Is Your Agent as Good as They Say?

Recently, a listener of our real estate radio show asked us: “What is the best way to verify a real estate agent’s success or claims?”

This is a great question. One of the best ways to determine success is to see how many happy clients they have. My team and I are happy to have nearly 1,000 five-star reviews between sites like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com.

Of course, video testimonials are another way of determining the success of an agent. That way, you can hear how our clients feel about us in their own words.

These are just a couple of the ways you can verify my own team’s claims.

But, this isn’t the only way to examine whether a real estate agent is as good as they claim. You really need to know how to interpret the legitimacy of online reviews. First, pay attention to whether an agent has a lot more reviews than they do past sales. This is probably a red flag.

On our team, we have about 560 reviews on Zillow and around 800 sales in the past 12 months. This is a lot more realistic than an agent with 200 reviews but only 12 sales in the past 12 months. You should also keep an eye out for any reviews that don’t look legitimate.

My team and I have documented proof of being the No. 1 RE/MAX agents in Florida.

Sometimes, an agent might receive a terrible review from someone who seems completely over the top. These reviews are likely more of a reflection on that person than they are on the agent they’re about.

Another way to verify the quality of an agent is to see how they respond to negative reviews that do seem legitimate. No one is perfect. In fact, if an agent doesn’t have any negative reviews, they might not do much business.

Aside from simply looking at reviews, you should also see how well an agent’s profile is built. If an agent isn’t marketing themselves, how will they market your home? This is the professional who you are paying to show your home in its best light. If their Zillow profile lacks a photo or a bio, what will marketing for your home look like?

Finally, a lot of agents talk about being No. 1. My team and I have documented proof of being the No. 1 RE/MAX agents in Florida. If an agent says they’re No. 1 in something, ask them to prove it.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.