What to look for in a real estate agent (and the red flags)

Author: Janice Lee | Last Updated: August, 2026

 

Anyone can get a license. Passing the exam takes a few months of coursework and a test, and it tells you nothing about whether the person across the table can price your house or hold their nerve when four offers come in.

What follows is what actually separates them, and the warning signs I’d walk away from.

 

They know your neighborhood, not the city

San Francisco isn’t one market. Pacific Heights, Noe Valley, the Marina, the Sunset, and SoMa each price differently, attract different buyers, and move on different schedules. In July, condo sales rose 21% while single-family sales fell 9%, and the two segments are separated by roughly $800,000 at the median. A general read on “the San Francisco market” doesn’t capture any of that.

Ask what closed recently within a few blocks of your address and at what price relative to list. If they need to look it up, they don’t work your area.

 

Their track record is in numbers, not adjectives

Awards and rankings are marketing. Closings are evidence.

Ask for their recent transactions near you, their average days on market compared to the neighborhood, and what types of property they handle. The citywide median for a single-family home right now is under two weeks. An agent whose listings sit for a month is pricing badly, and pricing is the main thing you’re paying them for.

 

They answer fast

Poor communication is the most common complaint clients have about agents, and in this market it’s expensive rather than annoying. Homes go from listing to accepted offer in days. An agent who takes two days to return a call costs you properties you’ll never hear about.

Test this before you sign. How quickly did they reply when you first reached out. Did they follow up without being chased.

 

They tell you things you don’t want to hear

A good agent recommends the price the market supports, explains the risks alongside the opportunities, and puts your outcome ahead of closing something this month.

I’d rather tell a seller a number they don’t like in week one than watch a deal collapse in week six over the same number.

 

They market the property properly

For sellers this decides how many buyers ever see the house. Professional photography, video and virtual tours, accurate listing data, and promotion that reaches beyond the local pool. Look at their current listings and judge for yourself. If the photos are bad, that’s what yours will look like.

 

They understand valuation

Most sellers start with the same question: what’s my house worth. A capable agent runs a comparative market analysis using recent comparable sales adjusted for what makes your property different, explains where an appraisal is likely to land, and tells you when a formal appraisal is worth paying for.

That expertise protects sellers from overpricing and buyers from overpaying, and in a market where homes are closing at a median 125% of list price, both mistakes are costly.

 

They negotiate the terms, not just the price

Negotiation moves more money than any other part of the transaction. Price gets the attention, but contingency structure, repair credits after inspections, and whether an escalation clause helps or exposes you all decide outcomes too. Sometimes the seller wants speed more than the highest number, and knowing that changes what you offer.

 

Their reviews show patterns

Read for repetition rather than star ratings. One angry review among forty means one hard transaction. Three reviews mentioning slow responses means slow responses.

What reviews won’t tell you is whether they’re good at your specific situation. Someone excellent with first-time condo buyers may be out of their depth listing a $4 million house, and the reviews look identical.

 

They use technology where it matters

Buyers start online, so listings need to work on a phone screen. Video, virtual tours, and listings that surface where buyers are actually looking. What you’re evaluating is reach, meaning how many qualified people see the property, not which software they subscribe to.

 

Six red flags

Now the other side. Any one of these is reason to keep interviewing.

• They give you a valuation noticeably higher than everyone else. Buying a listing by promising a price the market won’t support is an old tactic. It ends in price reductions and a stale listing, and by then you’ve lost the momentum a fresh listing gets.
• They’ve never told you no. An agent who agrees with everything you say isn’t advising you. In a market where homes sell 25% over asking, the cost of that agreement is measured in six figures.
• They quote a price before seeing the property. A number over the phone with no walkthrough and no comps is a sales pitch.
• They won’t connect you with recent clients. Every agent has a best reference. Ask for a recent one instead, from the last year, and ask that client what went wrong during the transaction. Something always does, and how the agent handled it is the useful part.
• They don’t ask you many questions. An interview should go both ways. An agent who doesn’t ask about your timeline, your financing, what you’re actually optimizing for, or why you’re moving is going to represent a version of you they invented.
• They’re vague about compensation. Since 2024, buyers sign a written representation agreement specifying their agent’s compensation before touring homes. Any agent who’s evasive about what they charge and who pays it is a problem you’ll discover later.

 

Frequently asked questions

What makes a good real estate agent?

Neighborhood-level market knowledge, a verifiable record of recent closings, fast communication, honest pricing advice, and negotiation skill. The license is the starting point, not the qualification.

 

What’s the biggest warning sign?

An unusually high valuation. It wins the listing and costs the seller.

 

Should I hire a local agent or a well-known one?

Local, in most cases. Pricing, demand, and buyer behavior shift block by block here, and a citywide reputation doesn’t substitute for knowing your street.

 

Does it matter if an agent works part time?

Yes. Homes here go under contract in days, and part-time availability means missed properties and slow responses at the moments that count.

 

How many agents should I interview?

At least two, ideally three. The differences only become obvious in comparison.

 

The short version

The license is the floor. What you’re actually looking for is someone who knows your specific blocks, can show you what they’ve closed there, answers quickly, and will tell you no when you need to hear it.

If you want to work through the process of finding and vetting one, I wrote a longer guide on how to find the right real estate agent in San Francisco.