How to Find the Top Selling Realtors in Your Area

Hiring a high-quality real estate agent is important for both buyers and sellers. Buyers need an agent who can write competitive offers while sellers need a strong negotiator to help them get the most for their homes.

Homeownership involves some of the biggest financial transactions in your life, regardless of whether you are buying or selling. On top of that, most people talk to their Realtor daily during this process – so you need to like your agent on a personal level. 

This guide can help you in your search. You can learn how to find top-selling Realtors in your area who you are excited to work with. You can also learn how to interview and filter top agents to find a good fit for your needs. 

It’s worth taking extra steps to find a local agent you trust. This extra effort could help you get a better deal on your home and enjoy fewer complications as both parties head to the closing table.

How to Find Top Selling Realtors in Your Area

There are several ways to find top-selling real estate agents in your area who you are excited to work with. Whether you want to research agents online or go through personal recommendations, you can hire a trusted professional who will serve you well.

Know that you don’t have to follow just one path to hire an agent. You can use multiple methods discussed in this guide to confirm that you found the right real estate agent that meets your needs.

Use Online Platforms and Real Estate Websites

Countless Americans use real estate websites to find agents in their areas. Online tools allow buyers and sellers to look at profiles and compare agents before reaching out to them.

This means that an agent’s online presence is more important than ever. A Realtor can market themselves and what they do digitally and receive leads from clients who find them across the web. 

You can tap into various websites to find your ideal real estate agent. Here are a few options to choose from.  

FastExpert

If you are specifically looking for the top-selling real estate agents in your area, start with FastExpert. This tool uses data-driven insights to find the best-performing agents based on reviews and transaction history.

FastExpert strikes a balance between highlighting leading agents by volume and top agents that have quality reviews. Not only should your agent work hard for you, but you also need to get along with them. 

With FastExpert, you can filter results by ZIP code, recent sales, and ratings to find agents in your local area. This means you can hire a Realtor who specifically focuses on your area and knows what homes sell for on your street. This insight can be invaluable for developing comparate market analyses (CMAs). 

FastExpert also allows you to look at individual real estate agent profiles and read about each Realtor before contacting them. This can provide invaluable insights as to which agents you want to interview as you narrow your search.

Zillow and Realtor.com

FastExpert is a site that is dedicated to helping people find real estate agents, but you can also find Realtors through apps that focus on property listings. Zillow, for example, is the top real estate website with 270 million monthly visits. Realtor.com, for comparison, has around 99 million monthly site visits. 

Zillow and similar apps are multiple listing service (MLS) sites that share information about available properties. However, they are also working to promote various real estate agents to connect buyers and sellers with these professionals. For example, someone who is considering entering the market might find a house they love and decide to hire a real estate agent to tour that property. 

While sites like Zillow can help you learn about the various agents and brokerages in the area, they should just be a starting point for your Realtor search.

Ask for Referrals from Trusted Sources

Many real estate agents receive leads and win clients through word-of-mouth recommendations. Current and former clients recommend them to their friends and family, creating warm leads. Word of mouth is one of the most trusted marketing sources, which is why people often turn to their inner circle when trying to hire a real estate agent. 

While you can (and should) turn to referrals to find a real estate agent, know that receiving an agent recommendation is only the first step to hiring them. You will also want to confirm that the Realtor is experienced and a good fit for your buying and selling goals.  

Confirm that the recommended agent is experienced and works within your market. You should also interview them to confirm they are a good personal fit. 

You don’t have to hire a real estate agent just because a friend or family member recommended them. That Realtor might not have the experience you need or knowledge to work in your neighborhood. Don’t feel pressured into hiring someone as a favor to a relative or co-worker. A house is too big of a purchase to take that risk.

Check Reviews and Testimonials

Once you have a few top real estate agents who you will consider for the job, turn to online reviews to see what other people say about them. You can find reviews from various websites including Google, Facebook, and objective real estate sites. 

There is a science to reading reviews so you don’t fall for certain biases in your search. Here are a few things to keep in mind: 

• Read both high and low ratings to see what people love about the agent and what they dislike. 
• Focus your efforts on mid-range ratings – like three and four-star reviews. This is where you will find people who don’t have extreme opinions. Their reviews will mention what an agent did well and how they can improve. 
• Look for patterns. One disgruntled review can be overlooked, but if you notice similar comments, they could reflect a significant problem. 
• Check when the reviews were published. People change over time, which means reviews from a few years ago might not reflect the agent you are considering now. Try to find recent reviews.

While high ratings are a great sign, you don’t want to get caught up in five-star reviews. Know that real estate agents are human and will have weaknesses. It’s better to know where your Realtor needs to improve than to hire someone you think is perfect only to be let down during the home sale or purchase process.

Interview Multiple Real Estate Agents

Once you have a few key real estate agents you want to work with, schedule interviews to meet them in person. These meetings should be just like any job interview where you ask questions to learn about their skills and approach to the home sale process.

As you ask various questions, see whether you click with each real estate agent on a personal level. You might have fun bantering with certain Realtors but not have a personal connection with others. 

Here are a few suggested questions to ask your potential agents. Know that the questions you ask a listing agent might be different from those you ask a buyer’s agent. 

• How many homes have you sold in this area recently?
• What’s your average list-to-sale price ratio?
• What would your marketing strategy be for selling my home? 
• How will you communicate throughout the process?
• How do you make an offer letter stand out amongst others?
• What trends are you seeing in the local market right now? 
• How is your brokerage different from others in the area? 

If you are hiring a listing agent, they should come to the interview with a CMA that estimates the target price of your home. You can ask them to explain how they reached the target sale price and what challenges they expect from your home sale.

You want your selling agent to be prepared to start working for you immediately. Someone who shows up empty-handed might not be ready for the job.

Why Should You Work with a Top-Selling Realtor?

It takes time to choose a real estate agent, but your efforts will be worth it. Hiring a good agent can pay off financially and in the reduced stress that comes with working with someone you trust. Here are a few reasons to carefully evaluate the local market knowledge of your potential Realtor so you can successfully buy or sell a home. 

• Your agent will have a proven success record: Top realtors consistently close deals faster and often achieve better sale prices. You can increase your chances that your house sells quickly and for the right price.
• They have extensive market knowledge: Real estate markets are constantly changing. A good listing agent will understand these trends and what they mean for you. This can prevent them from under-listing or over-listing your home and making other errors. 
• They have strong negotiation skills: Negotiation is a key skill for any agent. You need someone who ensures all parties feel like they got a good deal while still advocating for your interests. Negotiation goes beyond the final sale price, it also covers concessions, dates, and small details. A full-time agent hones their negotiation skills daily. 
• You will have access to better resources: Leading agents constantly search for the best tools for their clients. They fight for good contracts and are always learning so they can do better. Find someone who is passionate about the real estate industry and wants to keep growing within it. 

Oftentimes, it’s easier to spot a bad real estate agent because they are so frustrating to work with. A good listing agent makes their jobs look seamless while focusing on your goals. You might be surprised how a top local agent changes your perception of the real estate industry.

Red Flags to Watch Out For When Choosing a Realtor

While there are plenty of green flags to look for when talking to potential real estate agents (like experience, negotiation skills, local knowledge, and unique tools), there are also some red flags that you need to identify. These are signs that a specific Realtor won’t be a good fit to work with. Here are some concerns to watch for. 

• Limited experience or a poor track record: A new or inexperienced agent can still be a good choice if they have a strong track record and good mentorship. However, inexperienced agents who aren’t knowledgeable about the local industry need to be avoided. Even seasoned agents should be avoided if they have a poor track record or have struggled to evolve in recent years. 
• Poor communication: You don’t need years of experience to be a good communicator. Unresponsive agents can cause delays and miscommunication during the buying or selling process. Ask your potential listing agents who they plan to communicate with you and how they should be reached. 
• Limited online presence: Agents with minimal or no reviews may lack the necessary experience or reputation to manage your transaction effectively. An experienced agent without online pages might be trying to hide negative comments. Ask potential agents about their online experience and where you can find objective reviews. 

Unfortunately, some red flags may become noticeable after you start working with your Realtor. Know that if your agent isn’t a good fit, you can reach the listing agreement and potentially terminate the relationship. You deserve to be represented by someone you trust and who will advocate for you.

Find the Right Real Estate Agent for You

A good real estate agent will have the experience you need while also being a strong personal fit, which means working with them will be a positive experience. While you can turn to websites like FastExpert to find agents that have a strong presence in your local real estate market, it is still important to read reviews and conduct interviews before hiring them. 

Hiring a real estate agent is a multi-step process, and that’s a good thing. It allows you to feel confident in your real estate broker choice as you move forward with one of the biggest financial decisions of your life. From the first showing to the closing appointment, you can feel good about your agent partnership. 

Take the first steps to buy or sell your house by visiting FastExpert. Explore the profiles of various real estate professionals and find someone who can work for you. A good agent can make moving a more enjoyable and lower-stress experience.