Should I Interview Multiple Real Estate Agents Before Hiring One?
Should you interview multiple real estate agents before hiring one? Yes. Every single time. No exceptions.
I say that as an agent who competes in those interviews regularly and wins most of them. Interviewing multiple agents before hiring one is not disrespectful to anyone’s time. It is the smartest thing you can do before one of the biggest financial transactions of your life.
Here is why it matters and what to actually look for when you do it.
Why You Should Interview Multiple Real Estate Agents
Think about the last time you had a major project done on your home. Did you hire the first contractor who showed up? Or did you get multiple bids, ask to see photos of their work, check their reviews, and research their background before handing them the job?
Of course you did. Because it was your money and your home and the outcome mattered.
Selling or buying a home is a significantly larger transaction than a kitchen remodel. The stakes are higher, the complexity is greater, and the difference between a skilled professional and an average one can cost you tens of thousands of dollars. Treating it with less diligence than a contractor bid is a mistake.
Interview multiple real estate agents. Ask hard questions. Make them earn it.
What the Interview Actually Reveals
Most agents can tell you they are great. What separates the real ones from the average ones is whether they can show you.
Ask for their stats. How many homes have they sold in the past 12 months? What is their average sale to list ratio? What percentage of their listings actually sell versus expire? Good agents have real numbers and share them without hesitation. Average agents get vague.
Ask about their background and resume. What did they do before real estate? A background in finance, construction, law, or business brings something to the table that most agents cannot offer. My background is in finance and economics and I carry an active mortgage loan originator license. That means I evaluate every transaction from both the real estate and the lending side simultaneously. Most agents cannot do that and it makes a real difference in how deals get structured and negotiated.
Look at their reviews. Not just the star rating but what clients actually say. Are they talking about results, communication, and strategy? Or are they just saying the agent was nice? Nice does not negotiate your contract. Nice does not protect your equity. Read the specific language people use and pay attention to the patterns.
Look at their marketing. Are they actually using their platforms or just claiming they will? Do they have a real content presence, real listings that look professional, real evidence that they know how to get a property in front of buyers? Marketing is not a bonus feature. It is a core function of what you are hiring a real estate agent to do.
Can They Actually Explain the Process?
This is one of the fastest ways to identify whether an agent knows what they are doing or is just going through the motions.
Ask them to walk you through the process from start to finish. On the sell side: how do they prepare a home for market, what does their pricing strategy look like, how do they handle offers, what happens during inspection and appraisal? On the buy side: what does the search process look like, how do they structure offers in this market, what happens when things go sideways?
A great agent makes complex things feel organized. They have a real gameplan and can articulate it clearly. If they stumble through this question or give you generic answers, that is a preview of what working with them will actually look like.
Do They Have a Real Opinion or Do They Just Tell You What You Want to Hear?
This one matters more than most buyers and sellers realize.
An agent who just agrees with everything you say is not serving your best interest. They are serving their own. They want the listing or the buyer agreement and they will tell you whatever keeps that from slipping away.
A good agent will tell you when your list price is too high. They will tell you when your offer is too low to be competitive. They will give you a professional opinion backed by data even when it is not what you want to hear. That honesty is what protects you.
I have walked away from listings where the seller wanted to price significantly above market and would not budge. Not because I did not want the business but because I was not willing to put my name on a strategy I knew would fail them. The agents who take those listings just to get the sign in the yard are the same ones who will have you chasing the market down with price reductions for three months.
Work with someone who has a real opinion and is willing to share it.
Negotiation Skills Are Not Optional
Here is something that does not come up enough when buyers and sellers interview multiple real estate agents. Ask about their negotiation style and their track record.
A soft energy agent with weak negotiation skills will cost you money on both sides of a transaction. On the sell side they leave money on the table or give back too much during inspection negotiations. On the buy side they do not know how to position an offer to win or how to push back effectively when the other side is being unreasonable.
Negotiation is a skill that develops through experience and temperament. Some agents have it and some do not. Ask how they have handled difficult negotiations. Ask what their approach is when the other side is being unreasonable. Listen for confidence, specificity, and real examples. Vague answers are a red flag.
The Cross-Agent Dynamic Nobody Talks About
This is one of the most underrated factors in how a transaction goes and most buyers and sellers never think to ask about it when they interview real estate agents.
Your agent is not the only agent in your transaction. There is an agent on the other side of every deal. How well your agent communicates with that agent, sets expectations, and manages the cross-transaction relationship has a direct impact on your outcome.
If the other side of your transaction does not have their expectations properly set, that creates problems at inspection, at appraisal, and at closing. Miscommunication between agents causes deals to fall apart that had no business falling apart. A skilled agent manages their side of the transaction and proactively manages the cross-agent relationship so neither party is blindsided by anything.
Most agents are not great at this. Ask your candidates about it and watch how they respond. If they have never thought about it that tells you something important.
Are They Setting Your Expectations or Just Telling You What You Want to Hear?
The best agents coach you through the process. They tell you what to expect at every stage, what the realistic outcomes look like in the current market, and where the friction points are likely to show up. They are not cheerleaders. They are advisors.
An agent who oversells the process to win your business and then underdelivers when reality hits is worse than no agent at all. You want someone who gives you an accurate picture from day one so there are no surprises at the worst possible moment. If you are a first-time buyer, understanding first time home buyer mistakes ahead of time will also help you evaluate which agents are giving you real advice versus rehearsed pitches.
Ask each agent you interview to walk you through what the realistic experience looks like for your specific situation in this specific market. How they answer that question tells you more than their marketing package ever will.
Why Most of My Business Is Referral
I am not going to tell you I am the best agent in the Valley. What I will tell you is that I show up every day on the front lines working directly with my clients. My lending and title partners ensure the financial and closing side runs smoothly. My back end team handles the operational details so I can be in the field where it matters. My reviews, my marketing, and my production numbers are all public and verifiable.
People work with me and refer me to their family and friends because I give a genuine damn about their results. Not in a surface level customer service way. In the way that I will tell you the hard truth, fight hard for your position in a negotiation, and treat your transaction like it is the most important one I have. Because while I close dozens of deals a year, yours is the only one that matters to you.
That is the standard I hold myself to and it is the standard you should hold every agent you interview to.
The Bottom Line: Yes, Interview Multiple Real Estate Agents
Interview multiple real estate agents every time. It is the only way to know whether the person you are about to trust with one of the biggest decisions of your life actually brings something real to the table.
Ask for their stats, their resume, their reviews, and their marketing. Ask them to explain the process in detail. Ask about their negotiation approach. Ask who you will be working with directly. And ask the hard questions to ask a real estate agent that make average agents uncomfortable.
Whether you are looking to buy and sell at the same time or making your first move in the Phoenix metro, the right agent will welcome every single one of those questions and answer them with specifics, data, and real examples. That is the agent you want in your corner.
If you are buying or selling in the Phoenix metro and want to have this conversation, reach out. I am happy to be interviewed and I am happy to show you exactly what I bring to the table before you make any decisions.
Call or text: (602) 935-6959
Email: Robbie@RJHHomesteam.com
rjhhomesteam.com
Robbie Holycross is the founder of RJH Homes and has been working with buyers, sellers, and investors across the Valley for 6 years. He holds a background in finance and economics and carries an active mortgage license (NMLS 2633845), specializing in move-up buyers and real estate investors throughout the greater Phoenix metro.
