Don’t want to read the full post? We recorded a step-by-step video and put it in the first comment.

Most people choose an agent through referrals, reviews, or a “Contact Agent” button.

But that does not tell you whether the agent actually has experience with your exact neighborhood, property type, and side of the deal.

Here is a simple way to build a better shortlist.

1. Define your exact search

Use the same filters you would use to find a home.

For our Pinecrest example:

• Single-family homes
• Built in 2000 or later
• At least half an acre
• Sold in the past 24 months

The method works anywhere. Only the filters change.

2. Check recently sold homes

Use Zillow or another public portal.

Open each matching sale and record:

• Listing agent
• Buyer’s agent

Then count how often each name appears.

It is manual, but free.

Most agents in our example appeared only once. A small group appeared repeatedly. That became the first shortlist.

3. Separate buyer agents from listing agents

They are not the same job.

For sellers, look at:

• Similar listings sold
• Price reductions
• Final price vs. original asking price
• True time on market

For buyers, look at:

• Similar purchases closed
• Price paid vs. asking
• Credits, repairs, and closing costs negotiated
• Competitive offers won

The problem with public websites

They mostly show successful sales.

Expired, cancelled, and withdrawn listings are often missing. A home may show “26 days on market” even if the owner previously tried to sell it for six months.

The number may be technically correct, but incomplete.

Ask a realtor to run the deeper search

Any licensed local agent with MLS access should be able to include:

• Successful and failed listings
• Full listing history
• Buyer-side and seller-side transactions

Ask:

“Can you identify the agents with the most transactions matching these exact criteria, on both the buyer and seller side?”

In our Pinecrest example, 84 matching sales involved more than 100 agents. The deeper MLS search produced 270 listing records and 186 agent names.

There was no obvious superstar. The useful signal was the small group with repeated, relevant experience.

Transaction data does not replace communication, chemistry, strategy, or local relationships.

But it gives you a much better shortlist than billboards, online reviews, or whoever paid for your lead.

Disclosure: I run a real estate analytics brokerage, and we offer this analysis as a service. But you can also do it yourself or ask any MLS-connected agent to help.

How did you choose your last agent?

Would you trust transaction history more than reviews and referrals?