Interviewing a listing agent is about finding out how they price, what they charge, and how they behave when something goes wrong. The most useful question is what their last five listings sold for against their original asking price, because that number is hard to dress up.
This explains how home selling works in Texas. It is not legal advice and it is not tax advice. Kyle is a Realtor. For advice about your own situation, talk to an attorney or a tax professional.
You are about to hand one person your largest asset for three months. It is worth an hour of real questions.
A note on how to use this. Ask two or three agents the same questions. You are not trying to catch anybody out. You are trying to hear the difference between someone who has thought about your situation and someone who is running a presentation.
Before you hire anybody
That second one deserves a warning. Coming in high to win the listing and then pushing for price reductions in week four is a real practice, and it is expensive for you. Here is what it costs, using this market’s own numbers.
Days on market and percent of original list price, July 2026
18 / 97.7%
plano
35 / 95.5%
frisco
49 / 92.3%
prosper
54 / 93.8%
celina
Source: NTREIS Trends, single-family residential. Figures as of July 2026.
Across the eight North Dallas cities I work in, the longer homes sat, the further they landed from what they first asked. That is a pattern across different markets rather than proof about any one house, and the expensive cities are slower for reasons of their own. But the direction is consistent enough to take seriously. A house that starts too high does not just take longer. It tends to finish lower.
About the actual work
Before the house goes live
Once you have an offer
Before closing
The whole list, to take with you
What did your last five listings sell for against their original asking price?
What would you list my house for, and what would you expect it to sell for?
How did you arrive at that, and what would make you tell me to lower it?
What am I paying you, for how long, and what happens if I cancel?
Are you asking me to contribute toward the buyer’s agent, and what does that buy me?
Who actually shows up to do the work?
How often will I hear from you when nothing is happening?
What would you fix in this house, and what would you leave alone?
Which districts is my house in, and are those notices ready?
Should the seller’s disclosure go out before we list?
On this offer, what is the option period costing me?
Can we get lender status updates, and how often?
Are we still marketing for back-up offers?
Repairs or credit, and why?
If the appraisal comes in low, what do we do?
Can I see a draft settlement statement before closing day?
An agent who answers all sixteen straight, including the awkward ones about money, is telling you a lot about how the next three months will go.
Ask what their last five listings sold for against the original asking price, how they arrived at your price, what would make them tell you to lower it, exactly what you are agreeing to pay and for how long, and who actually shows up to do the work.
Yes. Paragraph 12B of the current TREC contract states plainly that brokerage compensation is not set by law and is fully negotiable. Your listing agreement sets what you pay your own broker, and it is a negotiation like any other term.
Two or three is enough to see a real difference in approach. What matters more than the number is asking each of them the same questions, so you are comparing answers instead of comparing personalities.
The clearest one is a price noticeably higher than everyone else's with no explanation of how they got there. Buying a listing with a high number and then pushing for reductions later is a real practice, and it costs sellers time and percent of original list price.
Most listing agreements are exclusive, which is normal. What matters is the length of the term and what happens if you want out. Both are negotiable and both should be answered clearly before you sign.
Checked against TREC 20-19, effective 07/01/2026 on August 25, 2026. Last updated August 25, 2026 · Written by Kyle Rohlfs, U.S. Veteran, Realtor, Christie's International Real Estate
Questions about your own sale?
Every house is different. If you want this applied to yours, reach out and I will walk you through it.
