Why it's worth interviewing more than one realtor
Most people choose a realtor the way they choose a dentist, which is to say they call the first name a friend mentions and hope it works out, and for a transaction that is probably the largest check you will ever write, that is a lot of faith to put in a single recommendation. One honest conversation with two or three agents will tell you more than any amount of online reviews, as long as you go in with the right questions.
I'm a Portland agent, and I would genuinely rather you interview me alongside a couple of other people than hire me by default, because the clients who chose me after comparing notes are the ones who trusted me fastest when a deal got complicated. The questions below are the ones I would ask if I were sitting on your side of the table, and under each one I've noted what a good answer sounds like, so you can tell the difference between someone who knows this market and someone who is very good at interviews.
You don't need to ask all thirty. Skim the sections that fit your situation, pick the eight or ten that matter most to you, and pay as much attention to how an agent answers as to what they say, since a confident "I don't know, but I'll find out" is worth more than a smooth answer that never actually lands on anything.
Questions about experience and track record
1. How long have you been licensed, and is real estate your full-time job?
Years in the business matter less than most people assume, but full-time matters a great deal, because a part-time agent can't drop everything at 4pm on a Tuesday when the right house hits the market and every other buyer in the neighborhood is booking a showing for that evening. A good answer gives you a number of years and tells you plainly whether this is the only thing they do.
2. How many clients did you help buy or sell in the last 12 months, and at what price points?
Volume on its own isn't the point, since an agent closing forty deals a year may be handing you off to an assistant, but you do want to know they are active in your price range right now. Someone who mostly sells $450,000 condos can certainly help you buy a $1.2 million house in Eastmoreland, yet the negotiation, the inspection conversations and the competing buyers all look different at that level, and recent experience there is a real advantage.
3. Which Portland neighborhoods do you know best, and what have you sold there recently?
Portland is a city of very distinct neighborhoods, and two homes a mile apart can be priced very differently because of which side of a busy street they sit on, which school boundary they fall inside, or how far they are from a MAX stop. A good answer names actual streets and recent sales and explains what drove the price, rather than a breezy "I work all over the metro area."
4. Can I talk to two or three of your recent clients?
Any agent can show you a page of five-star reviews, so ask for a phone number instead, ideally for someone whose situation looks like yours. When you call, skip "were they good?" and ask what went wrong during the transaction and how the agent handled it, because every deal has a rough patch somewhere and that is where you learn who someone really is.
Questions about how they work with you
5. Do you work solo or with a team, and who will I actually be talking to day to day?
Teams can work beautifully, but you should know before you sign whether the person interviewing you is the person who will answer your texts, write your offer and stand in the basement with your inspector, or whether you will be handed to a newer agent once the paperwork is signed. I work solo, so the person you interview is the person you get, and I think every agent should be able to answer this one in a single clear sentence.
6. How will we communicate, and how quickly do you usually respond?
Some people want a phone call, some want a text with a link, and some want a tidy weekly email, and an agent worth hiring will ask which you prefer rather than assuming. Ask about typical response times on weekdays and on weekends too, because when a good house can go under contract over a single weekend, a reply on Monday morning is a reply that arrived too late.
7. How many clients are you working with right now?
There is no magic number here, but an honest answer tells you whether you will be a priority or one name on a long list. A good agent will also explain how they handle the weeks when several clients are writing offers at the same time, because those weeks always come.
8. Which lenders, inspectors and contractors do you trust, and do you receive anything for referring them?
An agent's bench of professionals is part of what you are hiring, since a responsive lender and a thorough inspector can rescue a deal that would otherwise fall apart in the last week. A good answer offers two or three names in each category, discloses any business relationship with them up front, and makes it clear that you are always free to bring your own people.
Questions about commission, fees and agreements
The rules here changed recently, so this section matters more than it used to. Since January 1, 2025, Oregon law has required any agent representing a buyer to work under a written buyer representation agreement, and under current national practice you will usually be asked to sign one before you tour a home with an agent, whether in person or virtually, according to the Oregon Real Estate Agency. Walking through an open house on your own does not require one.
9. How are you paid, and can I read your agreement before our first showing?
Whether you are buying or selling, you should see the agreement, in writing, before you commit to anything, and a good agent will walk you through it line by line without making you feel rushed. Buyers should ask specifically what happens if the seller doesn't offer to cover the buyer's agent's fee, since that is now something negotiated deal by deal, and you want to know where you stand before you fall in love with a house.
10. How long does the agreement last, and how do I get out of it if it isn't working?
In Oregon, a buyer agreement has to spell out whether it is exclusive or non-exclusive, when it starts and ends, how the agent may be paid, and what termination rights both of you have, and the term can't run longer than 24 months. Plenty of good agents will start with a shorter term while you get to know each other, and an agent who insists on locking you in for the maximum on day one is telling you something about how they work.
11. Are there any fees beyond your commission?
Some brokerages add a separate transaction or administrative fee that only shows up on your closing statement, and while it is usually modest, nobody enjoys a surprise line item at the signing table. Ask now so the number is in writing.
12. Would you ever represent both me and the other side of the deal?
Oregon allows something called disclosed limited agency, where one agent represents both the buyer and the seller in the same transaction with both parties' written consent. Some agents never do this and some do it regularly, and what you want to hear is exactly how they would protect your confidential information and your negotiating position if it ever came up.
Questions to ask a listing agent if you're selling
13. What would you list my home for, and can you walk me through the comps?
Be wary of the agent who quotes the highest number in the room to win your listing and then starts suggesting price reductions three weeks later, because that strategy costs you time on the market and leverage with buyers. A good answer shows you recent comparable sales, explains how they adjusted for differences like a finished basement or a detached garage, and gives you a range with real reasoning behind it.
14. What is your list-to-sale price ratio and average days on market, compared with my neighborhood?
These two numbers tell you whether an agent prices homes accurately, but ask for them alongside the neighborhood's numbers, since a hot pocket of the city makes everyone look good. Then ask for one story about a listing that didn't go to plan, because how they talk about that one is more revealing than any statistic.
15. What exactly is your marketing plan?
Professional photos and an MLS listing are the floor, not a plan. Ask who shoots the photos, whether there will be video and a floor plan, how they use social media and email, whether they reach out to other agents before the home goes live, and whether they hold open houses and why, then ask to see the actual materials from a recent listing so you can judge the work for yourself.
16. What should I fix before we list, and what should I leave alone?
A good listing agent will talk you out of a $30,000 kitchen remodel as often as they talk you into fresh paint, better lighting and a tidy front yard, because most updates done right before a sale don't return what they cost. Ask whether they recommend a pre-listing inspection, which can take the drama out of the buyer's inspection later.
17. How do you handle multiple offers?
Ask whether they would set an offer review date, how they weigh price against terms like financing, contingencies and closing date, and how they keep every buyer's agent engaged until the very end. When I listed a Grant Park home at $899,000, six offers came in within 36 hours and it sold for $1,075,000, and the plan for those 36 hours had been decided well before the photographer arrived.
18. What happens if it doesn't sell in the first two weeks?
You want to hear a plan, not optimism: when they would review showing feedback with you, at what point they would recommend a price adjustment, and what a relaunch would look like. An agent who has thought about this before your home goes live is an agent who won't panic if it happens.
Questions to ask a buyer's agent if you're buying
19. How do you write a competitive offer without overpaying?
A good buyer's agent looks at the comps for that specific house, calls the listing agent to learn how offers are being handled, and talks with you about the terms that matter besides price, such as inspection timing, earnest money and closing date. Most importantly, they will tell you their honest number even when it is lower than the one you were hoping to hear.
20. Which inspections do you recommend, and how do you negotiate what they find?
A general home inspection is the starting point, and in Portland it is rarely the only one you will want, which I cover in the next section. Ask how the agent decides between asking for repairs, asking for a credit, or letting something go, and listen for a clear philosophy that focuses on safety and major systems rather than every cosmetic item on the report.
21. How do you hear about homes as soon as they become available?
The honest answer usually involves relationships with other agents, paying close attention to the neighborhoods you care about, and a fast alert setup, not a secret vault of hidden listings. Be a little skeptical of anyone who leans heavily on off-market promises during an interview, and ask how many of their recent buyers actually bought that way.
22. Would you ever tell me not to buy a house I love?
The best answer is yes, followed by a real example. An agent's paycheck depends on a deal closing, so you want someone who will walk you away from a failing sewer line or an inflated price anyway, and who has done it before without making you feel foolish for falling for the house in the first place.
Portland-specific questions most checklists skip
National lists of realtor interview questions are written for every market at once, which means they miss the things that actually trip people up here. These four will tell you quickly whether an agent knows Portland or just knows real estate.
23. How do you read a Home Energy Score, and how much should it matter to me?
Portland, along with Bend, Hillsboro and Milwaukie, requires sellers of most single-family homes, and of attached homes that run from foundation to roof, to get a Home Energy Score before publicly listing, according to the Oregon Real Estate Agency. The score runs from 1 to 10, there is no minimum needed to sell, and the assessment typically costs $150 to $300, so sellers should ask when their agent schedules it, and buyers should ask how the agent would translate a low score into heating costs and negotiating room.
24. Do you recommend a sewer scope and an oil tank scan on older homes?
A huge share of Portland's housing was built in the early 1900s, which means aging sewer lines and, in many neighborhoods, heating oil tanks that were buried in the yard decades ago and are easy to overlook. Both can turn into expensive surprises after closing, so the answer you want is an immediate yes, followed by the names of the companies they trust and an explanation of how they would negotiate if something turned up.
25. Why might this house's property taxes look so different from the one next door?
Oregon taxes homes on an assessed value whose growth has been capped since the late 1990s, rather than on current market value, so two nearly identical homes on the same block can carry very different tax bills. A Portland agent should be able to pull the tax record for any home you are considering and explain the bill in plain language before you write an offer.
26. What do older Portland homes tend to hide, and how do you spot it?
The character and charm of a 1912 Craftsman is the reason many of us fall for this city, and it often arrives alongside things like a basement that was finished without permits, original wiring, or foundation settling that has been patched more than once. A good agent will give you specific examples from homes they have actually sold, rather than a generic warning to read the inspection report carefully.
Questions to ask if you're relocating to Portland
27. Have you helped people relocate from out of state, and how do you handle showings when I'm not here?
Many of my clients are moving up from California, and buying from a few states away works well when the agent has a real process for it rather than a willingness to hold up a phone. Ask how they run live video tours, whether they will tell you about the things a camera misses, like traffic noise, a musty basement or a neighbor's barking dog, and keep in mind that you will typically sign a buyer agreement before a virtual tour just as you would before an in-person one.
28. Can you help me choose a neighborhood before I choose a house?
The right agent will help you narrow the map first, using your commute, the kind of street life you want, and how you actually spend your weekends, so you aren't trying to evaluate a neighborhood and a house on the same rushed trip. Because of fair housing rules, a good agent will give you facts and point you to official sources for things like school boundaries rather than labeling neighborhoods "good" or "bad," and that is a sign of professionalism rather than evasiveness.
29. How do you handle the timing if I'm also selling a home somewhere else?
Ask whether they have written offers contingent on the sale of another home, how they think about rent-backs and bridge financing, and how they coordinate with your listing agent in the other state. You are looking for someone who has done this before and can describe exactly how the dates lined up.
30. Can I close remotely, and what does that look like?
Many closings can be signed remotely with a mobile notary, but the details depend on your lender and the title company, so it is worth knowing up front which partners make this easy. A good answer names the title companies they work with most often and explains what you would need to sign, ship or be present for.
Red flags to listen for in a realtor interview
The answers matter, but so does the shape of the conversation, and a few patterns are worth noticing even when the agent is charming about it.
They name a sale price for your home before they have seen it or pulled a single comp.
They want your signature on an agreement without walking you through how they are paid and how either of you can end it.
The whole conversation is about them, and they never ask about your timeline, your budget or why you are moving in the first place.
They answer questions about numbers with adjectives, like "I sell a ton in that area," instead of an actual count.
They speak badly about other agents by name, which is usually a preview of how they will treat the agent on the other side of your deal.
They discourage you from interviewing anyone else, which is the clearest sign of all that you should.
Interviewing realtors in Portland?
If you are planning a move in or to Portland, I would love to be one of the agents you talk to, and you are more than welcome to bring this list along and ask me every question on it. Call or text me at 503-748-9818, or if you are still in the early research stage, start with my free Local's Guide to Portland and reach out whenever you are ready to talk.
