Want a top-notch REALTOR? Ask questions!

If you are contemplating a home sale or purchase you owe it to yourself to be your own advocate and investigator before you "hire" a REALTOR.  Your agent represents you in the marketplace.  He or she will be your "go to" person regarding one of the most important business transactions that you will make. You will be working closely with him. Do you experience a sense of trust and ease with the agent?  Does she listen to your concerns and answer your questions to your satisfaction?  The National Association of REALTORS recommends that you ask a lot of questions to be sure you are entering into a partnership that will reward you both. Here are some suggestions:
1. How long have you been in residential real estate? Is it your full time job?
While experience is no guarantee of skill, real estate, like many professions, is mostly learned on the job.
2. What’s your business philosophy? While there’s no right answer to this question, the response will help you assess what’s important to the agent and determine how closely the agent’s goals and business emphasis mesh with your own.
3. How many homes did you and your real estate brokerage sell last year? By asking this question, you’ll get a good idea of how much experience the practitioner has.
4. How close to the initial asking prices of the homes you sold were the final sale prices? This is one indication of how skilled the REALTOR® is at pricing homes and marketing to suitable buyers. Of course, other factors also may be at play, including an exceptionally hot or cool real estate market.
5. How will you keep me informed about the progress of my transaction? How frequently? Again, this is not a question with a correct answer, but how you judge the response will reflect your own desires. Do you want updates twice a week or do you prefer not to be bothered unless there’s a hot prospect? Do you prefer phone, e-mail, or a personal visit? 
6. Could you please give me the names and phone numbers of your three most recent clients? Ask recent clients if they would work with this REALTOR® again. Find out whether they were pleased with the communication style, follow-up, and work ethic of the REALTOR®.

These are only a few ideas to get you started. There is lots of information available online from the National Association of REALTORS and other sites such as Realtor.com, any real estate professional worth working with welcomes your questions so, ask away!