How to Find a Realtor in 2024

The right realtor makes buying or selling a home simple, efficient, and worry-free. A knowledgeable agent will help you prevent costly mistakes, save money, and streamline the negotiation process during one of your life's most important financial decisions.

The NAR found that 89% of buyers and sellers rely on a real estate agent’s expertise during their real estate transactions. Additionally, 90% of buyers and 87% of sellers felt they would use their agent again.

But with over 1 million realtors to choose from nationwide, thinning out the pack to find the perfect one can be challenging. There are also many platforms for searching for realtors, but not all use a thorough vetting or simple process to make finding an agent easy.

It's common for home buyers and sellers to simplify the process by returning to a realtor they've worked with before or by relying on referrals from friends and family. However, many people aren't aware that low commission agents, who charge as little as 1-1.5%, can save you thousands at closing.

Let’s explore how to identify the best agent for your needs and maximize your savings

» JUMP TO: First step | Top sources | How to choose an agent | Bottom line

First step: Preparing to find a realtor

Before you start your search, you must understand the type of realtor you need. Agents specialize in different aspects of the real estate transaction, and people often categorize realtors by who they serve — selling (listing) agents, buying agents, and dual agents.

Selling agents facilitate the sale of a home by helping homeowners with:

• Pricing guidance and market valuation
• Listing the property and managing showings
• Offering market insights and negotiating with buyers

Buying agents assist buyers in their home search by:

• Finding properties and arranging viewings
• Providing market analysis and advising offers
• Coordinating inspections and appraisals

Dual agents responsibilities of both the buying and selling agents to coordinate a sale:

• You can potentially save on realtor fees
• But, they may present a conflict of interest by favoring one party over the other
• Note: Dual agency isn’t legal in many states

Ultimately, choosing the right agent comes down to setting clear goals for what you want from a real estate professional, interviewing potential options, and selecting the realtor who best meets those needs.

How to find a realtor: Top sources

Agent finding service

Services like Clever Real Estate and Ideal Agent help streamline your agent search by connecting you with top realtors in your area. These platforms pre-vet their real estate professionals to ensure you’re matched with a reliable agent.

When using a finding service, remember that a platform’s network size and available agents are significant in the process. Platforms that pair you with multiple, high-quality agents will often yield better results than pairing with one agent.

For example, Ideal Agent boasts of only working with the top 1% of realtors, but it has a small network and limits your options by matching you with only one agent.

In contrast, Clever has a network of 14,000 agents and pairs you with multiple realtors from major brokers like RE/MAX and Keller Williams to give you a better selection.

Referrals

Finding a realtor from family members or friends simplifies the search for a realtor. After all, it’s easy to trust a real estate agent when someone close to you has an exceptional experience with them.

Referrals still play a significant role in helping potential buyers and sellers find an agent. The NAR's Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that 43% of home buyers and 39% of home sellers relied on referrals from friends, neighbors, or relatives to find their real estate agent.^[1]

Two risks to consider before working with a referral agent are that you might have different needs than a friend or family member. And if your opinion of the agent doesn’t align with the person who referred you, it could strain your relationship with them.

Online platforms

In addition to using a matching service or considering a referral, searching online platforms like Zillow, Realtor.com, or Redfin can help you find the right agent. These platforms have extensive databases of agents with user reviews, ratings, and transaction histories.

However, searching online platforms on your own is time-consuming and comes with inherent risks you won’t find with matching services. Risks of using open online platforms include:

• Agents paying big money for more visibility on leading online platforms
• Reviews that may not be reliable and often skew in a positive direction
• Filtering through hundreds of agents rather than a handful

If you value time and simplicity but still want to find your agent online, a matching service is a better choice.

How to choose a realtor

You narrowed down your list of agents and interviewed each one independently. Now it’s time to answer the big question: how do you know which real estate agent best fits you?

Start by considering the agents’ qualifications and intangible skills. Agents with more experience and certifications may look best on paper. But you want to balance those qualifications with their communication skills, current workload, and if they mesh with your personality.

Re-evaluate their commission rate, if an agent passes your “vibe check." Talented selling agents who charge more for their services may pay off, but a strong, low commission realtor could still get the job done will saving you thousands.

Carefully review agreements. This may include the buyer’s agency agreement for home buyers, or listing agent agreements for sellers. For example, you don’t want to be stuck in a contract with extended listing periods, unclear terms, or the inability to cancel on your terms.

Important: NAR settlement changes

In the past, sellers automatically took responsibility for paying a combined commission for listing and buyer’s agents. The recent NAR settlement shifted how listing and buying agents interact with their clients and who pays for realtor fees.

Here’s how it affects you:

• Selling agents can no longer advertise buyer’s agent fees on the MLS, shifting buyer's agent negotiation to buyers.
• Sellers are no longer automatically responsible for paying both agents’ fees, putting more fiscal responsibility on buyers.^[2]

This shift in negotiation gives homeowners more room to negotiate with agents and makes buyers more responsible for closing costs.

As a result, you should openly discuss commission rates and compare those rates to ensure you receive the best financial deal and high-quality service.

The bottom line

Finding the right agent for you is a significant undertaking, but you can find a great realtor to meet your needs when you:

• Set realistic expectations about what you want
• Look for realtors who serve your real estate needs
• Leverage agent finding platforms, like Clever Real Estate
• Use referrals and online platforms to narrow your search
• Re-evaluate each agent after an interview to find the best fit

Taking things one step at a time and focusing on your non-negotiables will help you find the right real estate agent who maximizes your experience when buying or selling a home.