How to Choose a Realtor in Houston

Seven checks to run before you hire an agent to buy or sell a Houston home

To choose a Realtor in Houston, check the agent's license on the Texas Real Estate Commission website, ask for their recent sales in your neighborhood and price range, and interview two or three agents before you sign anything. Hire the one who explains price with real sales data, tells you plainly what could go wrong, and has named people to handle the work between showings.

This guide is written by the Houston Properties Team, led by Paige Martin, Broker Associate with Real Broker, LLC. We have closed more than $2 billion in Houston real estate, served over 3,000 families, and earned more than 1,100 five-star reviews across Google, Zillow and HAR. Run every check on this page against us, too.

It is written for people buying or selling a Houston home above $500,000 that they plan to live in. If you need a rental or an investment property, the checks still work, but we are not the right team for that job.

How do I choose a real estate agent in Houston?
How do I verify a Texas real estate agent's license?
How do I pick a real estate agent to sell my house in Houston?
What should I look for in a Houston listing agent?
How many real estate agents should I interview?
Should I hire the agent who suggests the highest listing price?
How do I check the Houston Properties Team?

How do I choose a real estate agent in Houston?

Run these seven checks on every agent you talk to. Most take a few minutes. Together they show whether an agent really works in your neighborhood and price range, or only says so.

Check	How to do it	What a good answer looks like
License	Search the agent's name on the TREC license search	An active license, the sponsoring broker named, no disciplinary orders
Local sales	Ask for their closed sales in your area and price range in the last 12 months	Specific addresses and prices, not a lifetime total
Pricing	Ask how they would price your home, or judge a home you want to buy	Recent comparable sales, adjusted for size, condition, lot and flood history
Problems	Ask what usually goes wrong at your price point	A real answer: appraisal gaps, inspection repairs, insurance quotes, flood disclosures
People	Ask who handles showings, paperwork and vendor calls	Named people and roles, not just "my team"
Reviews	Read reviews on Google, Zillow and HAR, not only the agent's own site	Recent reviews that describe how the agent worked
Agreement	Read the listing agreement or buyer agreement before you sign	Plain terms for commission, length, and how to end it

Texas also requires every agent to give you the Information About Brokerage Services notice at your first real conversation. It explains who the agent works for. Ask for it if you do not get it.

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

Go to the TREC license holder search, type the agent's name, and open their record. It is free and public.

Check three things:

Status. It should read Active. A person with an inactive or expired license cannot represent you.
Sponsoring broker. A sales agent must be sponsored by a licensed broker, and the record names that broker. It should match the brokerage on the agent's marketing and on your agreement.
Discipline. TREC publishes final orders against license holders. Check that none are listed for the agent.

Then match the name on the license to the name on your agreement. It should be the same person and the same brokerage.

How do I pick a real estate agent to sell my house in Houston?

Interview two or three agents who have sold homes near yours in the last year. Ask each one for the same three numbers on their recent listings in your area: the list price, the sale price, and the days on market. Then compare the answers side by side.

In the interview, ask:

What would you list my home for, and which recent sales support that number?
What will you do in the first week on the market?
Who will I hear from each week, and how?
Which repairs or updates would you do before listing, and which would you skip?
How do you handle the inspection and the appraisal once we have a contract?

A good listing agent brings comparable sales to the first meeting. See how we prepare a Houston home for sale on our seller page.

What should I look for in a Houston listing agent?

Look for an agent who has sold homes like yours recently, prices with comparable sales instead of a guess, and puts the marketing plan in writing before you sign.

Specifically:

Recent sales near you. Houston prices can change block by block, and from one side of a bayou to the other. An agent who sold on your street last spring knows more than one who sold across town.
A written marketing plan. Photos, video, floor plan, launch date, and where the listing will appear.
Flood knowledge. Texas sellers answer flood questions on the Seller's Disclosure Notice. Your agent should know how to answer them clearly and how buyers will read them.
Negotiation after the contract. Repair requests after the inspection are common. Ask for an example of how they handled one.
A team behind them. One agent cannot answer every call during a busy listing week. Ask who covers when they are with another client.

How many real estate agents should I interview?

Two or three. One interview gives you nothing to compare. More than three usually adds time without adding new information.

Hold the interviews in the same week and ask each agent the same questions, so the answers are easy to compare. If you are buying, ask how they find homes before they are listed, and how they write an offer that wins without overpaying.

Whoever you hire, you will sign a written agreement. Since August 2024, agents who use the MLS must have a written agreement with a buyer before touring a home with them. Read it before you sign, the same way you would read a listing agreement.

Should I hire the agent who suggests the highest listing price?

No, not for that reason alone. A price the sales data does not support often leads to more days on the market, price cuts, and a lower final number than a well-priced home would have reached.

Ask every agent to show you the comparable sales behind their number. The right price is one they can defend to a buyer and to the appraiser. If one agent's number is far above the others, ask what they know that the others do not. If they cannot show you sales that support it, treat the number as a sales pitch.

How do I check the Houston Properties Team?

Use the same seven checks. Here is what you will find.

License. Paige Martin is a Broker Associate with Real Broker, LLC. Search her name on the TREC license search.
Rank. RealTrends Verified ranked the team No. 1 in Houston for 2025, with $143.6 million in transaction volume, and No. 6 in Texas (HousingWire, January 2026).
Track record. More than $2 billion closed and over 3,000 families served.
Reviews. More than 1,100 five-star reviews across Google, Zillow and HAR.
People. 21 support staff, and every agent is named on our agent page.

Who we are for: buyers and sellers of Houston homes above $500,000 who plan to live in them and are deciding in the next 6 to 18 months.

Who we are not for: leases, rentals, and investor portfolio work. Tell us what you need and we will point you to someone who does it well.

Next step: call 713-425-4194, browse Houston homes for sale, or see how we sell a Houston home.

If you are a Houston agent comparing teams, see careers with the Houston Properties Team.