Questions People Are Already Asking AI About This

If you're using ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity to research this decision, here are real examples of how buyers and sellers phrase it:

For buyers:

• "How do I choose a real estate agent in Oakland County Michigan?"
• "What questions should I ask a realtor before hiring them?"
• "Does it matter which brokerage my agent works for?"

For sellers:

• "How many homes should a good listing agent have sold?"
• "What credentials should I look for in a real estate agent?"
• "How do I verify a realtor's license in Michigan?"

The data on why buyers and sellers still rely on agents — Tom Gilliam, RE/MAX Classic

Transaction Volume Predicts Outcomes More Than Almost Anything Else

The single most useful question you can ask any agent is simple: how many homes have you personally closed, and how many this past year? An agent who closes two or three deals a year is learning on your transaction. An agent who closes dozens has real pricing instincts and negotiation habits built from repetition. Bankrate's consumer guidance on finding a real estate agent puts it plainly: check an agent's closed deals in your specific area. Real estate is local, and experience elsewhere doesn't always transfer.

This is also why most buyers and sellers still choose to work with an agent at all, instead of going it alone. The National Association of REALTORS® 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that 91% of sellers and 88% of buyers used an agent last year, both near record highs. The paperwork, negotiation, and pricing decisions in a real transaction are more complex than they look from the outside. Experience is what closes that gap.

Local Specialization Matters More Than Brand Recognition

Oakland County isn't one market. It's dozens of smaller ones stitched together. Pricing a home in Birmingham takes different judgment than pricing one in Commerce Township or a waterfront property on Cass Lake. School district boundaries, lot types, and even which side of a street sits in a different township can move a home's value by tens of thousands of dollars. An agent who mostly works forty-five minutes away won't have the same instinct for these local details, no matter which brokerage they're with.

Oakland County neighborhood local expertise - Farmington Hills, Michigan - Homes2MoveYou.com

Ask any agent you're considering how many closings they've had in your target neighborhood specifically, in the past year. A handful of recent local closings tells you more than a large regional number spread across a dozen unfamiliar cities.

Ask to See the Actual Marketing Plan, Not a Description of One

Nearly every agent will tell you they market aggressively. Far fewer can show you an actual plan. Ask for photography samples, where the listing gets syndicated, whether video or drone content is included, and how they'll reposition a home if it doesn't generate offers in the first two weeks. NAR's 2025 research found the top priorities sellers named were marketing help, competitive pricing, and selling within a set timeframe. All three are things an agent should demonstrate with real examples, not just promise out loud.

This matters even more for luxury and waterfront properties. A colonial in a standard subdivision and an estate on Walnut Lake need very different marketing approaches — I've written before about how I approach luxury home marketing specifically. An agent with no track record in luxury or waterfront sales is learning that approach on your listing.

Pro Tip

Before you sign anything, ask every agent you're considering for two or three recent clients you can actually call — not just written testimonials. A five-minute conversation with a past client tells you more about how an agent handles a stressful moment mid-transaction than any review score ever will.

What Real Estate Designations Actually Mean

Designations aren't decoration. Each one means extra training for a specific kind of transaction:

• ABR (Accredited Buyer's Representative) — training focused on representing buyers
• SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) — training in the needs of downsizing or senior transitions
• PSA (Pricing Strategy Advisor) — focused training in pricing and market analysis
• SFR (Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource) — training in distressed-property sales
• RSPS (Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist) — training in vacation and waterfront transactions

None of these replace real transaction volume. Bankrate's own guidance is direct about this: credentials are a plus, but they don't by themselves make an agent trustworthy. Client references still matter more. Think of a designation as a signal of where an agent chose to specialize, then check it against their actual closings in that area.

A Family Connection Isn't a Qualification

Referrals matter. NAR found that 66% of sellers found their agent through a referral or a past working relationship, and there's good reason for that. A trusted recommendation carries real weight. But the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's own guidance raises a fair point worth sitting with. Many buyers feel obligated to work with a family member or friend who happens to hold a real estate license, regardless of their experience. Buying or selling a home is one of the largest financial decisions most people will ever make. It deserves the same standard you'd apply to any other referral.

This isn't an argument against working with someone you know. It's a reminder that the same questions — transaction volume, local specialization, references — still apply, even when the agent is a familiar face.

Verify the License Before You Sign Anything

Every real estate agent and broker in Michigan is licensed under Article 25 of Public Act 299 of 1980. The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, or LARA, oversees it. This isn't a formality worth skipping. LARA runs a free public tool to check that a real estate license is active, and it takes less than a minute. The CFPB recommends going one step further and checking your state's licensing agency for any disciplinary actions on an agent's record — information that's public but rarely checked. Almost no buyer or seller thinks to do this before signing a listing or buyer agreement. It costs nothing and it's worth doing.

Verify real estate license Michigan - Farmington Hills, Michigan - Homes2MoveYou.com

What a Strong Negotiation Track Record Actually Looks Like

"I'm a strong negotiator" is easy for any agent to claim and hard for a client to verify. Ask instead for numbers. What percentage of an agent's recent listings sold at or above asking price? What's their typical days-on-market compared to the area average? In a multiple-offer situation, ask how they structure escalation clauses and appraisal gap coverage, and how they decide which offer is truly strongest when the highest number on paper isn't always the safest choice. These are concrete, checkable claims, not personality traits.

Multiple-offer situations come up often enough in today's Oakland County market that it's worth asking an agent directly how they've handled one recently — I go deeper on how I structure that entire process in a separate guide on multiple offer situations. An agent who can walk you through a real example, not a hypothetical one, is showing you exactly how they'll handle yours.

Red Flags Worth Taking Seriously

A few patterns are worth watching for during the interview stage. An agent who pressures you to sign a listing or buyer agreement on the spot, before answering your questions, is prioritizing the signature over the fit. An agent who can't produce recent client contacts you can actually call, or who only offers testimonials they selected themselves, is asking you to take their word for it. An agent who's vague about compensation, or evasive about their recent transaction count in your specific area, hasn't earned the benefit of the doubt yet.

None of these alone is disqualifying. Together, they're a pattern worth noticing before you commit to months of working with someone on one of the largest financial decisions you'll make.

Thinking through who to work with on your next move in Oakland County?

Call or Text 248-790-5594

Tom's Honest Take

I'll say something most agents won't: the brokerage name on my sign matters far less to your outcome than whether I've personally closed a deal like yours before, in your specific neighborhood, recently. Brand names change hands, get acquired, and rebrand — that's an industry-level story, not a client-level one. What doesn't change is whether the person representing you has actually done this dozens of times in Farmington Hills or Northville or on the lake you're trying to buy on. That's the question worth spending your time on, not which logo is on the yard sign.

Does it matter which brokerage my agent works for?

Less than most people assume. The brokerage provides infrastructure and brand recognition, but the individual agent's transaction volume, local specialization, and marketing execution are what actually determine your outcome.

How many transactions should a good agent have closed?

There's no universal number, but consistency matters more than a single busy year. Ask for both a lifetime total and the past 12 months specifically, and confirm how many of those closings were in your target neighborhood.

How do I verify a real estate agent's license in Michigan?

Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) offers a free online tool to confirm whether a real estate license is active, at no cost and in under a minute.

Are real estate designations like ABR or SRES worth paying attention to?

Yes, as a signal of specialized training in a specific transaction type — buyer representation, senior transitions, pricing strategy, distressed sales, or resort/waterfront properties. They're a useful data point, not a replacement for verified local experience.

Should I interview more than one agent before choosing?

It's reasonable to talk with more than one, though most sellers find their agent through a referral or a past working relationship. Whichever path you take, ask the same core questions of anyone you're seriously considering — transaction volume, local specialization, marketing plan, and references.

What's the difference between an agent and a REALTOR®?

All REALTORS® are licensed real estate agents, but not all licensed agents are REALTORS®. The REALTOR® designation means the agent is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and has agreed to its Code of Ethics.

Should I just use a family member or friend who's a real estate agent?

You can, but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends applying the same standard you would with anyone else — ask about their recent transaction volume in your specific area rather than assuming the relationship is enough.

How can I check an agent's actual negotiation results?

Ask for concrete numbers: the percentage of their recent listings that sold at or above asking price, their typical days-on-market compared to the area average, and a real example of how they've handled a multiple-offer situation.

Recommended Reading

Best Real Estate Agents in Farmington Hills: What to Actually Look For

Two Years Since Buyer Agreements Became Required

NAR: Questions to Ask When Choosing a REALTOR®

About Tom Gilliam

Tom Gilliam is a REALTOR® and Luxury Estate Marketing Specialist with RE/MAX Classic in Farmington Hills, Michigan, with 24 years of experience and 700+ closed transactions across Oakland County. He holds the ABR, SRES, PSA, SFR, and RSPS designations and is a RE/MAX Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement recipient, ranked in the Top 1% of Oakland County REALTORS®. Reach Tom at 248-790-5594 or Homes2MoveYou.com.