What Questions Should I Ask My Realtor?

I had a couple sit down with me a few years ago, lovely people, relocating from the East Coast, completely serious about buying in Point Loma. They had done everything right. Pre-approved. Researched neighborhoods. Had a list of homes they wanted to see. What they hadn't done was ask me a single question about who I was or how I worked. They hired me on the spot, which worked out fine because I take that trust seriously. But I've thought about that meeting a lot since then. Because not every agent sitting across from you is going to earn that trust, and the questions you ask before you sign anything are the ones that protect you.

After almost twenty years in San Diego real estate, here's what I'd want someone to ask me, and what their answers should sound like.

Start With Experience, But Get Specific

Asking how long someone has been in real estate is a fine starting point, but it's not the whole picture. An agent can be licensed for fifteen years and only close a handful of transactions annually. What you actually want to know is how active they are right now, in this market, in the neighborhoods you care about.

Ask how many transactions they closed in the last twelve months. Ask where those transactions happened. If you're buying in Ocean Beach, you want an agent who knows that market on a street level, not just someone who has technically worked in San Diego County. The coastal neighborhoods here have their own personalities, their own pricing patterns, and their own quirks in how deals get written and negotiated. General experience matters. Local experience matters more.

Also ask how long they've been working in San Diego specifically. Real estate knowledge doesn't transfer cleanly from one city to another. Someone who moved here from another state two years ago is still learning this market, regardless of how many years they have behind their license number.

Ask About Their Process, Not Just Their Results

Results are easy to talk about. Process is where you find out what it's actually like to work with someone.

Ask how they communicate and how often. This sounds like a small thing but it isn't. If you're someone who wants to know what's happening at every step and your agent prefers to check in once a week, you will both be frustrated before escrow closes. Get that conversation out of the way early.

Ask what their process looks like from first meeting to closing. A confident, experienced agent should be able to walk you through that in plain language without making it sound like a sales presentation. If the answer is vague or pivots quickly to marketing materials and awards, push a little. You want specifics.

And if you're a buyer, ask directly how they handle multiple offer situations. San Diego's coastal market is competitive enough that this is not a hypothetical question. You want to know whether your agent has actually been in that situation recently and what their approach looks like when the pressure is on.

The Questions Most People Don't Think to Ask

These are the ones I find most revealing, and almost no one asks them.

Ask for their list-price-to-sale-price ratio. For sellers, this number tells you a great deal about how accurately they price homes and how well they negotiate. An agent who consistently closes at or above list price in your target area is doing something right. One who doesn't have that number ready, or gets defensive about it, is also telling you something.

Ask what they would do differently than another agent you might hire. A confident agent has a real answer to this. It's specific, it's honest, and it reflects how they actually think about their work. If the answer circles back to their marketing package or their brokerage brand without addressing how they approach the actual work of buying or selling, take note.

Ask about the hardest transaction they've handled recently and how it went. Anyone can talk about their wins. The agents worth hiring can also talk honestly about where things got complicated, what went sideways, and what they did about it. That answer tells you far more than a highlight reel.

What to Ask About Compensation and Representation

This part of the conversation changed significantly in 2024 following the NAR settlement, and buyers especially need to understand it before signing anything. Compensation is now negotiated directly between buyers and their agents, which means you need to ask clearly and get clear answers.

Ask how your agent is compensated and who pays. Ask what the buyer representation agreement covers and how long it lasts. Read it before you sign it, and expect your agent to walk you through it without making you feel rushed. If they're impatient with your questions about a contract you're being asked to sign, that's useful information about how the rest of the transaction will go.

There's no wrong answer on compensation structure as long as it's transparent. What you're looking for is an agent who can explain it plainly and doesn't get evasive when you ask follow-up questions.

Always Ask for References

This one feels awkward to some people, and I understand why. But it's completely normal, and any agent worth hiring will welcome it. Ask for two or three recent clients you can speak with directly. You can also check Google and Zillow reviews on your own before or after the interview, but there's something different about an actual conversation with someone who went through the process with that agent in the last year.

What you're listening for isn't whether everything went perfectly. Transactions rarely do. You're listening for how the agent handled the moments when things didn't go perfectly, and whether their client felt informed and supported throughout.

A Note on Hiring in Coastal San Diego Specifically

The San Diego real estate market is not one market. Point Loma, Ocean Beach, Mission Hills, Bankers Hill, and the bay-adjacent neighborhoods each have their own inventory patterns, their own buyer pools, and their own negotiating dynamics. What's true about pricing in one neighborhood this spring may not be true three miles away.

When you're interviewing agents, ask specifically what they're seeing in the neighborhood you want. Not county-wide stats pulled from a report, but what they're actually observing on the ground right now. An agent who lives and works in this community should have an instinctive answer to that question. If they have to look it up, that tells you something too.

If you're a veteran or active duty service member, ask directly whether your agent has closed VA loan transactions recently and how many. VA loans have specific appraisal requirements and timelines that not every agent has navigated successfully. It's worth knowing before you're under contract, not after.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most important question to ask a realtor before hiring them?

Ask how many transactions they closed in the last twelve months and where those transactions happened. Activity level combined with specific local market knowledge gives you the clearest picture of whether an agent is genuinely equipped to help you, not just experienced on paper. An agent who is active, local, and can talk specifically about your target neighborhood is the baseline you're looking for.

Should I interview more than one realtor?

Yes. Talking to two or three agents gives you a real basis for comparison and helps you recognize the difference between a genuine answer and a rehearsed one. It also helps you find someone you'll actually enjoy working with, which matters more than people expect over the course of a months-long process.

What questions should I ask a realtor when selling my home in San Diego?

Ask about their pricing strategy and how they arrive at a list price, what their marketing plan actually includes beyond the MLS, their list-price-to-sale-price ratio over the last year, and how they handle the negotiation once offers come in. Also ask how they approach the preparation conversation with sellers before the home goes on market. Their answer to that last one will tell you a lot about their standards.

What questions should I ask a realtor when buying a home?

Ask how they handle competitive offer situations, how familiar they are with your specific target neighborhoods, how they communicate during an active search, and how their compensation works under the current buyer representation agreement. Also ask about their relationships with lenders, inspectors, and other vendors. An agent who has strong, trusted relationships in those areas will save you time and stress when it matters most.

How do I know if a realtor is right for me?

Pay attention to how they answer your questions as much as what they say. A good agent is specific, honest, and unhurried. They don't push you toward a decision or make you feel like your questions are an inconvenience. They can talk plainly about how they work and what they'd do differently than someone else. If you leave the conversation feeling informed and comfortable rather than managed, that's a good sign.

What should I look for in a San Diego real estate agent?

Look for someone who is actively working in your target neighborhoods right now, not just someone with a long license history. Local market knowledge at the neighborhood level, clear communication, and a track record you can verify through references and online reviews are the core things to confirm. In San Diego's coastal market especially, hyperlocal experience makes a real difference in how offers are written, priced, and negotiated.

If You Have Questions, I'm Happy to Answer Them

The whole point of this post is that you should feel comfortable asking. If you're thinking about buying or selling in coastal San Diego and want to talk through what the process looks like right now, reach out. No agenda, no pressure, just a real conversation about where you are and what makes sense.

You can reach me at Shirin@TheSDHome.com, call or text 858.750.5753, or find more at TheSanDiegoHome.com.