Most sellers ask the obvious:
“How long have you been in real estate?”
“What’s your list-to-sale ratio?”
“How well do you know the neighborhood?”
Those are important questions and the answers might get an agent a seat at the table. But they’re just that: a starting point.
If you want to understand how an agent actually works-how your home will be positioned, marketed, and managed-these are the questions that will tell you far more.
1. Who will actually be working on my home—and what’s their role? How does this structure benefit the sale of my home?
It’s common for agents to say they have a team but that can mean many things. Some agents have dedicated, in-house team members working directly on your sale. Others rely heavily on their brokerage’s tools, or outsource key tasks like marketing, staging, and listing prep to third parties.
This question helps you understand the structure behind the scenes and whether the people touching your home are fully invested in your outcome, or simply part of a broader corporate system.
Look for a true team model where each person is a specialist: pricing advisor, creative lead, listing manager, client care coordinator. That kind of structure allows for deeper focus, better communication, and a more seamless experience from start to finish.
2. Can you show me how your marketing actually performs?
It’s one thing to say a listing was “marketed well.” It’s another to show how it performed.
Ask to see:
- A sample listing post on Instagram – views, shares, and saves
- Profile views or listing traffic in the past 30 days
- Email open and click-through rates
- Website engagement or video metrics
True exposure is measurable. The right agent will be able to show you—not just tell you—what their reach looks like.
3. Can you share an example of content that led to real buyer interest?
Good marketing doesn’t just look pretty—it creates action. Ask for a specific post, video, or email that sparked showings, generated offers, or helped a home sell quickly or above ask.
This question distinguishes between agents who simply “have content” and those who know how to use it strategically—to connect, convert, and drive results.
4. How do you generate traffic for open houses?
An open house shouldn’t just be scheduled—it should be strategically marketed. If an agent tells you they’ll “host a Sunday open,” press further.
How are they creating buzz beforehand? Are they reaching neighbors, agents, or targeted buyers? Are they using email, social media, or community outreach to promote it?
Strong turnout doesn’t happen by default. It takes planning, promotion, and follow-through.
5. What’s your overall approach and how is it different from other agents? How does this benefit my home?
This open-ended question reveals a lot. Does the agent speak in generalities or can they clearly articulate their process?
Listen for signs of structure, responsiveness, and a sense of ownership over the experience, not just the transaction. Do they lead pricing strategy? Do they bring in specialists? How do they handle communication? What happens if the listing doesn’t gain traction right away?
You’re not just hiring someone to put your home on the market. You’re hiring someone to position it, promote it, and protect its value—every step of the way
6. Can you walk me through a time you didn’t price a home at the number the seller wanted—and why?
This question gets to the heart of strategic pricing. In competitive markets, some agents will agree to a seller’s preferred number just to win the listing—only to end up reducing the price later when showings stall. It's a very common practice.
What you want is an agent who can explain why a certain price makes sense, backed by data, buyer psychology, and market behavior. You should hear a clear process: one that’s rooted in long-term success, not short-term appeasement.
Look for examples where the agent advised a different strategy and the outcome proved them right.
Final Thought
The most capable agents won’t be thrown off by these questions—they’ll welcome them. Because agents who are truly equipped to sell your home at a high level don’t rely on vague promises, borrowed talking points or numbers alone. They have systems, structure, and results they can point to.
These questions aren’t just about gathering information. They’re about finding alignment: with someone who understands the stakes, respects the process, and brings both strategic thinking and personal investment to every step of the journey. When you find that, you’ll know—because the difference won’t just show up in the results.
You’ll feel it from the very first conversation.
