FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions clients ask most — answered plainly.
- What does Agent Match Concierge cost?
- It depends on who brings the candidates. When we source and refer the agents, there is no additional cost to you — if you hire one and close, that agent's brokerage pays Compass a standard referral fee (25–30%, the same for every candidate we present). When you bring your own agents and want them compared, the Agent Evaluation Report is a flat fee, quoted before we start — and because we're paid the same regardless of whom you pick, the report has no reason to steer you.
- How is this different from HomeLight, Agent Pronto, or other matching sites?
- Three ways. First, you see the evidence: a side-by-side comparison of each agent's recent nearby sales, pricing outcomes, marketing scope, fees, and communication — not names from a black box. Second, you can bring your own candidates; most matching sites only recommend agents from their own paying network. Third, every candidate we present operates under the same referral standard, so compensation cannot influence the recommendation.
- How many listing agents should I interview before choosing?
- At least two, ideally three. Industry research consistently shows most sellers contact only one agent before signing — which means the decision is usually made by familiarity, not comparison. Interviewing three agents with the same questions is the single highest-leverage hour in your entire sale.
- Can you evaluate agents I've already interviewed?
- Yes — that's often the most valuable moment to bring us in. Send us the proposals or names you've collected and we'll produce a flat-fee Agent Evaluation Report: the same scorecard we use for agents we source, applied to your candidates, with a written recommendation and the reasoning behind it. You make the final call.
- Do you only recommend Compass agents?
- No. Compass and its affiliated brands are a deep sourcing bench, and staying inside that network is often convenient — but fit overrides affiliation. If the strongest candidate for your home works elsewhere, that's who we present. The comparison report shows you why each candidate made the shortlist.
- What's actually in the comparison report?
- For each candidate: recent sales of homes like yours in your area, sale-to-list and days-on-market context, what their fee includes (staging, photography, video, open houses, digital marketing), team structure and who you'd actually work with, communication cadence, references, and a written read on strengths and trade-offs. Metrics come with interpretation — a high sale-to-list ratio, for example, can reflect underpricing rather than skill.
- Is a high sale-to-list price ratio proof of a great agent?
- Not by itself. An agent can generate over-asking results by systematically pricing below market, and a low days-on-market number can mean a hot market rather than great execution. That's why the report pairs every statistic with context — the same discipline a good procurement process applies to any vendor claim.
- Am I obligated to hire an agent you recommend?
- Never. You independently evaluate and choose your representation, and you can stop the process at any point. Our role is to put better evidence in front of you; the decision is always yours.
- What markets do you cover?
- Any U.S. market where we can source and vet a qualified local partner. Current priority markets include San Jose and Silicon Valley, San Diego, Newport Beach, Lake Tahoe, Napa, Scottsdale, Austin, and Portland — driven by where Bay Area sellers most often move, buy second homes, or hold family property.
- I'm selling in the East Bay — can you help me?
- Yes, but differently: Danville, Alamo, San Ramon, Walnut Creek, and the surrounding East Bay are my own practice, so I'd represent you directly rather than refer you — and I'll hand you the same scorecard this service uses nationally so you can hold me and any other agent you interview to it. Agent Match Concierge referrals are for sales outside my home market.
- How does this work for a probate or estate sale?
- Executors, trustees, and professional fiduciaries have a duty to select vendors defensibly. We run the selection as a documented process: probate-experienced candidates, the same normalized comparison, and a written record of how the listing agent was chosen — something you can put in the file and defend to beneficiaries or the court. See the Probate & Estates page for the full process.
- Who pays you, and could that bias the recommendation?
- On the referral path, the hired agent's brokerage pays Compass a standard referral fee at closing — and we hold every candidate to the same 25–30% standard so the fee is identical no matter which one you choose. On the paid-report path, you pay a flat fee and no referral is involved unless we separately introduce a new candidate. Both structures are disclosed in writing before we start.
- How do I get started?
- Use the Start Your Match form, call (650) 773-1578, or email jens.hansen@compass.com. First step is a 30–45 minute conversation about the property, the timeline, and what you need from an agent — no obligation, and you'll know by the end of the call whether the process is worth it for your situation.
Let's talk.
Straight answers, no pressure, no obligation.