[prdonahue]

The problem is, like with financial advisors, it’s nearly impossible to reliably discern the good agents from the bad. And most are bad as the market is flooded with charlatans who market themselves relentlessly.

If you disagree, what’s a reliable way to identify the great agents?

[joshstrange]

Reliable way? Interview them, lots of people meet with multiple realtors before deciding. Also, ask for recommendations from close friends. Good realtors don’t burn their clients and they leave them satisfied with the deal they brokered, wanting to use the realtor again.

It’s not easy, I won’t lie to you, you aren’t going to find a perfect filter online. You can read reviews to narrow it down but you’ll need to talk to them most likely. Just avoid any of the sponsored, “recommended”, paid ads. Zillow, for example, is only showing you agents that paid for the privilege.

The charlatans are often the ones advertising the best “deal” to customers. It’s a race to the bottom with some of the scummiest people who only come out of the woodwork when the market is booming and they can attract customers and make money on the quality side and burn bridges with their clients and other agents (these are often incompetent people) but who cares? You’re not in it for repeat business, you’re just trying to move houses ASAP. And yeah, these people suck but they exist in every industry/job I’ve had/seen close up.