street than their totals suggest. Ask for the addresses so you can look the sales up yourself.
Do you work alone or on a team, and who would I deal with from week to week?
Why ask it
On a team, the name on the sign may appear only at the pitch and the signing. That can work well, but meet the person who will open the doors or answer your calls before you commit.
Can I speak to two or three clients from the past year, including one whose sale or purchase was difficult?
Why ask it
Every agent has happy references ready. The difficult one is the reference worth calling: it tells you how they behaved when a deal wobbled or a price had to come down, which is when you will need them most.
What sets you apart from the other agents I could hire?
Why ask it
Most agents reach for 'I work hard' or 'I care about my clients', which every one of them says. A useful answer names something you can check: a street they know sale by sale, a way of preparing an offer, a habit of picking up the phone. Put the same question to each agent you meet and compare the specifics.
How do you negotiate, and when did that last change the outcome for a client?
Why ask it
Negotiating is a large part of what the fee buys, and 'I am a tough negotiator' tells you nothing. Ask for one recent deal: what the other side wanted, what the agent held back or traded, and where it ended. Loud is not the same as effective, and the agent who worked out what the other party needed often did better than the one who refused to move.
How many clients are you working with right now?
Why ask it
There is no right number. Very few can mean a slow year, and a great many can mean you are handed to an assistant, so the useful follow-up is what happens when two clients need them on the same Saturday.
When did you last work with someone in my position, and how did it turn out?
Why ask it
Say what your position is first: a first purchase, a move from another city, a parent's house to sell, a small deposit. You are listening for a recent client and a detail only someone who did the work would know.
What kinds of clients or properties are you not the right agent for?
Why ask it
A confident agent will name something: rural land, new construction, investors, a price range they rarely touch. One who claims to do everything equally well has not thought about it, or does not turn work down.
Tell me about a deal that fell apart. What happened, and what do you do differently now?
Why ask it
Anyone who has done this for a while has one. An honest account with a lesson in it is a good sign. A story in which everyone else was to blame is not.
What is happening in this market right now that the headline numbers miss?
Why ask it
Anyone can quote an average price. Listen for detail: which streets go quickly, which kind of home is sitting, what has shifted in the last few months. Vague optimism suggests they are reading the same listing site you are.
What do people moving to this area usually get wrong about it?
Why ask it
Someone who works these streets can name the commute pinch point, the road that floods, the building that is hard to resell. In many places agents are barred from describing an area by who lives there, so expect facts and sources, not opinions about the neighbors.
Are you licensed here, and where can I look up your record?
Why ask it
Many places keep a public register showing whether a license is current and whether complaints have been upheld. Where agents are not licensed at all, the equivalent is the regulator or redress scheme they answer to. Either way, a good agent tells you where to look without bristling.
Do you hold any designations or certifications beyond your license, and what did each one take to earn?
Why ask it
The letters after an agent's name range from a short course to a qualification with exams and an experience requirement. One aimed at your situation, such as work with buyers, older sellers or relocation, can be worth having. Having none is no mark against a busy agent with a strong record, so weigh it after their recent sales, not before.
Do you belong to a professional body, and what does membership commit you to?
Why ask it
In some countries 'Realtor' is a membership title with a code of conduct behind it, not a word for every licensed agent. What matters to you is what the body requires of its members, and whether a client can take a complaint to it.
Who do you recommend for inspections, loans and legal work, and do you receive anything for sending clients to them?
Why ask it
A good contact list saves you weeks. Referral payments are allowed in some places and restricted in others, so put the question plainly, and remember you can choose your own people whatever the answer.
If you are buying
Can you walk me through buying a home here, step by step, and how long each stage usually takes?
Why ask it
The order of events, and the point at which a deal becomes binding, differs from one country or state to the next, so a local walk-through is worth more than a general guide. A good agent can sketch it in five minutes without jargon and say where buyers usually get stuck. If this is your first purchase, say so: the patience they show now is the patience you will get later.
Do I have to sign an agreement before you show me homes, and what would it commit me to?
Why ask it
In some places a written buyer agreement is required before an agent can take you through a single door, and in others people view for weeks with nothing signed. Find out which applies locally, then what the paper covers: how long it lasts, which area or properties, and what you would owe. If you are not ready for a long commitment, see whether it can be limited to a short period or to one house.
How will you find homes for me beyond the ones I can already see online?
Why ask it
Listing sites show the same homes to everyone. The answers worth hearing are about properties not yet advertised, what they pick up from other agents, and whether they would approach owners on a street you like. Setting up an email alert is the minimum, not an answer.
Having heard my budget and my wish list, what do you think I will have to give up?
Why ask it
An agent who says 'nothing' is flattering you. A useful one tells you now that the money buys the location or the extra bedroom, but probably not both.
What should I have ready on the money side before we start viewing?
Why ask it
The usual proof differs by place: a lender's preapproval, an agreement in principle, a statement of funds. Showing you homes before raising it means spending your weekends on houses you may not be able to offer on.
What will buying cost me on top of the price, and when is each amount due?
Why ask it
The list is local: a deposit, inspection or survey fees, legal or closing charges, taxes on the purchase, lender fees, the move itself. An agent who does this every month can give rough figures for your price range and say which fall due before you have the keys. Treat the numbers as estimates, and confirm the tax and loan parts with the people who handle them.
When a house I want to see comes up, how quickly can you get me through the door?
Why ask it
In a fast market a day can decide it. Find out whether they show homes on evenings and weekends, who goes with you if they cannot, and whether they would look at a place for you first when you are stuck at work.
What do you look for in a house that buyers tend to miss?
Why ask it
The answers that earn the fee are unglamorous: drainage, roof lines, fresh paint over one patch of ceiling, road noise at rush hour, a layout that will be hard to resell. Someone who only points at the kitchen is there to open doors.
Can you give me an example of talking a buyer out of a house?
Why ask it
Many agents are paid only when a purchase goes through, so this is the question about whose side they are on. A specific story, with the reason they gave, counts for more than a promise to be honest.
When I like a house, how will you work out what it is worth before we offer?
Why ask it
The method should involve recent comparable sales, adjusted for condition and position, and shown to you on paper. If it comes down to 'what are you comfortable with', you are pricing the house alone.
When you act for buyers, how far do the final prices usually land from their first offers?
Why ask it
This is the buyer's side of an agent's track record. No single figure is the right one: in a fast market the honest answer may be that clients paid over the asking price. What you learn is whether they know their own numbers, and whether their opening offers are pitched to be taken seriously or to make a point.
When several buyers want the same house, what do you do to strengthen an offer besides raising the price?
Why ask it
The strong answers are about terms: dates that suit the seller, proof of funds attached, a complete and tidy offer, a call to the other agent first. An agent with nothing to suggest but more money is not adding much.
Which protections would you never advise me to drop in order to win a house?
Why ask it
Conditions for financing, inspection and title work differently from place to place, so get them to explain what is standard locally and what waiving each one could cost you. The answer tells you whose risk they are thinking about.
How do you handle the negotiation when an inspection turns up problems?
Why ask it
Ask for a recent example with figures: what was found, what they asked for, what the seller agreed to. Some agents ask for everything and others pick the two items that matter, and you want to know which one you are hiring.
Once an offer is accepted, what do you do between then and the day I get the keys?
Why ask it
A lot goes wrong in this stretch: lender requests, repairs, dates that slip. The steps have different names in different countries. What you need is the local sequence in order, and a clear statement of which parts are theirs to chase.
Will you still act for me if the house I want is being sold by its owner, by a builder, or at auction?
Why ask it
Each works differently. A builder may have its own contract and sales staff, a private seller may refuse to pay an agent, and an auction sale can be binding on the day. Find out what they would do for you in each case and how they would be paid.
What happens if I find a house on my own, at an open house or through a friend?
Why ask it
Under many buyer agreements the agent is still owed a fee. Check what yours would say, and what to tell the agent at an open house so that nobody else claims you as their client.
I also have a home to sell. In what order would you do the two?
Why ask it
Selling first, buying first and making one depend on the other each carry a different risk, and what is possible depends on local contracts and your lender. Good agents lay out the options with the downside of each. Weak ones have a single script.
If you are selling
What price would you put on my home, and which recent sales is that based on?
Why ask it
The comparable sales should be on the table, with a reason each was included or left out. The reasoning matters more than the number, because you will lean on the same reasoning when an offer arrives.
If another agent quotes me a higher price, why should I believe yours?
Why ask it
Some agents win the listing with a flattering figure and ask for a reduction a month later. A good answer goes back to the evidence and says what would have to be true for the higher number to hold.
How do your final sale prices compare with your original asking prices, and how long do your listings take to sell?
Why ask it
Their own figures from the past year belong beside the local average. Make sure the comparison uses the first asking price, not the reduced one, because an agent who lists high and cuts later can still look good against the final figure.
How long do you expect my home to take to sell, and what is that estimate based on?
Why ask it
Nobody can promise a date, so listen for a range and the reasoning behind it: how quickly similar homes nearby have gone at this price, and what the season does to that. An estimate much shorter than the other agents gave deserves the same suspicion as a price that is much higher. The weeks between accepting an offer and completing are a separate stretch, so ask about those too.
Is there a better or worse time of year to list this house, and what would waiting cost me?
Why ask it
Seasons are local, and so is your own deadline. A good answer weighs the calendar against what the house costs you each month. 'Now is always the right time' is a sales line.
What would you have me fix, clear or change before listing, and what would you leave alone?
Why ask it
The useful answer is a short, ranked list with rough costs and a reason for each item. Both extremes are a warning: 'it is perfect as it is', and a renovation plan that delays the sale by months.
Would you stage this house, and what would that involve?
Why ask it
Staging can mean rearranging your own furniture or renting a houseful. Get the plan room by room, and settle whether the cost is theirs, yours, or yours only if the house sells.
Who takes the photographs, and can I see the listings you have live at the moment?
Why ask it
Most buyers see the pictures before they see the house. Current listings show the standard you would get: the lighting, the floor plan, a description someone has proofread. Photography and video cost money, so settle who pays.
What is your marketing plan for my home, and where will it be advertised?
Why ask it
You should come away with a sequence, not a slogan: what happens before launch, where the listing appears on the first day, what goes to other agents and to buyers already on their books, and what changes if the first two weeks are quiet. Much of this is the same for every listing, which is fine. The part to probe is whatever they would do for your home that they would not do for the one next door.
Who do you think will buy this house, and how will you reach them?
Why ask it
Put this way, the marketing question cannot be answered with a list of websites every listing appears on anyway. The campaign they ran for a recent, similar home is the best evidence, so ask to see all of it.
How will viewings work while I am still living here?
Why ask it
The details to settle are notice, whether the agent attends every viewing or leaves a key for other agents, and how visitors are identified. Practice differs between markets, and it affects both your security and the feedback you get.
Do open houses sell homes like mine, or do they mostly bring you new clients?
Why ask it
A candid agent will admit they can do both. What you are after is how they would decide for your home in particular, and what you should lock away if you go ahead.
Would you ever market my home privately before listing it publicly, and who benefits if you do?
Why ask it
A quiet sale can suit a seller who wants privacy, but fewer buyers see the house and the agent may end up handling both sides. Whether it is allowed, and on what terms, depends on local rules, so get those explained along with what you would be giving up.
How would you deal with the things about this house a buyer will not like?
Why ask it
The busy road, the old roof, the small yard: each needs a plan, in the price or in the presentation. What a seller must declare is set by local law. An agent who suggests hiding a known defect is setting up a dispute for later.
If there are no offers in the first few weeks, what is your plan?
Why ask it
The honest answer involves price, presentation or access, in some order. Agree now what evidence would trigger a price change, so that conversation is not a surprise when it comes.
When offers come in, how will you present them to me and help me compare them?
Why ask it
You should see every offer in full and promptly, and in many places the agent is legally required to pass each one on. A side-by-side of price, conditions, dates and each buyer's finances is what makes them comparable.
Before I accept an offer, how will you check that the buyer can actually complete?
Why ask it
An offer is only as good as the money and the conditions behind it. The difference between agents is whether they speak to the buyer's lender or broker, or take a letter at face value.
How do you keep a sale together when the buyer comes back asking for money off?
Why ask it
After an inspection or a lender's valuation, buyers often try to renegotiate. A recent example, with what was conceded and what was refused, tells you whether this agent defends your price or only wants the deal done.
Can you give me a written estimate of what I would walk away with after every cost of selling?
Why ask it
The list of costs varies by place: agent fees, legal or closing charges, transfer taxes, the loan payoff. A net figure at two or three possible sale prices is more useful than the asking price. For the tax side, check with an accountant.
Fees and the agreement
What will I pay you, and at what point does it become due?
Why ask it
Get the figure in writing, whether it is a percentage, a flat fee or something else, along with the event that triggers it. How agents are paid, and by whom, differs by country and state and has changed in some markets, so ask how it works locally instead of assuming.
What does your commission or fee cover, from the first meeting to the day the sale completes?
Why ask it
Two agents quoting the same rate can be offering very different amounts of work. Get the list: pricing advice, photographs, advertising, attending viewings, negotiating, and chasing the paperwork through to the end. Buyers can ask the same about searching, viewings and offers. Once it is written down, you can compare agents on what they do and not only on what they charge.
Is your fee negotiable, and what would change if I paid less?
Why ask it
In many places fees are set by agreement and not by law, though that is worth confirming for yours. The second half is the useful part: you learn which services are optional, and how this person negotiates when it is their own money.
Who pays the agent on the other side of the deal, and does any of that come out of my money?
Why ask it
In some markets the seller's fee is shared with the buyer's agent, and in others each side pays its own. Ask how it is being done locally now, what you would owe if the other side refuses, and where it will appear in the paperwork.
Are there costs on top of your fee, such as photography, advertising or an administration charge?
Why ask it
Some brokerages add a transaction fee, and some charge for marketing up front whether or not the home sells. The full list belongs inside the agreement, so that nothing new turns up on the final statement.
If a sale falls through before it completes, do I owe you anything?
Why ask it
Some agreements treat the fee as earned once a willing buyer is found, and others only when the sale completes. Have them show you the wording in the contract, since memory and reassurance are not what a dispute is decided on.
Is this agreement exclusive, and what are the alternatives?
Why ask it
The options and their names differ by place: sole or exclusive, open, or several agents at once. Weigh what you gain and lose with each, especially if you might find a buyer or a house yourself.
How long does this agreement run, and what happens when it ends?
Why ask it
Terms run from a few weeks to many months. A shorter one keeps your options open, and an agent confident in their work will usually accept it. Check whether it renews by itself.
If I am unhappy, how do I end the agreement early, and what would I owe?
Why ask it
Some agents release a client on request, some charge the costs they have run up, and some hold you to the full term. Whatever you are told, find the cancellation terms on the page before you sign.
Once the agreement has ended, could I still owe you a fee for a buyer or a house you introduced?
Why ask it
Many agreements carry a clause like this, and it is fair in principle. Check how long it lasts, and ask that it be limited to buyers or properties named in writing when the agreement ends.
If I sign with you, who do you legally work for, and what does that oblige you to do for me?
Why ask it
The duties an agent owes depend on local agency law. In some places an agent who shows you homes works for the seller unless you have signed something that says otherwise. If there is a standard disclosure form, read it before anything else.
What happens if a buyer you already represent wants my house, or I want one of your own listings?
Why ask it
One agent or one brokerage acting for both sides is banned in some places and allowed with written consent in others. Ask what applies here, which advice they could no longer give you, and whether a different agent would step in.
Will what I tell you about my budget or my deadline stay between us?
Why ask it
Once they represent you it usually should, but the duty comes from local law and the agreement, and it can change if they end up dealing with both sides. Until something is signed the agent may owe you nothing, so keep your top figure back until then.
Can I take the agreement away and read it before I sign?
Why ask it
Any reasonable agent says yes. Pressure to sign at the first meeting answers a different question about how they will treat you later. If a clause is unclear, a local lawyer or consumer advice service can read it with you.
Communication
What is the best way to reach you, and how will you keep me up to date?
Why ask it
Some agents live on the phone and others on text or email, and a mismatch grates within a week. Say how you like to be contacted and see whether they adapt or describe their system at you. Find out too whether updates come from them or from an assistant, and whether documents arrive by email, through an app or on paper.
How often will I hear from you when nothing is happening?
Why ask it
Quiet weeks are when clients start to feel forgotten. Agree on a fixed check-in now, even if the message is only that there is no news, and say whether you prefer a call, a text or an email.
If I message you in the evening or on a weekend, when should I expect a reply?
Why ask it
Property moves outside office hours. You are not asking for midnight answers. You are finding out their real hours, and how fast they respond when an offer deadline is a day away.
Who covers for you when you are away or ill?
Why ask it
Deals do not pause for a week at the beach. Get a name, and find out whether that person would have your file and the authority to act on it.
Will I get feedback after every viewing, and how soon?
Why ask it
For a seller this is how you learn that the price, or the smell of the dog, is the problem, so you want what visitors said passed on unfiltered. Buyers can turn it around: how will your own reactions be noted and used to narrow the search?
What figures will you show me on how my listing is doing?
Why ask it
The useful ones are online views, inquiries and viewings booked, week by week. Plenty of views and few viewings points at the price or the photos. Plenty of viewings and no offers points at the house itself or at the price.
How do you deliver bad news?
Why ask it
There will be some: a low offer, a failed inspection, a buyer who goes quiet. The agent to hire calls the same day with the facts and a suggestion, and does not wait until Friday.
Who keeps track of the dates in the contract, and how will I know when one is coming up?
Why ask it
Deposits, conditions and the closing date can each cost you if they slip. A shared timeline or a named coordinator is a good answer. 'I keep it all in my head' is not.
Will you confirm what we agree by email, so we both have a record?
Why ask it
Instructions about price, offers you turn down and anything promised out loud are worth having in writing. Keeping everything on the phone leaves you with nothing to point to if you later disagree.
If I have a complaint about how you handled something, who do I take it to?
Why ask it
The usual route is the managing broker first, then a regulator, ombudsman or professional body, depending on the country. An agent who can name each step without hesitating expects to be held to account.
Is there anything I have not asked that you think I should have?
Why ask it
Agents sit through these interviews far more often than clients do, and they know which questions people forget. A thoughtful one will raise something about your situation: a timing problem, a cost, a clause in the agreement. If all that comes back is another reason to hire them, you have learned something about how they listen.
What do you need from me to do this job well?
Why ask it
A good one to finish on, because it turns the interview around. Listen for specifics: quick decisions, documents ready, honest reactions after viewings. If all they need is a signature, they have not thought about your sale or search yet.
How to interview an agent before you sign
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the interviews
Talk to more than one agent
Two or three interviews are enough to hear the difference between an answer about your situation and a pitch every client gets. Ask each agent the same core questions so you are comparing them and not your own mood on the day.
Choose your questions, not the whole list
Nobody sits through every question here. Take three or four from Experience and local knowledge, the section for your side of the deal, and most of Fees and the agreement. That is where agents differ and where surprises cost money.
Look them up first
Check the license register if your area has one, read their current listings, and look at what they have sold recently. Then use the meeting for what you cannot find yourself: how they think, and how they talk about clients.
If you are selling, meet at the house
An agent who has walked through the rooms can talk about your home and not homes in general. Ask them to bring the comparable sales behind their price, so the conversation starts from evidence.
What to listen for
Evidence over adjectives
'I know this area inside out' is a claim. Three addresses, what each sold for and why, is knowledge. When an answer is all adjectives, ask for the most recent example and see what comes back.
The questions they ask you
A good agent interviews you too: your timing, your money, what you would refuse to compromise on. If the whole meeting is a presentation about them, expect the same balance once you have signed.
How they handle the fee question
You are about to hire a negotiator, and the fee conversation is the one negotiation you get to watch. Notice whether they explain, hold their ground with reasons, or fold at the first push.
Whether they will disagree with you
Tell them the price or the timing you are hoping for, even if you suspect it is optimistic, and see what happens. An agent who corrects you politely before they have the job will keep doing it afterward, when it matters.
Warning signs
The highest price in the room
For sellers, the most flattering valuation is the easiest thing to offer and the hardest to deliver. Choose the agent whose number comes with sales you can check, even if another one sounds better.
Pressure to sign today
There is rarely a reason an agreement cannot wait a day while you read it. Urgency at this stage is about the agent's pipeline, not your sale or your search.
Vague answers about who they represent
If an agent cannot say plainly whose interests they act for and what happens when both sides of a deal come through their office, stop there until they can. The rules differ by place, and a clear explanation of the local ones is the least to expect.
Hiring a friend without the interview
A friend or relative may be a fine agent. Put them through the same questions as everyone else, and think about whether you could cancel the agreement, or complain, without losing the friendship.
Before you sign
Read the agreement at home
Look for the length of the term, how to end it, what you owe and when, and any period after it ends in which a fee could still be due. Ask about anything you do not follow, and get the answer in writing.
Put the promises on paper
A weekly update, professional photographs, a release if you are unhappy: if it was said in the meeting, ask for it to be added to the agreement or confirmed by email. Agents who meant it will not mind.
Check the local rules yourself
Commission practice, agency duties and what an agreement must contain vary by country and often by state or province. Where the regulator or a consumer body publishes a plain guide for buyers and sellers, it is worth ten minutes before you commit.
Tell the others no
A short message to the agents you did not choose is polite and costs nothing. It also stops the follow-up calls, and leaves the door open if your first choice does not work out.