For anyone that’s sold a home before, they’ll be the first to tell you that choosing the right agent has everything to do with how smooth it goes.

Selling a home can be stressful, and the right agent should be there every step of the way.

When looking for a realtor, asking friends or family is a good place to start. Personal recommendations from people you know are often a smart way to finding what you need since it’s based on the experience of someone you know.

If this isn’t an option, another way to look for a real estate agent is by checking online reviews, which provide social proof from others based on their own experiences. If the agent has a strong rating, along with numerous reviews and a strong overall sentiment, they could be a candidate.

When relying on reviews to help you select an agent, you want someone with a few dozen and at least a 4-star rating to have any confidence in their potential. It’s also important to look at how recent those ratings are as well. A few should be within the last ninety days, and you should see regular updates and referrals from past clients.

Most other ways of choosing a realtor leave your outcome to chance. Without validating their abilities through connections or reviews you’re less likely to have a good outcome.

When you’ve narrowed things down to a few realtors you might consider, some of the traits you want to look for can include honest, great communications, and local market knowledge.

Over 62% rely on reviews and reputation of a realtor to find an agent that’s right for them, and it’s the opinions of others that help them find one.

If you don’t do your homework, you can wind up with the wrong fit in terms of an agent, and selling your home can become a nightmare in ways you couldn’t anticipate. Especially for those new to the process.

It isn’t always about experience, although that is a strong consideration. You can find young agents that are hungry, ambitious, that have a great attitude, habits and ethics.

It never hurts to ask lots of questions. A home is your biggest investment and you want to find an agent you’re comfortable and confident with to help you make the right choices and get the best results.

You might also do yourself a favor to read these considerations before hiring an agent to get more ideas and insight for making the right choice.