How to Hire a Realtor: 25 Questions to Ask Your Agent Before You Hire Them

I wrote these questions after years of watching buyers and sellers sit down with an agent and not know what to ask. Not because they were careless. Because nobody had ever shown them what a hiring interview for a Realtor looks like. By the time problems showed up in a transaction, the questions they should have asked sounded obvious.

That is what this list is for. It helps you learn how an agent thinks, communicates and handles pressure before you hand over your money. None of these are gotcha questions. They are ordinary, useful questions any good agent should be glad to answer.

You can bring them to any agent, anywhere. They work in Bowling Green and they work in Florida, Wisconsin, New York or New Mexico. For the strategy version of this conversation, read how to hire a real estate agent without making a costly mistake.

People usually start with how long someone has been licensed and stop right there. Length matters less than what the answer reveals: why they got into real estate, what they actually do every day, and whether your situation looks like the work they love. These five questions sort that out.

A good answer is specific. Not we sell all over the area, but a real description of the neighborhoods, price points and kinds of buyers they serve, with references offered without being pushed. Confidence without specifics is a warning sign, not a sales pitch. Listen for how comfortably they talk about what makes them different.

• “How long have you been a licensed realtor and what got you into this field?”
• “What specific areas or types of real estate do you specialize in?”
• “Can you provide references or testimonials from past clients?”
• “What makes your services unique compared to other agents?”
• “Why should I choose you as my real estate agent?”

The most common complaint in this business is silence. Clients rarely fire an agent for making the wrong call; they fire them for disappearing. These questions pin down exactly how updates will come, how often, and who you will actually hear from.

A good answer names the cadence: daily, weekly, after every showing. And it names the person. You will hear from me regularly is not an answer. The technology part matters more than it sounds, too: the right tools are how an out-of-state buyer gets video tours and floor plans without boarding a plane. If you are buying, the buying playbook walks the same process step by step.

• “Can you walk me through the buying/selling process you typically follow?”
• “How do you communicate with clients and how often can I expect updates?”
• “How do you handle multiple clients simultaneously?”
• “What is your availability for showings or meetings?”
• “How do you leverage technology in your real estate services?”

This is where the interview gets real, because these answers separate agents who look busy from agents who get results. You are asking how they will find you the right property or the right buyer, how they price a specific home instead of a ballpark, and how they fight for you when offers, inspections and appraisals get complicated.

A good answer includes method and examples. Pricing should come from recent sold comparisons and current market data, not a feeling. Negotiation should come with a specific story you can follow. For sellers, this is also the moment to ask how a home gets marketed the right way; the Bowling Green listing agent guide covers that side in depth. And the list-to-sale ratio question is a fair one: an honest agent talks about their numbers with context, not as a boast.

• “What is your approach to finding properties or marketing my home?”
• “How do you determine pricing for a property?”
• “How do you negotiate deals and can you give me examples of successful negotiations?”
• “How do you handle multiple offers?”
• “What is your average list-to-sale price ratio?”

Every agent has a process. The details of who does the work, what it costs and what the paperwork commits you to are easy to skip and painful to discover late. These are the questions that sound basic and save real headaches.

A good answer is transparent: who handles your file, how commissions work, a real list of lenders, inspectors and contractors they trust, and a plain-language walkthrough of the contracts and the cancellation policy. If an agent goes vague on fees or paperwork, that vagueness will not improve after you sign.

• “Do you have a team or will you handle all aspects of the sale?”
• “What is your commission structure?”
• “Can you provide a list of service providers like lenders, inspectors, and contractors?”
• “How do you handle open houses or home tours?”
• “Can you explain the types of contracts and paperwork involved?”
• “What is your cancellation policy?”

The questions people skip are the ones that matter most after closing. An agent who only cares about the commission forgets you the week after the keys turn. An agent building a career answers for the long run: how they stay current, how they stay connected and how they help once you are settled.

This is also where relocators should think nationally, because a move is rarely the last move. Ask any agent you interview about their wider network and how they would support you across state lines. For the relocation version of the whole conversation, read how to choose a Realtor when relocating to Kentucky.

• “What are your social channels and how are you connected with a national audience?”
• “What challenges do you foresee in my situation and how would you handle them?”
• “How do you stay informed about market trends and real estate laws?”
• “How do you support clients post-closing?”

Take the list to every interview and ask the questions the same way each time, then compare the answers side by side. Notice who answers with specifics and who answers with slogans. That comparison tells you more than any single answer.

And if you would like help finding a good agent, that is part of the job here. Melissa Albert is part of an international team of agents and has helped buyers and sellers connect with agents from Florida to Wisconsin, New York to New Mexico. Tell her where you are moving, and she will help you find a stellar Realtor anywhere and stay in touch to make sure things run smoothly, at no fee. If South Central Kentucky is the destination, you have already found your local team; if it is anywhere else, you have a scout.