The agent you hire to sell your home shapes your list price, your marketing, and how well you're represented when offers come in. Yet according to the National Association of Realtors, 80% of sellers contact only one agent before hiring. For most people, a home is their largest asset — it's worth a few conversations before you choose who sells it.
Quick Answer
Interview two to three real estate agents before you sell. One interview gives you nothing to compare. Two show you real differences in pricing and strategy. Three give you a clear picture without information overload. More than three usually adds confusion rather than clarity.
Compare each agent on local sales experience, how they justify their price, their marketing plan, communication, negotiation approach, and the terms of the listing agreement — including commission, which is negotiable. Use the printable question list below to keep interviews consistent.
Why Two or Three Interviews Is the Right Number
Agents Interviewed | What You Learn |
|---|---|
One | No point of comparison. You can't tell whether the price and plan are strong or just the first ones you heard. |
Two | Real differences in pricing logic, marketing, and style start to show. |
Three | A tiebreaker and a fuller picture. You can spot outliers, like an unusually high price recommendation. |
Four or more | Usually diminishing returns: more time, more conflicting opinions, and a harder decision. |
Chicago adds a reason to compare: the city is a collection of micro-markets. A Wicker Park condo, a Logan Square single-family home, and an Andersonville three-flat attract different buyers and price differently. An agent who's excellent in one may know little about another, so talking to more than one helps you find the person who knows your block and property type.
What to Compare Across Each Agent
1. Local Sales Experience
Ask for recent sales in your neighborhood and of your property type — condo, single-family, or multi-unit — with list prices, sale prices, and days on market. Experience with homes like yours matters more than total career volume.
2. Pricing Strategy — and the Data Behind It
Pricing has more influence on your final result than anything else. A strong agent shows you the comparable sales behind their number, explains how buyers are likely to respond, and tells you what they'll do if the market reacts differently than expected. Be wary of the highest number by default: an agent who overprices to win the listing often ends up recommending price cuts later, after the home has gone stale. For current conditions, see our Chicago housing market outlook.
3. Marketing Plan
Ask to see an actual listing they've marketed, not just a description. Compare photography, video and floor plans, staging advice, online and social media exposure, open house strategy, and how they reach other agents with likely buyers.
4. Preparing the Home
A good listing agent tells you which repairs and updates are worth doing before you list, and which aren't. In Chicago's older housing stock, that might mean addressing tuckpointing or a known roof issue before a buyer's inspector finds it (see our vintage home maintenance guide). If you're selling a condo, they should also know how the association's finances affect buyers' financing.
5. Communication
Ask how often you'll hear from them, how they share showing feedback, and who you'll actually be talking to day to day — the agent or a team member. Notice how quickly and clearly they responded while you were setting up the interview.
6. Negotiation Approach
Ask how they handle multiple offers, inspection requests, low appraisals, and buyer requests for credits — including requests for seller credits to buy down a buyer's rate, which are common when rates are high.
7. The Listing Agreement Terms
Commission rates are not set by law and are negotiable. Ask each agent to walk you through their proposed agreement: commission, how long the agreement lasts, whether and how you can cancel, what's included in the fee, and how they recommend handling compensation for the buyer's agent. Since 2024 rule changes, these terms are more transparent and more negotiable than they used to be — compare them alongside the value each agent brings, not in isolation.
Printable List: 25 Questions to Ask a Listing Agent
Print this page or save it as a PDF from your browser, and ask every agent the same questions so you can compare answers side by side.
Experience
☐ 1. How many homes have you sold in my neighborhood in the past 12 months?
☐ 2. How many were similar to mine — same property type and price range?
☐ 3. Can you show me the list price, sale price, and days on market for those sales?
☐ 4. Can I speak with two or three recent sellers you represented?
☐ 5. Do you work alone or with a team, and who will I deal with day to day?
Pricing
☐ 6. What list price do you recommend, and which comparable sales support it?
☐ 7. What do you expect the home to sell for, and how long should it take?
☐ 8. What will we do if we don't get showings or offers in the first two weeks?
☐ 9. How are current mortgage rates and inventory affecting buyers for homes like mine?
Preparation and Marketing
☐ 10. What repairs or updates would you make before listing, and which would you skip?
☐ 11. Do you recommend a pre-listing inspection?
☐ 12. Who handles photography, video, floor plans, and staging, and who pays for them?
☐ 13. Where will my home be marketed online, and can I see a recent example?
☐ 14. How do you handle open houses and private showings?
Communication
☐ 15. How often will I get updates, and in what format?
☐ 16. How will you share showing feedback?
☐ 17. How quickly do you typically respond to calls, texts, and emails?
Negotiation
☐ 18. How do you handle multiple offers?
☐ 19. How do you approach inspection requests and repair credits?
☐ 20. What happens if the appraisal comes in below the contract price?
☐ 21. How do you evaluate buyers' financing strength?
The Agreement
☐ 22. What is your commission, and what exactly does it include?
☐ 23. How do you recommend handling buyer's agent compensation?
☐ 24. How long is the listing agreement, and can I cancel if I'm unhappy?
☐ 25. What will my estimated net proceeds be after commission, taxes, and closing costs?
Agent Comparison Scorecard
Rate each agent from 1 to 5 after your interviews.
Category | Agent 1 | Agent 2 | Agent 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Local experience | |||
Pricing logic and data | |||
Marketing plan | |||
Communication | |||
Negotiation approach | |||
Agreement terms and fees | |||
Overall fit |
Red Flags When Interviewing Real Estate Agents
- A price far above the others with no comparable sales to back it up.
- Pressure to sign on the spot, or reluctance to let you review the agreement.
- Vague answers about marketing, communication, or who will handle your sale.
- Guarantees about sale price or timing that no one can make.
- Little recent experience in your neighborhood or with your type of home.
- Long agreements with no way out if the relationship isn't working.
How to Run the Interviews
- Build your shortlist from referrals, agents active in your neighborhood, and recent sales you admired.
- Schedule interviews close together, ideally in the same week, so answers are fresh and market conditions are the same.
- Meet at your home so each agent can see the property before recommending a price.
- Share the same information with each one — updates you've made, known issues, and your timeline.
- Ask for everything in writing: the pricing analysis, marketing plan, sample agreement, and net proceeds estimate.
- Score them using the scorecard, then follow up with references before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many real estate agents should I interview to sell my house?
Two to three. That's enough to compare pricing, marketing, and fit without being overwhelmed by conflicting opinions.
Should I choose the agent with the highest list price?
Not automatically. Choose the agent whose price is best supported by comparable sales and who has a clear plan if the market responds differently. Overpricing often leads to more time on the market and a lower final price.
Is real estate commission negotiable?
Yes. Commission isn't set by law. Discuss the rate, what's included, and how buyer's agent compensation will be handled with each agent you interview.
What's the difference between a Realtor and a real estate agent?
A real estate agent (called a broker in Illinois) is licensed by the state to help people buy and sell property. A Realtor is a licensed agent who is also a member of the National Association of Realtors and agrees to its Code of Ethics.
How far in advance should I interview agents?
Ideally one to three months before you want to list. That leaves time for repairs, staging, and photography — and for your agent to advise you on what's worth doing first.
Interviewing Agents? Put Us on Your List.
The Camille Canales Group sells homes across Chicago's North and Northwest Side. We'll bring recent sales from your neighborhood, a data-backed pricing recommendation, and a written marketing plan — and we're happy to answer every question on this list.
Seller statistic from the National Association of Realtors 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. This article is for general information and is not legal advice.
