Finding the Right Broker: What I Actually Look For (and What Should Disqualify Someone)

I'm a broker. I work both sides — listings and buyers. And I'll tell you honestly: a listing-side broker and a buyer's agent are not the same job, and the skills that make someone great at one don't automatically transfer to the other. Before you sign a buyer rep agreement or a listing contract, you need to understand which job you're actually hiring for.

What a listing broker actually does (versus what most think)

The job of a listing agent is not to find your buyer. It's to create the conditions where buyers compete for your home. That means pricing strategy, preparation, staging guidance, photography and content, timing the market launch, and then managing multiple offers when they come in. Every one of those steps has real consequences for your net proceeds.

I always recommend that sellers ask any prospective listing agent to show them the last five homes they sold — not just listing price vs. sale price, but days on market and whether there were price reductions. A clean record of homes that sold at or above list price in under 21 days tells you the agent prices correctly and markets aggressively. A pattern of 60-day listings with price drops tells you the opposite, regardless of how the agent explains it away.

The other thing I look for: how does the agent talk about pricing strategy? If they lead with "what price do you want to hit?" instead of walking you through a comparative market analysis first, that's a red flag. Agents who let sellers set the price to win the listing are not serving the seller — they're serving their own pipeline. You'll end up with a stale listing that eventually closes below where a well-priced home would have landed in week one.

What a buyer's agent actually does

A buyer's agent's job is to protect you from overpaying, uncover problems before they become yours, and negotiate effectively when you find the right property. That last one is harder than it sounds in a competitive market like Orlando's Dr. Phillips or Windermere, where multiple offers happen regularly.

The mistake most buyers make is treating agent selection as an afterthought. They go to an open house, like the person hosting it, and hire them. That agent's job at the open house is to represent the seller. Their loyalty is not to you by default.

When I'm evaluating whether to work with a buyer (or when advising someone on what to look for in an agent), I focus on: How many transactions have they closed in the last 12 months in my price range? Do they have active relationships with other agents in the area — because off-market or pre-market opportunities come through those relationships, not through Zillow? And will they tell me not to buy something? An agent who says "I love it, let's write the offer" every time isn't doing their job.

Questions worth asking in the interview

Ask any listing candidate: "Walk me through how you priced your last listing and how it performed." The answer reveals whether they actually analyze data or just price to please.

Ask any buyer's agent: "Tell me about a deal you talked a client out of." You want an agent who has enough conviction to deliver uncomfortable news when it matters.

Ask both: "What does your follow-through process look like after contract?" The period between accepted offer and closing is when most deals fall apart — inspection issues, title problems, financing delays, HOA document surprises. You want someone who has a system for that period, not someone who goes quiet until closing day.

Red flags I've seen in practice

An agent who won't share their license number or recent transaction history. An agent who promises a specific price without pulling comps first. An agent who pushes you to waive inspection. An agent who says they work "all of Central Florida" without being able to name the specific communities and price bands they most frequently close in.

And one that surprises people: an agent who's too agreeable. Real estate negotiation requires someone who can hold a position and push back. If your agent agrees with everything you say in the interview, they'll agree with everything the other side says when it costs you money.

What MaxLife's listing process looks like

My 27-step pre-listing and marketing process isn't something I invented to sound impressive — it's a checklist that evolved from watching deals fall apart and figuring out at what step the problem originated. It includes a pre-listing inspection review, a staging consultation, professional photography with aerial, a curated social media campaign that runs before the property hits MLS, and an agent outreach push to buyers' agents I know are actively working the relevant price band.

If you're selling in greater Orlando and want to walk through the process before deciding anything, that's a conversation worth having — no obligation, just specifics.