How to Choose a Real Estate Agent

For about ten years, people asked me the same question. Do you know a good realtor?

Every time, I sent them somewhere else. Someone relocating to Orlando. Someone selling a house. Someone buying an investment property. I knew people, so I made the intro and hoped it went well.

In 2026 I finally got my own Florida real estate license, and I wrote up that whole path in How to Get Your Florida Real Estate License. Going through the course, the exam, and choosing a brokerage changed how I look at this question. Now I see it from the inside.

Here is the honest version. Choosing a real estate agent is one of the biggest hiring decisions most people make, and most people barely interview anyone. They go with a friend of a friend, the name on a yard sign, or whoever answered the online form first.

You can do better than that in about an afternoon. This is how.

Know what you are actually hiring for

Before you look at a single agent, get clear on the job.

Buying and selling are different jobs. A great listing agent knows pricing, prep, photos, and how to market a home. A great buyer's agent knows how to find the right house, write a strong offer, and keep you from overpaying or missing a problem.

Some agents do both well. Some are much better at one side.

Write down a few things first:

• Are you buying, selling, or both?
• Where? The exact cities or neighborhoods, not just "Florida."
• What type of property? A first home, a condo, new construction, a rental, land.
• What is your timeline? Moving in 60 days is a different job than "sometime next year."

That short list becomes your filter. An agent who is perfect for a first-time buyer in one suburb may be the wrong fit for an investor buying rentals across town.

Check the license before anything else

This takes two minutes, and almost nobody does it.

Every state lets you look up a real estate license. In Florida, you can search any licensee on the Florida DBPR license lookup. You will see whether the license is active, what type it is, and the brokerage it is tied to.

A few things to look for:

• Is the license current and active?
• Is it a sales associate or a broker license? Both can help you. Just know who is supervising whom.
• Which brokerage is it under? An agent has to work through a brokerage. That brokerage matters, because it shapes the support, contracts, and systems behind your deal.

One more term worth knowing: not every agent is a Realtor. "Realtor" means the agent is a member of the National Association of Realtors and agrees to its code of ethics. Plenty of good agents use the title. Just do not assume it.

Interview at least three agents

This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that matters most.

Talk to at least three agents before you sign anything. A short phone call or coffee is enough. You are not looking for the most polished pitch. You are looking for the person who understands your situation and has a plan for it.

Here are the questions I would ask:

1. How many buyers or sellers have you helped in this area recently? You want real local reps, not a vague "I have been doing this a long time."
2. What does a normal week of working with you look like? How often will they update you, and how?
3. How do you handle a multiple-offer situation? Or, for sellers, how do you decide on a list price?
4. Who else is on your team? Will you work with them, an assistant, or someone new every week?
5. What would make you tell me to wait or walk away? A good agent will talk you out of a bad deal.
6. Can I talk to two recent clients? Then actually call them.

Pay attention to the questions they ask you, too. The best agents dig into your timeline, your budget, and what you really need before they talk about themselves.

Look for local knowledge, not just a big number

It is easy to get impressed by volume. "Top producer." "Millions sold." Those can be real, and they can also mean you are one of 40 clients that month.

What you really want is someone who knows the specific place you are buying or selling.

Can they tell you why one street sells faster than the next? Do they know the HOA quirks, the flood zones, the school boundaries, and which new builds tend to have problems? Do they know what similar homes actually sold for, not just what they were listed at?

In Central Florida, that local layer is huge. Neighborhoods a few miles apart can feel like different markets. An agent who lives and works in that world will catch things a generalist from across the state will miss.

Understand the relationship you are signing up for

Here is something I did not fully appreciate until I studied for my license. In Florida, an agent can work with you in different legal roles, and they are not all the same.

Under Florida Statute 475.278, a licensee can work as a transaction broker or as a single agent. Florida does not allow dual agency, where one broker represents both sides as a full fiduciary.

The difference matters:

• A single agent owes you duties like loyalty, confidentiality, obedience, and full disclosure. They are on your side.
• A transaction broker gives limited representation. They still have to deal honestly and fairly, account for funds, use skill and care, and disclose known facts that affect a home's value. But they do not owe you full loyalty the way a single agent does.

Florida law actually presumes agents are working as transaction brokers unless a different relationship is set up in writing.

Neither option is automatically bad. Lots of deals go smoothly with a transaction broker. You just need to know which one you have, so ask directly and read the disclosure before you sign.

Get the fees and the buyer agreement in writing

Commissions were never set by law, and they have always been negotiable. What changed recently is how buyer agreements work.

After the national settlement involving the National Association of Realtors, buyers working with a Realtor generally sign a written agreement before touring homes, and that agreement has to spell out what the agent will be paid. The NAR settlement FAQs explain the details.

So before you sign with anyone, get clear answers on:

• How the agent is paid, and who pays it.
• How long the agreement lasts and how you can end it if it is not working.
• What exactly is included. Showings, negotiation, inspections, closing coordination, marketing for sellers.
• Any extra fees from the brokerage, like admin or transaction fees.

If anything feels fuzzy, ask again. A good agent is happy to explain how they get paid. An agent who dodges that question is telling you something.

Watch how they communicate before you hire them

The interview is the best preview you will ever get of what working together will feel like.

How fast did they call you back? Did they show up on time? Did they send what they promised? Did they explain things in plain English, or hide behind jargon?

I run my businesses on relationships and follow-up, and I have written about how to follow up with leads without being annoying. Real estate is the same game. Deals move fast. An agent who is slow and vague before they have your business usually does not speed up after you sign.

Pick the person who makes the next step easy.

Decide how much a referral should count

Referrals are a great place to start. They are how I spent years helping people before I was licensed, and I think relationship-first businesses beat transactional ones in almost every industry.

But a referral is a starting point, not a decision.

Your friend's agent may have been perfect for a condo in one city and a poor fit for your new build across town. Use the referral to get a great name on your interview list. Then run them through the same questions as everyone else.

Red flags that should make you pause

A few things I would not ignore:

• They promise a price that sounds too good. Some agents quote a high list price just to win the listing, then push you to cut it later.
• They pressure you to sign fast. You should have time to read the agreement.
• They cannot explain the brokerage relationship or their pay.
• They do not know the area you care about.
• They are hard to reach before you have even hired them.
• They will not give you any past clients to talk to.

None of these alone means the agent is bad. Two or three together means keep looking.

Questions to ask yourself after the interviews

Once you have talked to three agents, step back and ask:

1. Who understood my situation best?
2. Who gave me a clear plan, not just a sales pitch?
3. Who explained the relationship and the fees the most clearly?
4. Who do I trust to tell me no?
5. Who would I actually enjoy hearing from three times a week?

The answer is usually obvious once you line it up like this.

If you want more help preparing for a purchase overall, the CFPB home buying guide is a solid, free place to start on budgets, loans, and closing costs.

Final thoughts

For years I was the guy sending people to other agents. Now I am the agent. And the advice I would give anyone, including the people who ask me, is the same.

Do not hire the first name you hear. Check the license. Interview three. Understand whether they are a single agent or a transaction broker. Get the pay and the agreement in writing. Then pick the person who knows your area and actually follows up.

That is how you choose a real estate agent.

If you are buying, selling, or moving to Central Florida, I would love to be one of the agents you interview. You can start on my real estate hub or book a real estate discovery call. I am a licensed Florida Realtor with Florida Homes Realty & Mortgage, and I will give you straight answers to every question on this list.

FAQ

How many real estate agents should I interview?

Interview at least three. That is enough to compare plans, communication styles, and fees without dragging the process out. A short call or coffee with each one is usually enough.

How do I check if a real estate agent is licensed?

Use your state's license lookup. In Florida, search the agent's name on the DBPR license lookup at myfloridalicense.com. It shows whether the license is active, the license type, and the brokerage it is tied to.

What is the difference between a single agent and a transaction broker in Florida?

A single agent represents you as a fiduciary and owes you duties like loyalty, confidentiality, and full disclosure. A transaction broker gives limited representation: honest and fair dealing, skill and care, and disclosure of known material facts, but not full loyalty. Florida presumes agents are transaction brokers unless another relationship is put in writing.

Are real estate commissions negotiable?

Yes. Commissions are not set by law. Ask each agent how they are paid, who pays them, and what is included, and get it in writing before you sign.

Should I use the agent a friend recommends?

A referral is a great way to find someone to interview, but it should not replace the interview. Your friend's agent may be great for their situation and a poor fit for yours, so ask them the same questions you would ask anyone else.