Own Luxury Homes®
How to Know If Your Real Estate Agent Is Good: The Honest Checklist
Signs of a great agent: responds within 2-4 hours; data-driven pricing with written comp analysis; explains every contract clause; proactively updates every 48-72 hours; tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Signs of weak agent: communication gaps; pricing without comps; vague on strategy; defensive to questions. Questions before hiring: annual transaction volume, avg days on market, list-to-sale ratio. Own Luxury Homes® 12-Point Agent Integrity Audit™ — 12 specific accountability standards.
How to Know If Your Real Estate Agent Is Good: The Honest Checklist
The qualities that distinguish a great real estate agent from an average one are specific, measurable, and often ignored in the hiring process.
5 Signs of a Great Agent
1. Responsive. Returns calls/texts/emails within 2-4 hours during active transactions. Updates you every 48-72 hours whether or not there is news. 2. Data-driven. Provides a written comparative market analysis with specific comparable sales before recommending any price. Not "I think it's worth X" — here are the 5 comps. 3. Contract literate. Explains every clause in the purchase agreement without being asked. 4. Constructively honest. Tells you when your offer is too low, your price expectation is too high, or the home has a material problem. Agents who only confirm what you want to hear create costly surprises. 5. Proactively identifies problems. Spots issues before they become crises: contingency deadline approaching, appraisal gap risk, inspection item needing specialist follow-up.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
1. How many transactions did you close in the last 12 months? 2. What is your average days on market for listings vs the market average? 3. What is your list-to-sale price ratio for the last year? 4. Walk me through how you handle a low appraisal. 5. How often and how will you communicate with me? (Get the answer in writing.) 6. Can you provide 3 references from transactions in the last 6 months? A great agent answers all of these without hesitation. Evasion on any is information.
The 12-Point Agent Integrity Audit
Own Luxury Homes® applies a 12-point audit to every transaction, covering: communication frequency standards, pricing methodology, contract explanation obligation, inspection negotiation approach, contingency management, fiduciary duty disclosure, dual agency policy, client-first commitment, performance review process, dispute resolution path, compensation transparency, and post-closing follow-through. The purpose: documented expectations that replace the typical "I trust my agent" assumption.
“The single most telling test: ask an agent to walk you through how they handled a difficult situation in a recent transaction. Not a success story — a difficult one. A low appraisal, a failed inspection, a seller who tried to back out. How they describe their role in that moment tells you more than any credential or award.”
— Ryan Brown, Principal Broker & CEO, Own Luxury Homes®
How do I know if my real estate agent is doing a good job?
Signs of strong performance: proactive updates every 48-72 hours, data-driven recommendations backed by specific comparables, explanation of every contract clause, honest feedback on price expectations, and flagging problems before they become crises. Red flags: communication gaps, pricing without comps, defensive response to direct questions, advice that consistently benefits the deal over your interests.
What questions should I ask a real estate agent before hiring?
Key questions: transaction volume last year, average days on market vs market, list-to-sale price ratio, how they handle a low appraisal or failed inspection, communication frequency commitment (in writing), and 3 recent client references. A strong agent answers all of these directly. Evasion on any of them is information.
Own Luxury Homes® — 12-Point Agent Integrity Audit™. Audit your agent ›
"The introduction Own Luxury Homes® makes is to a specialist with documented closing history in your specific market — not the county, not the metro, the submarket you're actually selling or buying in. That's the standard we verify before your name goes anywhere."
— Ryan Brown, Principal Broker & CEO, Own Luxury Homes® (FL License BK3626873)