Most people think choosing an agent starts with Zillow reviews and yard signs. It doesn’t — or at least, it shouldn’t.

You probably already know a few agents. Your neighbor does something in real estate. Your cousin got her license a couple of years ago. Your coworker’s uncle has sold a lot of homes in Johnson County. The hard part isn’t finding someone who can technically list your house. It’s knowing what matters when you’re deciding who to trust with your biggest financial decision.

Local Knowledge Matters More Than Volume

The first thing I’d tell anyone interviewing agents: hyper-local knowledge matters more than total sales volume.

An agent who sells 50 homes a year in Overland Park and occasionally works north of the river is not the same as someone who’s in Liberty, Smithville, and Kearney every week. North of the river has its own buyer pool, price dynamics, and neighborhood quirks. An agent who doesn’t know that a house on the Antioch corridor in Gladstone sells differently than one in the Hills of Oakwood community in Liberty isn’t going to price yours correctly — or negotiate it the right way.

When you’re interviewing agents, ask: “How many homes have you sold north of the river in the last 12 months?” The answer tells you more than any stack of five-star reviews.

The Agent Who Gives You the Highest Number Isn’t Necessarily the Best One

This is worth understanding before you walk into any listing appointment.

Some agents will tell you what they think your home is worth. Others tell you what they think you want to hear. The second approach — called “buying the listing” involves inflating the price to win your business, then pushing for a price reduction after the first two weeks of dead showings. What looks like confidence in week one turns into “the market is telling us something” by week three.

A good agent walks you through real comparable data — not just what sold nearby, but why those homes sold at that price and how yours honestly compares. If they can’t explain what’s happening with days on market north of the river right now, or if they dodge the question, that’s information.

Ask Specifically About Their Marketing Plan

Most agents list your home on the MLS. That’s not a marketing strategy.

What I’d push on: Do they use a professional photographer? (Not iPhone shots.) Do they offer 3D tours or video walk-throughs? How do they handle social media — and do they actually have a presence, or just an account? Do they reach out proactively to buyers’ agents, or wait for inbound calls?

At Reside in Kansas City, marketing is something I invest in from the first day of every listing, because the first seven to ten days on the market are when the most motivated buyers are paying attention. You don’t get to re-do that window once it closes.

Ask How They’ll Communicate — Before You Sign Anything

This one rarely comes up in listing appointments but ends up mattering most.

What happens when you text and they respond a day later? What happens when an offer comes in, and you need to make a call in two hours? What happens when the inspection report has twelve items on it and the buyer’s agent is pushing hard?

Ask directly: “How do you communicate with clients during an active listing? What should I expect from you when something comes up?” If the answer is vague, that’s the answer.

Choosing an agent isn’t like hiring a contractor you can swap out midway through if things aren’t clicking. Take the time to talk to two or three people, ask real questions, and trust your read on whether they know your market — and whether they’ll tell you the truth, not just what you want to hear.

If you’re thinking about listing north of the river and want a real conversation about what your home is worth and what the process looks like, I’m happy to walk through it with you. No pressure, no pitch — just a number you can plan around.

Jarred Donalson is a Kansas City real estate agent with Reside in Kansas City, specializing in the north-of-the-river KC metro. He works with buyers and sellers in Liberty, Kearney, Smithville, Parkville, Gladstone, and surrounding communities. Learn more at resideinkc.com.

Call or text: 816-719-0829

Email: jarred.donalson@kw.com