Selling and buying at the top of the market is a different job from a starter-home transaction : bigger numbers, thinner comps, more moving parts, and mistakes that cost tens of thousands instead of thousands. Before you hire anyone (including me), ask these twelve questions. Good agents love them; weak ones get vague.

The questions

  1. How many homes have you sold in this specific neighborhood : in the last twelve months? Not "the area." The neighborhood. Luxury value is hyperlocal, and your agent should know your street's comps cold.
  2. What did those homes list for, and what did they close at? List-to-close ratios are track record. Get the numbers.
  3. What's your marketing plan : specifically? Photography, staging recommendations, pre-listing preparation, where the home gets marketed, and to whom. "MLS and Zillow" is not a luxury marketing plan.
  4. How do you handle a simultaneous sale and purchase? Move-up coordination : financing between homes, contingency structuring, leasebacks, same-day closings : is a specialist skill. If you're moving up, this is the most important question on the list. (The move-up guide.)
  5. May I see your references : your last three clients? Not cherry-picked testimonials from five years ago. The last three.
  6. What's your negotiation plan for an appraisal gap at this price point? (If they can't discuss reconsideration of value, gap clauses, and comp packages, that's an answer. The appraisal post.)
  7. How do you price? A great answer involves the specific comps, the market's direction this quarter, and honest talk about what the house is worth versus what sellers hope. A bad answer involves agreeing with whatever you want to hear.
  8. What will this house cost to own : the tax picture at my purchase, insurance at this roof's age? Your agent should bring up the property tax surprise themselves, not wait to be asked. (The tax post.)
  9. Who are your inspectors and specialists? Luxury due diligence needs foundation, pool, HVAC, and survey depth. Agents have benches. Ask about theirs.
  10. What's your communication cadence? You'll learn more from this answer than from any of the marketing materials.
  11. What would you do differently if you were the buyer here? Reveals whether they think like a fiduciary or a salesperson.
  12. Why you : honestly? The best answer is track record plus candor. The worst is a brochure.

What the answers should sound like

Specific numbers. Named streets. A marketing plan with line items. Candor about your house's flaws. Willingness to hand you three references unprompted. If you hear generalities, market-speak, or a listing appointment that's mostly about the agent : keep interviewing.

Common questions

Do luxury agents charge more?

Commissions are negotiable everywhere, and the luxury market's fees are set by negotiation, not a rate card. What matters is what the fee buys: the marketing plan, the negotiation, and the coordination of your simultaneous transactions.

Should I hire a "luxury specialist"?

Hire the agent with the track record in your specific neighborhood and the skills for your specific transaction : moving up, financing the gap, and closing two deals at once. The title on the business card matters less than the answers to the twelve questions above.

Want to ask me all twelve? Call or text 817-372-9896. Check the answers : that's the point of the questions. The Southlake city page is where the market answers live.