You might spend an hour researching an $80 coffee maker, days comparing couches, or weeks choosing a new car. Yet, when hiring a real estate agent—responsible for a transaction worth hundreds of thousands or even millions—44% of homeowners interview just one person (according to recent research by 1000WATT).

The research goes even deeper: 39% of sellers worry about not getting enough money for their home, 35% are anxious about their home staying on the market too long, but only 9% express concern about hiring a bad real estate agent. The mistake here: recognizing risks but failing to connect that skilled agents are key to preventing them. This happens because of a phenomenon called “negative trust.” Have you ever considered doing any of the following?

• Hiring a neighbor or friend because they’re familiar, not because of proven expertise.
• Selecting a family member’s recommendation without researching the agent’s actual sales performance.
• Trusting someone because they’re part of your social circle rather than verifying their negotiation skills and market knowledge.

It’s easy to trust that a friend or family member won’t screw you over, but your trust should lie in what your agent will do. If you want to make the most of your home sale—and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?—you need to make decisions based on skill, not familiarity. Don’t ask yourself, “Who do I know?” Ask, “Who’s going to deliver?”

Once you narrow your list down to 3-5 agents, Zillow is a great place to vet their track record—including active listings, past sales, and reviews. Are they experts in the area your property is located, with a proven track record of selling homes and assisting buyers there? YouTube is also worth checking out to see how agents present their listings and communicate. And on their website, do they have a team that supports them? Are they able to present your home to every qualified buyer that requests a showing, 7 days a week, rain or shine, even when it conflicts with their schedule? 

Whether you’re just starting to explore your options or are ready to interview, we invite you to look us up online and see what makes us different. And after we sell your house, we’d be proud to be considered a friend.

By Rob Jensen, Monica Nalbantoglu, and Andy Gorman