If you’re thinking about selling your home, the realtor you choose matters more than most people realize. The real estate industry is full of licensed agents, but there’s a massive gap between a true professional and a part-time weekend warrior. The proof is in the numbers: the top 10% of agents sell roughly 90% of the homes in a given market. That’s not a coincidence. It means most agents are competing over a tiny slice of business, and a lot of sellers end up hiring someone who simply doesn’t do this full time. Below are six questions I get asked in interviews, and honestly, most agents dread hearing them. I don’t. Ask me any of these before you sign anything, and I’ll give you a straight, honest answer, backed by real numbers, not a sales pitch.

How many homes have you actually sold, this year and last year?

I’ll tell you flat out, and I’ll back it up with my own MLS production, not my brokerage’s numbers. In Montgomery County, the average agent sells around four homes a year. Four. If you want someone in that top 10%, you’re looking for an agent closing somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 to 30 transactions annually, verified through Bright MLS, not a vague claim about “years of experience.” Ask any agent you’re interviewing to pull up their personal sales history, not their office’s. The difference will tell you everything.

What’s your actual ratio of seller-side deals to buyer-side deals?

Selling homes and helping buyers find homes are two very different skill sets, and representing sellers well is genuinely harder. It takes more marketing dollars, more strategy, and frankly, a lot of agents shy away from sellers because they see them as demanding or because the upfront marketing costs eat into their time. If you’re hiring someone to sell your home, you want an agent who’s at least 50/50 on seller-to-buyer deals, and ideally closer to 60-70% seller-side. Again, ask for the receipts through MLS. A résumé full of buyer deals doesn’t prove someone knows how to market and negotiate a listing.

Will you put your own money into preparing my home before it sells?

Most agents and most brokerages will tell you no, and I’ll be honest with you too, it’s not standard practice industry-wide. Fronting capital for staging, repairs, or prep work before a home hits the market is the exception, not the rule. There are some limited situations and programs where it makes sense, but don’t assume every agent offers this. Ask directly, and don’t be surprised if the answer is no. What matters more is whether the agent has a clear plan for prepping your home to compete, whether or not they’re the one writing the check.

What’s your pre-marketing strategy before my home even hits the market?

This is where a lot of agents fall short, and it’s one of the biggest differentiators between an amateur and a pro. Think about how a movie trailer builds anticipation before opening night. A strong pre-marketing plan does the same thing for your home: building buzz, capturing buyer interest, and creating demand before the “for sale” sign even goes up. More demand out of the gate means a faster sale and a stronger price. If an agent doesn’t have a specific answer here, that’s a red flag.

Where can I actually read reviews from your past clients?

A seasoned, proven agent should have somewhere between 20 and 30 online reviews from real past clients, whether that’s on Zillow, realtor.com, Yelp, or elsewhere. And the vast majority of those reviews should be positive. Don’t skip this step. Anyone can talk a good game in an interview. A track record of real client experiences, documented publicly over several years, tells you a lot more than a polished sales pitch ever will.

Give me five specific reasons I should hire you over anyone else, or over selling it myself.

Listen closely to how an agent answers this one. If the response is some version of “I’m honest, I work hard, I always put my clients first,” that’s not an answer, that’s the bare minimum. Those things should already be true of anyone you’d consider hiring. A real answer gets specific: production numbers, marketing strategy, negotiation track record, local market knowledge, and a plan tailored to your home. If an agent can’t get specific and personal, keep interviewing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to ask all six questions in one meeting?

Not necessarily, but I’d encourage you to get through them before you sign a listing agreement. These questions are meant to separate a full-time, top-producing agent from someone who sells real estate on the side.

What if an agent gets defensive when I ask these?

That’s useful information in itself. A confident, experienced agent should welcome these questions, not dodge them. If someone hedges or gets uncomfortable, take that as a signal.

Are these questions only useful for sellers?

They’re framed around selling because that’s where the stakes and marketing complexity are highest, but several of them, production numbers, reviews, and the “why hire me” question, apply just as well when you’re choosing an agent to help you buy.

Where can I learn more about what to expect when I sell my home in Montgomery County?

Start with myguide to selling a home, and if you’re buying instead, check out myguide to buying a home. You can also read more aboutwhy I do things differently.

I hope this gives you a clearer, more honest lens for interviewing your next realtor. If you want to run through these questions with me directly, or just want a second opinion on an agent you’re already considering,reach out anytime.

Ready to talk it through? Book a free 30-minute call with me right here: Schedule a call with Kevin

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Sources and next steps

Verified local sources:Maryland REALTORS housing statistics;GCAAR housing market reports;FRED 30-year mortgage rate series;Maryland SDAT real property search.

Related Kevin guides:market stats;relocation guide;book a call.

Watch the YouTube videoorbook a 30-minute strategy call with Kevin.

Expanded local research sources:Visit Montgomery travel guide;Visit Montgomery restaurant directory;Tripadvisor Montgomery County things to do;Tripadvisor Montgomery County restaurants;Google Maps restaurants near Montgomery County;Google Maps things to do near Montgomery County;Reddit MoCo discussion search for Montgomery County;Reddit thread: moving from DC to MoCo;Reddit thread: visitor activities in MoCo;WMATA rail and bus maps;Montgomery Parks;Montgomery County Open Data;Niche Montgomery County livability;MoCo360 local news.

Contextual links for this video

Kevin site links:home selling guide;home buying guide;Montgomery County relocation guide;market stats;California to Maryland: The Honest Truth About Relocating to Montgomery County.

Outside research links for this video:Visit Montgomery travel guide;Visit Montgomery restaurants;Google Maps restaurants near Montgomery County;Reddit discussion search for this topic;Google context search for this video.

Kevin process link: why Kevin’s local process matters.