How to Research a Realtor Before You Hire One

Most people pick an agent on a gut feeling or a friend's recommendation. That's a fine start — but before you sign anything, do a bit of homework. Here's what you can check yourself.

Hiring a realtor is one of the bigger decisions you'll make around your home, and yet a lot of people spend more time researching a dishwasher. This isn't about being suspicious of everyone. It's about doing a few minutes of due diligence so you go in with your eyes open. All of the checks below you can run on your own, before you ever have a conversation.

Confirm They're Licensed and in Good Standing

In Alberta, real estate is regulated by the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA). Every licensed agent is in their public register, and any disciplinary findings are published there too.

Go to reca.ca, search the agent's name, and confirm two things: that they hold a current licence, and that there's nothing concerning in their record. This takes about two minutes and it's the single most important check on this list. An agent with a clean, active licence is table stakes — start there.

Look at Their Actual Track Record

Anyone can call themselves experienced. What you want is evidence.

• How long have they been licensed? RECA shows this.
• Do they work your area? An agent who sells regularly in St. Albert knows the neighbourhoods, the school catchments, and what buyers here actually pay. Someone who mostly works south Edmonton is guessing.
• What are they selling, and how much? A good agent will happily walk you through recent sales they've handled — list price versus sale price, days on market, the kind of homes. If they get vague when you ask, that tells you something.

You're not looking for the flashiest numbers. You're looking for someone who's genuinely active in the market you care about.

Check Their Online Presence — The Way a Buyer Would

If you're selling, this matters more than people realize. The way your agent shows up online is roughly the way your home will show up online.

Pull up their listings on realtor.ca and look at them the way a buyer would. Are the photos good? Is the description written properly, or is it three lines of clichés? Is the information complete? A sloppy listing tells you how your own home might be presented. While you're at it, check that they have a real, current profile — a proper photo and bio — on the sites buyers actually use. It's a small signal, but it's a signal.

Read the Reviews — All of Them

Google reviews, in particular, are hard to fake at scale and easy to read between the lines.

Don't just look at the star rating. Read the actual words. Do people mention communication? Follow-through? Whether the agent was honest when the news wasn't good? A handful of thoughtful five-star reviews from named clients is worth more than fifty vague ones. And if you see a pattern in the criticism — always late, hard to reach, pushy — take it seriously.

Then Have the Conversation

Once you've done the homework, meet them. Ask the tough questions: how they'd price your home and why, how they market, how they communicate, how they get paid. A good agent welcomes all of it. This is your home, your money, and your timeline — you're allowed to interview the person you're trusting with it.

Do this research and you'll walk into that first meeting knowing more than most sellers ever do. If you'd like a straight, no-pressure conversation about your home and your options, I'm happy to be one of the agents you check out.

Just call John — 780-937-7534.