How to Interview a Realtor: Questions to Ask and What the Answers Reveal

Why this matters more than people think

Hiring a real estate agent is one of the bigger financial decisions a household makes. The difference between a strong agent and a weak one can show up as tens of thousands of dollars in your sale price, a delayed closing, a deal that falls apart at inspection, or a home you bought that you later wish you hadn't. And yet most people interview one agent — usually a friend-of-a-friend — and hire them by the end of the conversation.

Interview at least two or three agents. The conversation is free. It exposes you to different perspectives, different pricing opinions, and different working styles. Even if you end up hiring the first person you talked to, the other interviews will make you more confident in the choice — and give you a real basis for comparison if a problem comes up later.

Before you start interviewing

Spend 15 minutes preparing. Three things to do:

• Decide your timeline. When do you want to be moved? What's driving the timing? This affects whether you need an agent who can move fast or one who's patient with a longer search.
• Write down your top 3 priorities. Are you optimizing for sale price? Speed? Minimal hassle? Specific schools or neighborhoods? Different agents are good at different things — let them know what matters most so you can evaluate their answers against your priorities.
• Schedule the interviews far enough apart to think. Don't do three back-to-back. You'll blur the answers. Leave at least a few hours between each one so you can take notes while the conversation is fresh.

The most important question on the sell side

If you take nothing else from this page, take this:

Most sellers ask, "What would you list it at?" and then pick whichever agent says the highest number. That is exactly how sellers end up with overpriced homes that sit on the market and then take painful price reductions a few weeks later. Overpricing on day one costs sellers more than underpricing — you lose the early-listing momentum, the home starts looking stale, and serious buyers assume something is wrong with it.

The right question reframes the conversation. You're not picking the highest number — you're picking the agent whose pricing process is sound. The number itself is just the output of the process.

What a strong answer sounds like

A listing agent who knows what they're doing should be able to show you, in writing, something like:

• 3-5 comparable sales (homes that actually closed) within roughly 0.5 mile of yours, sold within the last 90 days, similar in size, bedrooms/baths, condition, and major features. They'll adjust for differences — "your home is 200 sq ft larger and has an updated kitchen, so I added $X for that."
• Current active competition — what homes are right now on the market that your home will be compared against. This is what your buyers will actually see.
• Pending sales — homes under contract but not yet closed. These reveal what's actually selling right now, which can differ from what closed three months ago.
• Absorption rate and days-on-market trends — is your price segment moving in 14 days or 90 days? That affects pricing strategy.
• A price range, not a single number — with strategic reasoning for where to start in the range based on your timeline, the season, and what's happening in your specific neighborhood.

What a weaker answer sounds like

You'll know it when you hear it, but for reference:

• A single number with no supporting math.
• "Based on my experience in this area."
• "This is what your house is worth" — without explanation.
• Three sentences about why your house is special, then a number.
• A number noticeably higher than other agents quoted, without comparables that justify the difference.

An agent who can't show their pricing work is either skipping it, or doing it in their head based on instinct. Instinct from a 30-year veteran in a specific neighborhood might be accurate. From most agents, it's a guess — and a guess that's tilted toward telling you what you want to hear so they win the listing.

How we do it at AREG

We're showing our work here because we want you to compare it to other interviews you'll do. When AREG prices a home, here's what we deliver, in writing, before we discuss any number:

• A comparative market analysis (CMA) with 3-6 closed comparables within 0.5-1 mile, sold within 90-180 days depending on inventory, with side-by-side feature comparison and adjusted price math.
• The active competition — every home currently listed in your price range and area that yours will be marketed against, with notes on where they're positioned and what's drawing or repelling buyers.
• Pending sales in your area to show what's actually moving right now (closed sales tell you the past; pending sales tell you the present).
• The absorption rate and days-on-market trend for your price segment — how quickly homes in your range are selling, and whether that's accelerating or slowing.
• A recommended price range with three specific options: a "test the top" price, a "market it right" price, and a "fast sale" price — with the strategic tradeoffs for each.
• Our pricing rationale in writing, so you can compare it side by side with other agents' recommendations and see exactly how we got there.

If you're interviewing AREG and want to see this in advance, we'll prepare it for the conversation — not afterward as a follow-up.

Questions every seller should ask

Beyond the pricing question, here are the conversations that separate a strong listing agent from an average one. The questions are designed so the answers actually reveal something.

Questions every buyer should ask

Buyer-side interviews have different priorities. The agent's job is different — they're sourcing properties, evaluating them honestly, and negotiating for you. Ask:

Questions that apply to both buyers and sellers

Worth being cautious about

None of these are automatic dealbreakers — people have off days, and a single off-key answer from an otherwise good agent isn't the whole story. But a pattern of any of the following is worth a second look:

• An agent who promises a list price noticeably higher than the others without supporting comparables. Sometimes there's a legitimate reason, but more often it's designed to win the listing, with a planned price reduction conversation 30 days later.
• An agent who pressures you to sign on the first meeting. Confident agents give you time to interview others, knowing they'll likely win on the merits. Pressure tactics usually signal that they expect to lose if you compare them to alternatives.
• An agent who can't or won't put their pricing methodology in writing. If they can't show you a CMA with comparables and adjustments, you're trusting their gut.
• An agent who speaks poorly about other local agents or competitors. Real estate is a small community — the agents who criticize others tend to be the ones who don't have a strong product to sell on its own.
• An agent who can't answer specific questions about your neighborhood, price range, or property type. Generic answers to specific questions usually mean the answers aren't there.
• An agent who promises something that sounds too good to be true — a guaranteed sale price, a buyer they "already have lined up," a fee discount with no explanation. There's usually a footnote.
• An agent whose communication during the interview is itself a red flag — slow responses, missed appointments, vague answers. How they communicate now is how they'll communicate during your transaction.
• An agent who can't articulate the difference between the brokerage relationships (limited agent, dual agent, transaction broker, etc.) when asked. These are basic Missouri brokerage law concepts that affect how your interests are represented.

What to do after the interviews

Take notes during each conversation, then sit on it for a day before deciding. Ask yourself:

• Whose process did I trust most? Not who I liked the most — whose methodology made me feel like I was in good hands.
• Whose pricing reasoning made the most sense? Not who quoted the highest number on the sell side or the lowest commission on the buy side. Whose math was sound.
• Who answered questions directly and didn't dodge? An agent's willingness to answer hard questions during the interview is a strong signal of how they'll handle hard moments in the transaction.
• Who matched my communication style? The best agent in the world is the wrong agent for you if their working style and yours don't mesh.
• Whose references checked out? If you asked for the last three closed clients, follow up. Most people will take your call and tell you the truth about their experience.

Then make the call. You're hiring a professional for a major financial decision. The agent should be relieved when you hire them — not surprised.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many agents should I interview?

At least two or three. The first interview gives you context; the second gives you a comparison; the third (if you do it) usually confirms or breaks the tie. Interviewing more than four is usually diminishing returns — you start hearing the same answers and getting interview fatigue.

Is it rude to interview multiple agents?

No. Any professional agent expects it — we do. It's a major financial decision and you're doing your due diligence. An agent who's offended by the idea of being interviewed alongside others is signaling something. Be transparent that you're interviewing multiple people. Most agents will respect you more for it.

Should I pick the agent who promises the highest sale price?

Usually no. Picking on price alone is the most common hiring mistake sellers make. Overpriced listings sit, lose buyer attention, and end up taking price reductions — often ending below where they would have started if priced correctly from day one. Pick on process: whose pricing methodology you trust, whose marketing plan is specific, whose communication style matches yours. The number is a result, not the strategy.

Should I pick the agent with the lowest buyer commission or fee structure?

Commission is negotiable by law, and price is a reasonable factor — but it shouldn't be the only one. A discount agent who saves you 1% on commission but costs you 3% on a worse negotiation isn't a deal. Ask about value alongside price: what specifically do you get, how do they negotiate, what's the track record. See our Buyer Representation Agreement page for a plain-English breakdown of how buyer compensation actually works.

Can I ask an agent for references?

Yes, and you should — but be specific. "Do you have references" is too easy. "Can I talk to your last three closed clients" is much more useful. A confident agent will offer the contact info quickly. If you get hedging or substitution ("let me find some better fits"), that's information.

What if my best friend is a real estate agent — should I just hire them?

Maybe. But still interview them like you'd interview anyone else, and consider whether their specific experience matches your situation. A friend who's great at selling luxury homes may not be the right fit for buying a starter home in a different price range. Hiring a friend who's not the right fit can also strain the friendship if things get rocky during the transaction. Honest conversation up front is the best protection.

How do I check an agent's license and disciplinary history?

The Missouri Real Estate Commission (MREC) maintains a public license lookup at pr.mo.gov. You can search by name to confirm an agent's license is active, when it was issued, and whether they have any disciplinary actions on record. It takes about 30 seconds and is worth doing.

What's a CMA and should every agent provide one?

A CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) is a written analysis of recent comparable sales used to estimate your home's likely sale price. Yes, every listing agent should provide one as part of the interview — in writing, not verbally. The CMA is the document that shows how they arrived at their suggested list price. If an agent won't provide one, or says "we'll do it later," that's a meaningful answer.

Related Reading

• Our Listing Performance vs. the Market — how AREG listings actually perform compared to the SWMO market average.
• Listing Contract Explained — what the seller-side agreement actually covers, line by line.
• Buyer Representation Agreement Explained — what the buyer-side agreement covers and how compensation works.
• Missouri Residential Sale Contract Explained — the contract that actually governs your transaction.
• Sell My Home in Springfield, MO — the full pre-listing and selling process.
• Free Home Valuation — a real, agent-reviewed valuation before deciding to list.
• Reviews — what our recent clients have said about working with us.