I interviewed three Realtors — how do I decide which one to hire?

If you’ve interviewed three agents and can’t decide, the problem usually isn’t you — it’s that you’re holding three documents written in three different languages. Each proposal frames the sale in the terms that flatter its author. The fix is normalization: restate all three in the same terms, and the decision tends to make itself.

Step one: itemize every fee

Write down each agent’s rate, then list exactly what it includes — staging (how many rooms), photography, video, floor plans, open houses, print, digital advertising, and anything you’d pay separately. Convert the rate difference to dollars at your expected sale price. A “cheaper” proposal that excludes staging you’ll buy anyway may be the most expensive option on the table.

Step two: check the work, not the talk

For each agent, look up their sales over the last 12–24 months and count the ones that resemble your home — same area, same property type, same price band. This is the single strongest differentiator, and it’s the one sellers check least. The agent who sold eight homes like yours nearby is playing a different game than the agent who sold two.

Step three: interrogate the numbers they quoted

Sale-to-list ratio and days on market always need context. An agent can manufacture an over-asking track record by pricing low; a fast-sale average can be the market’s doing. Ask each agent to walk you through two recent listings: the list price, the reasoning, and what happened. How they answer tells you more than the statistic does.

Step four: confirm who does the work

Ask each candidate plainly: after I sign, who is my day-to-day contact, who runs the open houses, and who negotiates the offers? On large teams the honest answer is often “not me.” That’s not automatically bad — but you should be choosing the person you’ll actually get.

Step five: make the call — or borrow a referee

Score the three proposals on relevant sales, normalized cost, marketing scope, team access, and communication fit. If a winner doesn’t emerge, or the stakes make you want a second set of eyes, the Agent Match Evaluation Report runs your candidates through our full scorecard for a flat fee and returns a written recommendation with the reasoning. Either way — decide on the same terms for all three, and put those terms in writing before you sign. Start at the Start Your Match page, or call (650) 773-1578.

Questions people ask

One agent proposed a noticeably higher list price. Is that the one to pick?

Be careful — quoting a flattering price to win the listing, then walking it down after weeks on market, is the oldest trick in the business. Ask each agent to defend their number with specific comps. The agent with the most defensible price is a better bet than the agent with the highest one.

Should fee be the deciding factor?

Only after normalization. A half-percent difference on a $1.5M home is real money — about $7,500 — but whole-home staging, better photography, and broader marketing can return more than that at sale. Decide on net expected outcome, not headline rate.

Can someone neutral just compare the proposals for me?

Yes — that's the Agent Match Evaluation Report: a flat-fee, scope-normalized comparison of the agents you already interviewed, with a written recommendation. Because the fee is flat, the analysis has no reason to steer you toward anyone.