How to Find a Good Realtor: What to Ask and What to Ignore

I'll be upfront: I'm a real estate broker, so I have a horse in this race. But I've also seen a lot of people pick the wrong agent for the wrong reasons, and it costs them money and sleep. So here's how I'd choose if I were on the other side of the table.

Start with your deal, not their resume

Before you ask anyone anything, know what you need. A first-time buyer in Kissimmee needs something different than an investor hunting foreclosures or a family selling a Winter Park home. An agent who's great at luxury listings may have never touched an FHA buyer. When you interview, describe your situation and ask how many deals like yours they've closed in the last year. The specific answer tells you more than any total.

Questions that actually tell you something

• ✳What's the last deal you had that went sideways, and what did you do? Everyone has one. You want someone who can tell you how they handled it.
• ✳What would you tell me not to do? A good agent has opinions. If they just agree with everything, they're a salesperson, not an advisor.
• ✳Who will I actually be talking to? Big teams hand you off to an assistant after the signing. Find out now.
• ✳How do you price a home? Listen for real comps and an honest method. Walk away from anyone who promises a number before seeing the house.
• ✳Can I talk to two recent clients? Not testimonials on a website. Actual people you can call.

What to ignore

Awards from the brokerage. Everyone has them. The number of homes sold across a huge team, which tells you nothing about who handles your file. The promise of a higher price than everyone else quoted. The agent who says yes to everything. The one who pushes you to sign a long agreement in the first meeting. None of these predict a good outcome. The person who asks you hard questions in the first conversation usually does.

Local really does matter

Central Florida is a lot of small markets, not one big one. The agent who works Lake Nona every week knows which builders have issues, which HOAs are tough, and what a house really sells for on a given street. That knowledge doesn't transfer from across town. Ask where they do most of their business. If your neighborhood isn't on the list, keep looking.

Then trust your read

After you've asked the questions, pay attention to how it felt. Did they listen? Did they answer directly? Did they tell you something you didn't want to hear? You're going to be in a lot of stressful conversations with this person over the next couple of months. Pick someone you'd want on the phone when something goes wrong, because something usually does.