# What Questions Should You Ask a Realtor Before Hiring Them? The Complete Interview List > What questions should you ask a realtor before hiring them? The complete interview list for El Paso buyers and sellers, with why each question matters and what a good answer sounds like. **Author:** Marina Ramirez **Published:** 2026-08-21 **Category:** Buyer's Guide --- What questions should you ask a realtor before hiring them? Ask about their recent sales volume in your price range, their track record in your specific neighborhoods, how and how often they will communicate with you, how they handle negotiations, whether they can serve your family in Spanish, and whether they have real experience with military and Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves. Those six areas, plus a few practical questions about contracts and references, will tell you more in a thirty-minute conversation than any website or yard sign ever will. Most people spend more time researching a refrigerator than the person who will guide them through a $250,000 transaction. That is not a character flaw. It is just that nobody hands you an interview script. This post is that script: the exact questions to ask, why each one matters, and what a strong answer sounds like so you can recognize one when you hear it. One note before we start. This list is about picking the right agent, not about whether to use one. In a market shaped by VA loans, tight PCS timelines, and neighborhood-by-neighborhood pricing differences, good representation routinely pays for itself. If you want the broader framework for evaluating agents, including how commissions work in Texas after the 2024 National Association of Realtors changes, read the companion guide on [how to choose a real estate agent in El Paso](/en/blog/choose-real-estate-agent-el-paso-2026). This post drills into the interview itself. ## The Short List If you only remember eight questions, make them these: 1. How many homes did you close in the last twelve months, and how many were in my price range? 2. When did you last close a deal in the neighborhoods I am considering? 3. How will we communicate, and how quickly do you return calls and texts? 4. Walk me through a recent negotiation. What did you actually do for your client? 5. Can you serve my family fully in Spanish? 6. Have you worked with VA loans and PCS timelines? 7. What will I sign, what does it cost, and can I cancel if this is not working? 8. Can I talk to two or three of your recent clients? Now let us take each one apart. ## Question 1: How Many Homes Did You Close Last Year, and in My Price Band? ### Why it matters A real estate license tells you someone passed a test. It does not tell you whether they are actively practicing. Agents who close regularly know what homes are actually selling for this month, which lenders are closing on time, and which listing agents are easy or difficult to work with. An agent who closed one or two deals last year is learning on your transaction. The second half of the question matters just as much. El Paso has agents who do excellent work on the west side above $400,000 but rarely touch the $180,000 to $250,000 range where most first-time buyers shop. Volume in your price band means the agent knows your competition, your appraisal risks, and your financing realities. ### What a good answer sounds like Specific numbers, offered without defensiveness. Something like: "I closed 22 transactions in the last twelve months, and about half were between $200,000 and $300,000." The exact number matters less than the honesty and the overlap with your budget. A vague answer like "I stay pretty busy" is a soft red flag. Everyone can name their own closing count. ## Question 2: What Is Your Track Record in My Neighborhoods? ### Why it matters El Paso is not one market. Pricing, days on market, school zones, builder reputations, and even soil and drainage issues vary dramatically between Socorro, Horizon City, Northeast El Paso, the far east side, and the west side. An agent who mostly works Horizon City new construction may not know which streets in Kern Place carry older-home quirks, and vice versa. If you have not narrowed down an area yet, our [neighborhood guides](/en/neighborhoods) are a good place to start before you interview anyone. ### What a good answer sounds like Named streets, subdivisions, and recent sales. "I closed two homes in Eastlake this spring and I have an active listing near Pebble Hills" beats "I work all over El Paso." Working the whole metro is fine, plenty of good agents do, but they should still be able to point to concrete, recent activity in or near your target area, or be upfront that they would be leaning on comparable sales research rather than firsthand experience. Honesty about the edge of their knowledge is itself a good sign. ## Question 3: How Will We Communicate, and How Fast Do You Respond? ### Why it matters More agent relationships die over communication than over competence. In a market where well-priced homes can go under contract in days, an agent who takes 24 hours to return a text can cost you the house. And when you are selling, silence for a week after a showing feels terrible even when nothing is wrong. You are trying to learn three things: the channel (call, text, email), the cadence (how often you will get updates even when nothing is happening), and the response time. ### What a good answer sounds like A concrete system, not a slogan. For example: "Text me anytime and I respond within a couple of hours during the day. When your home is listed, you get a call every Friday with showing feedback and market activity, even if the update is that nothing changed." Also listen for who answers: if a team assistant handles most communication, that is workable, but you should hear it now rather than discover it later. Which leads to a follow-up worth asking: "Who exactly will I be working with day to day?" ## Question 4: How Do You Approach Negotiation? ### Why it matters Negotiation is where an agent earns their fee, and it goes far beyond the offer price. Inspection repair requests, appraisal gaps, seller concessions toward closing costs, option period timing under a Texas contract, and leaseback terms are all negotiable, and each one can move thousands of dollars in either direction. You want an agent with a philosophy and recent reps, not someone who just relays messages between the parties. ### What a good answer sounds like A real story with a mechanism. Something like: "Last month my buyers' inspection turned up a roof near the end of its life. Instead of asking for a price cut the seller would have refused, we negotiated a roof replacement through the seller's insurance claim plus a concession toward closing costs." The details will differ. What you are listening for is specificity, creativity, and a sense of when to push and when to close the deal. Sellers should ask the mirror-image version: "How do you handle a low offer, and when do you advise me to counter versus walk?" For more on how negotiations play out on the selling side, see our [seller services page](/en/sellers). ## Question 5: Can You Serve My Family in Spanish? ### Why it matters El Paso is a bilingual city, and real estate decisions here are often family decisions. If your parents, your spouse, or the sellers on the other side of the table are more comfortable in Spanish, a truly bilingual agent prevents the games of telephone that cause misunderstandings about repairs, deadlines, and money. This is not a nice-to-have in El Paso. For many families it is the difference between everyone understanding the contract and one person translating under pressure at the closing table. ### What a good answer sounds like Simple and direct: "Yes, I conduct the entire transaction in Spanish when the client prefers it, including reviewing documents." Be a little careful with "conversational Spanish." Chatting is one thing. Explaining an appraisal gap or a survey exception in Spanish is another. If bilingual service matters to your family, have part of the interview conversation in Spanish and judge for yourself. ## Question 6: What Is Your Experience With Military Buyers and PCS Timelines? ### Why it matters Fort Bliss shapes this market like nothing else. Military transactions come with their own machinery: VA loan requirements and property condition standards, Basic Allowance for Housing math, buying from a duty station two time zones away, and closing timelines pinned to report dates rather than personal preference. An agent who has never handled a VA transaction will be learning those rules on your deal. If this is your situation, start with our [military relocation services](/en/military) and the full [PCS housing guide for Fort Bliss families](/en/blog/pcs-fort-bliss-housing-guide-2026). ### What a good answer sounds like Fluency with the vocabulary and the calendar. "Most of my summer closings are PCS families. I do video walkthroughs for buyers still at their current duty station, I know which lenders close VA loans on time here, and I build the contract around your report date" is the kind of answer you want. Ask a follow-up: "What happens if my orders change?" A military-experienced agent will immediately talk about contract protections and timing rather than looking surprised by the question. If you are comparing loan types along the way, our guide to [FHA, VA, and conventional loans in El Paso](/en/blog/fha-va-conventional-loans-el-paso-2026) breaks down how each one behaves in this market. ## Question 7: What Will I Sign, What Does It Cost, and How Do I Exit? ### Why it matters Since the industry changes of 2024, buyers sign a written representation agreement before touring homes, and that agreement spells out what your agent is paid and by whom. This is good for you: it puts everything on the table before you are emotionally attached to a house. A professional agent will walk you through the agreement line by line, explain how their compensation may be negotiated as part of your offer, and tell you clearly what happens if you want out. ### What a good answer sounds like Zero discomfort. "Here is the agreement, here is what I charge, here is how we often ask the seller to cover some or all of it in the offer, and if you are unhappy, ask me and I will release you" is the tone you are looking for. Hesitation, pressure to sign on the spot, or a refusal to discuss compensation in plain numbers are all signals to keep interviewing. The same applies to listing agreements when you are selling: ask about the length of the listing term and what cancellation looks like. ## Question 8: Can I Talk to Recent Clients? ### Why it matters Online reviews are useful but curated. A five-minute phone call with someone who closed with this agent in the last six months will tell you how the agent behaves when a deal gets stressful, which is the only time representation really gets tested. ### What a good answer sounds like "Of course, I will text you three numbers today." Ask those references two things: "What went wrong during your transaction, and how did the agent handle it?" Every deal has at least one bump. A reference who can describe the bump and the recovery is worth ten perfect star ratings. ## How to Run the Interview Itself A few practical notes on logistics: - **Interview two or three agents.** Not ten. You are comparing communication styles and depth of local knowledge, and after three conversations the differences are usually obvious. - **Do it before you are in a hurry.** The worst time to pick an agent is the weekend you fall in love with a house. If you are early in the process, our [first-time buyer services](/en/first-time-buyers) and the [first-time homebuyer guide for El Paso](/en/blog/first-time-homebuyer-guide-el-paso-2026) will help you get your footing first. - **Take notes on how the interview feels.** Did they ask about your goals, your timeline, your budget comfort? An agent who interviews you back is showing you how they will treat the transaction. - **Trust specifics over charisma.** The best answer in every category above is a concrete, checkable detail. The weakest is a confident generality. Hiring an agent is the one decision in your transaction that shapes every other decision. Thirty minutes of good questions is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy on a house. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How many realtors should I interview before hiring one? Two or three is the sweet spot. One interview gives you no comparison. More than four usually adds confusion rather than clarity. Prepare the same question list for each so you are comparing answers, not personalities. ### Is it rude to interview a realtor and not hire them? Not at all. Professional agents expect it and would rather earn your business in an interview than lose your trust mid-transaction. Simply tell the agents you did not choose that you went another direction. A short, honest message is all that is needed. ### What is a red flag when interviewing a realtor? The biggest ones: vagueness about their closing volume, no recent activity anywhere near your neighborhoods or price range, pressure to sign a representation or listing agreement on the spot, dismissiveness about VA loans or PCS timelines, and an inability to describe a specific recent negotiation. Any single one is worth a follow-up question. Two or more, keep looking. ### Should I ask a realtor about their commission? Yes, directly and early. Since the 2024 National Association of Realtors changes, buyer compensation is spelled out in a written agreement and is negotiable, and seller-side commissions have always been negotiable in Texas. A professional will discuss numbers plainly. Discomfort with the question is itself an answer. ### Do I need a bilingual realtor in El Paso? If anyone central to your decision, family members, co-buyers, or the other party, is more comfortable in Spanish, a genuinely bilingual agent removes a major source of misunderstanding. In a city where most households speak Spanish at home, it is one of the most practical qualifications an El Paso agent can have. ### What should military buyers ask a realtor specifically? Ask how many VA transactions they closed in the last year, how they handle remote house hunting from another duty station, how they build contracts around report dates, and what happens if orders change. An agent who works PCS moves regularly will answer all four without hesitation. --- ## Contact Marina Ramirez, REALTOR® — Clear View Realty (El Paso, TX) - Phone: (915) 240-8340 - Email: info@marina-ramirez.com - Website: https://marina-ramirez.com/en Human-readable version of this page: https://marina-ramirez.com/en/blog/questions-to-ask-realtor-before-hiring