Research shows that two-thirds of home sellers hire the first agent they talk to. The first one. If you wouldn’t marry the first person you went on a date with (okay, some of you did, but you get the point), you probably shouldn’t hand over the keys to your biggest financial asset without at least exploring your options.

If you take nothing else from this post, let it be this: interview more than one. Whether you’re considering an individual agent or a team, here’s what to focus on:

#1 Experience and Track Record

Before you evaluate anything else, it’s worth understanding just how wide the experience gap is among Toronto listing agents. We dug into the 2025 agent production data and the results were eye-opening: nearly half of all listing agents sold just one property last year, and about 90% sold five or fewer. We broke down all the numbers in our analysis of Toronto’s 2025 agent production data, but the short version is this: experience is not evenly distributed in this industry, and asking about it upfront is one of the smartest things you can do before signing a listing agreement.

When interviewing a listing agent, ask:

How many homes did you sell last year, and how many of those did you represent the seller (not the buyer)?
How many of those were properties like mine? If you’re selling a condo, how many condos have they sold? A house in Leslieville? How many homes have they sold nearby?
What are your performance stats? Average list-to-sale price ratio, average days on market, number of listings handled.

An agent or team with strong stats will not only know their numbers but be able to back them up easily. If they can’t, that tells you something.

#2 Marketing Strategy

Other than posting your home on the MLS, what specifically will they do to get buyers through your door? A comprehensive marketing plan should include:

A detailed profile of your target buyer(s)
Engaging listing and MLS copy
Professional photography
Floor plans
Web, digital and social media advertising
A strategy for reaching the right buyers

Ask to see examples of how they’ve marketed past listings. Look at their website, their social media, their print materials. The quality of their marketing directly affects how your home is perceived by buyers, and a well-marketed home sells for more. If their past listings look like they were photographed in the dark by someone in a hurry, imagine what yours will look like.

#3 Pricing Strategy

Don’t make the mistake of hiring the agent who gives you the highest number. That’s an old-school strategy some agents use to win your listing, and it almost always backfires. The market determines what your home is worth, not the agent, and pricing too high from the start will hurt you. We’ve seen it happen over and over: a seller picks the agent who promised the moon, the home sits on the market for weeks, and they end up selling for less than they would have if they’d priced it right from the beginning.

A good agent will provide a detailed Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to support their pricing recommendation. If you’re interviewing more than one agent, the valuations should be in the same ballpark. If one is dramatically higher, ask why, and be skeptical if the answer isn’t backed by data.

#4 Inclusions and Services

This is where the differences between agents and teams can really show up. Ask what’s included in the commission and what you’ll need to pay for on top of it. Some agents and teams include professional staging, photography or cleaning as part of their service. Others charge extra for everything, or simply don’t offer those services at all.

A well-staged, professionally photographed home sells faster and for more money. That’s not opinion; it’s what the data consistently shows. So if one agent is offering a lower commission but you’re paying out of pocket for staging, photography and a floor plan, do the math on the total cost and weigh it against the likely sale price. Don’t make the newbie mistake of focusing on minimizing commission when the real goal is maximizing what you walk away with.

When it comes to included services and extras, this is one area where teams often have a built-in advantage. A team with in-house stagers, marketing and admin staff, photography and video partners and a network of trusted painters, cleaners and contractors can mobilize quickly and deliver a higher level of service than a solo agent who has to outsource everything (or worse, try to do it themselves). That doesn’t mean every team is better than every solo agent, but it’s worth understanding what infrastructure is behind the person you’re hiring.

#5 Communication and Availability

This is probably the number one complaint we hear about agents: they disappear after the listing agreement is signed. Your home is on the market, you’re stressed, and your agent has gone radio silent. It’s not a great feeling.

Before you hire anyone, ask how often they’ll communicate with you, through what channels, and what their response time looks like. Some sellers want a daily update. Others are happy with a weekly summary. There’s no wrong answer, but you and your agent need to be on the same page before you start.

Also ask if they work full-time in real estate. A surprising number of agents have other jobs, which means they aren’t always available during the day or on weekends. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you deserve to know upfront.

If you’re hiring a team, make sure the person you’re meeting is actually the person who’ll be handling your sale. It’s not uncommon for the lead agent to be involved in the initial pitch and then hand things off to a less experienced team member. Ask who you’ll be working with day to day.

#6 Reputation and References

Read online reviews on Google, Facebook and Yelp. Look for patterns in what past clients are saying, not just the star rating. An agent with 100 five-star reviews is telling you something different than one with 3. And don’t be afraid to ask for references you can actually call.

An agent or team who has built a solid reputation with past clients won’t want to risk losing that by giving you anything less than their best work. Reputation is hard to earn and easy to lose, and the good ones know it.

Related: Hiring a Listing Agent: Red Flags

#7 The Contract

In Ontario, you’ll be asked to sign legal documents that outline the terms of your relationship with your agent. Read them carefully. Every word. Be cautious of any agent who is unwilling or unable to explain the terms, and look out for unusual clauses or fees. Make sure commission rates, services, inclusions and the duration of the agreement are all clearly defined. In Toronto, most listing agreements are signed for a period of 3-6 months.

And if an agent pressures you to sign on the spot during your first meeting? That’s your cue to slow down. A good agent will give you time to read, ask questions and make an informed decision.

The BREL Bottom Line

Hiring a listing agent isn’t just about finding someone with a license and a smile. It’s about finding someone, or a team, with the experience, skills, services and communication style to get you the best possible result for your home.

The good news is that the right questions will separate the great agents from the average ones pretty quickly. Most sellers don’t ask enough of them. If you’ve read this far, you’re already ahead of the two-thirds who hire the first agent they meet.

Take the time. Do the interviews. Ask the uncomfortable questions. The agent who’s right for you will welcome them.

7 Things to Look for When Hiring a Listing Agent in 2026