When you hire a real-estate agent you are trusting them with one of the largest and most important decisions a person can make. This relationship goes well beyond a typical business transaction both in scale and in the personal impact that it can have on your life.
To succeed as a buyer or seller, you need an experienced agent who is not only technically competent but who also demonstrates a genuine empathy for you and your situation. Choose the wrong agent with the wrong skillset, or a bad agent with no skillset, and this could end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars.
But look… don’t get overwhelmed. In this article, we are going to share with you 27 questions to ask a real-estate agent before you hire one. These questions will allow you to quickly spot the bad actors from the truly great realtors, which will ultimately allow you to have good real-estate experience in Montreal.
Questions to ask real-estate agents before the first meeting
You should interview at least three realtors who specialize in your type of transaction and are actively working in the neighbourhood where you plan to buy or sell. To do this use our free Immovision Agent Finder, which generates a list of the top agents for you, based on recent activity, transaction history, and local expertise. Once you have done this, call several agents on your list to see if it is worth organizing a face to face meeting. On this call, you should ask the following questions.
Can you tell me your real-estate licence number?
In Quebec, all realtors must hold a valid licence from the Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ) to practice legally. Once you have the realtors license number, you are about can look up the real-estate agent in the OACIQ’s public registry.
In the registry, you can:
- Check the agent’s licence status,
- Access the agent’s disciplinary history
- Confirm which types of transactions the agent is authorized to handle (such as residential or commercial)
- See which agency they work for
- Check their continuing education history
If a realtor cannot produce a valid licence or holds an expired one, they cannot legally represent you, and you should move on immediately.
What services do you offer?
Every real-estate agent offers broadly the same set of services; the difference is in the details. For instance, a listing agent may offer to market your property for you however, some may recommend running paid social media ads generate interest in your home whereas others define marketing as predominately home staging, photographs, brochure creation and so on.
Ask potential agent to tell you what their services are and then ask what each component contains exactly. This will help you to understand exactly what the realtor is going to do for you. If you don’t understand something, ask the realtor to expand briefly.
How do your fees work?
In Quebec, there is a common misconception that only the seller pays their agent.
In reality both the buyer and the seller agree to pay their agent either a commission or a lump sum payment. Although the buyer has an agreement with their own agent, the seller’s agent typically pays the buyer’s agent by sharing part of the seller’s commission at closing. If that shared amount does not cover the buyer’s agent’s agreed fee, the buyer remains responsible for paying the difference. For example, if you agree to pay your buyer’s agent a 2% commission but the seller offers only a 1% split, you must pay the remaining 1% yourself under your agreement.
All real estate fees are negotiable and should reflect the level of service provided. If you agree to pay $20,000 in commission (4% on a $500,000 home), your agent should clearly deliver more value than one charging less.
How long have you been an agent for?
Real estate transactions are complex, and inexperienced agents are more likely to run into problems that cost their clients time and money. You can still work with a newer agent, but they should handle fewer clients at once so they can dedicate the attention needed. On the other hand, seasoned agents may take on more clients and charge higher fees, but they also navigate the process more efficiently thanks to their experience.
Initial background questions to ask real-estate agents
Once you shortlist your top three agents, it is time to meet them in person. If you’re selling, invite the agent to tour your home so they can see the property. For both buyers and sellers, the face-to-face meeting should begin with a recap of your phone conversation. Before you start ask to see their real estate licence to verify it visually. Discuss fees only at the very end.
How many clients do you work with at once?
You want an active real-estate agent because it means their market knowledge and understanding of the real-estate law is fresh. However, you do not want to work with an agent who is overloaded with clients to the point that they are not able to commit the requisite attention to your project.
Unfortunately it is very difficult to answer how many transactions a real-estate agent can actually handle at once. This is because it will depend on their experience, the service level and, if they work as part of a team. All that being said, a solo agent can probably only handle 4 – 7 clients at once, especially if each transaction is complex or involves multiple showings. To put this in context, a agent who sells 5 houses per month will make roughly $600,000 per year in commission. This would put them in the top 0.01% of real-estate agents in Quebec.
Will I be working with you or a member of your team?
Good real-estate agents use professionals to help them complete the stages of the transaction that require specialist skill. For instance, a listing agent will use a professional photographer with real-estate experience to photograph your home before uploading your listing to the MLS. However, what you want to avoid is an agent who is unavailable for parts of the transaction that require an expert. For instance, drafting offers, negotiating terms, reviewing contracts, verifying zoning rules etc.
While tasks like photography, staging, and scheduling can be handled by support staff, the core work requires a qualified agent’s expertise.
How often and when are you available to speak?
You should be able to speak with your realtor regularly and as needed, depending on where you are in the buying or selling process you are. During the initial stages you will be searching, listing or prepping your home. Once or twice a week is normal during this stage as you will need to discuss strategy, listings or market updates.
As soon as you enter into a potential transaction, communication frequency picks up. During this time, you will speak almost any time during business hours (or later) since decisions often need to be made quickly. Once the transaction has completed communication drops. At this point your agent will make occasional check-ins (monthly or quarterly) are reasonable, mainly for future referrals or market updates.
What is your professional network like?
One of the benefits of working with a real-estate agent is that they can give you access to their professional network. For example, let’s say that you need to get some repairs on your property done before you can list it. Your real-estate agent can give you the contact information of a trusted handyman that they have used in the past. Typically, you may wish to ask your real-estate agent for introductions to a mortgage broker, home inspector, notary, cleaners, home staging company, photographers, and moving companies.
The OACIQ sets strict rules that real-estate agents in Quebec must follow whenever they make a referral. For instance, the real-estate agent must disclose if they earn any money by making an introduction. The way referrals are made also matters. For instance if a real-estate agent must introduce you to at least two home inspectors and allow you to choose between them.
Do you have a list of referrals?
Every agent should arrive at the first meeting with a list of referrals that you can call. Ideally you want to speak with the agent’s past clients who used the agent to complete projects similar to yours. Ask for at least three references and call them. On the call, you can ask the references what it was like to work with the realtor, if there was there anything they did not like and what did they like the most.
Has anything ever gone wrong in a deal and how did you respond?
Real-estate transactions are high-stakes and complex. Realtors must navigate financial considerations, legal frameworks, market dynamics, human emotions, and logistical challenges. Given all of this complexity, things often go wrong. When they do, good realtors can problem-solve quickly to protect their clients’ interests and keep the transaction on track.
As such, it’s a major red flag if an agent claims that nothing has ever gone wrong. This usually signals one of two things: either the agent is afraid to be honest about past challenges because they want your business, or the agent is inexperienced and oversimplifying the reality of real estate. Either way, you want an agent who is confident enough in their track record to acknowledge potential issues, explain how they’ve handled them in the past, and demonstrate that they can navigate complications effectively.
Questions to ask real-estate agents when selling a home
Have you sold homes like mine before?
The Government of Canada groups properties into categories like detached, semi-detached, townhouses, plexes, and low- or high-rise apartments. Each category has several subcategories for example, townhouses may be freehold, stacked, or condo, and apartments divided or undivided. Buyers and sellers also distinguish properties by features such as fireplaces, septic or municipal services, gas or electric systems, and block or poured concrete foundations.
Every property type and feature combination brings its own risks for sellers who must legally disclose what’s important for buyers to know before purchasing the property. When you make these disclosures, there is a art in knowing what and how to document information for buyers in a way that is complete, legally sound, and protects the property’s value. Agents must also ensure the property is suitable for its advertised use. For example, buyers may ask whether renovations comply with zoning or building regulations, and the agent needs to know the local laws and how to verify and prove compliance.
This will ultimately help you because it ensures that, once the sale is complete, the buyer cannot hold you liable for latent defects or misrepresentation. By contrast an agent who doesn’t have the experience in certain features may unwittingly make you liable for tens of thousands of dollars even after the transaction has closed.
Have you sold homes in this area and at my price range?
Two different areas just a few streets apart can offer very different features to residents and attract very different buyers. For example, in one street you might have parks, shopping centers and be within the catchment area of a good school. Whereas just a few streets away, you might find limited green space, fewer amenities, and schools with lower ratings, attracting a different type of buyer altogether.
Local realtors know what the key drivers of price are for homes in an area and what types of buyers they will attract.
When it the best time to list my property for sale in Montreal?
The best time to sell depends on your personal goals and the type of property that you have. If you need to sell fast because of financial pressures, then you might need to list as soon as you can. However, if you have more time and you want to get a better price, the best time to list is when market inventory for your type of property is low but there high buyer demand.
In Montreal, the highest demand for property is in the spring and summer months. However, sellers know this and so, owners of the best quality homes in each category will list during these months. For example, you will see lots of water front, fully renovated properties. As such, if you good home but it is not in prime location and has not been recently renovated, it is better to list this property at the end of Winter and early Spring when market inventory is thinner.
Ask your relator what the strategy is for your home and, do not be afraid to reach out to a real-estate agent early on in the process. They may tell you that the best thing to do is to wait for the summer months.
What are your average days on market for listings?
One key metric that all good agents track is, the average days on market for listing. Viewed in isolation, this metric will give you an idea of how long you should expect it will take the agent to sell your home. However, if you compare average DOM with the rest of the market, you will have some idea if the agents performance is better or worse than the rest of the market. For example, in December 2025, the average DOM in Montreal for a condo was approximately 50 days. Single-family homes for the same period had a DOM of 38 days and properties located in the South-West Borough of Montreal tended to sell even faster.
What is your sale-to-list price ratio?
One way to sell your home faster than everyone else, is to sell it below list price. However, a good agent will not only have a shorter average DOM compared to the rest of the market, but also a higher sale-to-list price ratio. This metric tells you how often the agent sells at higher than the original list price.
How many homes have your sold in this area in the last 12 months
In real-estate recent sales experience within your neighbourhood matters. It tells you how active an real-estate agent is, which is an indicator of how current their knowledge is.
To find a top rated realtor in Montreal, Immovision has developed a tool that allows you to specify the neighbourhood that you are looking to sell in. We then filter down the realtors across Montreal to find the most active relators in your neighbourhood based on recent transaction history.
How will you prepare my home for sale?
94% of buyers start their search for a new home by searching on Google for property listings that match their budget. As such, real-estate marketing is all about staging your home in such a way that it will stand out from thousands of other listings online. To do this, your agent should be able to advise you on how to stage your home and, be able to show you examples of previous homes like yours that they have staged.
How do you plan to market my home to targeted buyers?
Imagine you can one of two buyers show up at your home. The first is a young couple with a baby on the way, the second buyer is a young professional who wants to find a good investment property. Who is more likely to buy your home?
Well… it depends on what features your home offers. A good realtor will be able to advise you on how to position your property online so that it attracts buyers who are a good match for your home. Whether these are young professionals, couples, families, contractors, investors, your home offers features that one group of people wants more than others.
Questions to ask real-estate agents when buying a home
How quickly can you arrange for me to view a home?
The housing market in Montreal moves extremely fast. It is no exaggeration to say that a well positioned home can attract multiple offers and sell within a week. Good deals can be snapped up within days. As such, serious buyers are often glued to several listing websites for months, searching for the best deals for them.
When a property comes on the market that you like the look of, your realtor should have the capacity to arrange a private viewing for you within a couple of days. This is so that you do not miss out on a home that matches what you are looking for. In all cases, your agent must accompany you to the viewing, so that they can correctly assess the value of the property.
What is your strategy for helping me find the right home in my price range?
Most buyer’s brokers will ask you what you sort of home you are looking to buy, what features are important to you, what is your budget and what area is important for you. They will then setup an automatic alert that will notify you whenever a new property that matches your criteria comes on the market. From there, you will create a list of your favourite properties and your broker will setup viewings (either private or open house).
This approach has two major problems:
- Missed opportunities: An automated notification will not capture all properties that might be a good fit for you.
- Wasted time: Listings are designed to attract buyers however, visiting often reveals immediate show stoppers.
To avoid these issues, we recommend that you work with an agent who actively searches for properties that are a good fit and shares them with you. Professional realtors also have access to information that isn’t publicly available and can speak directly with the listing agent ahead of time. This means they can flag major problems such as unexpected condo fee increases, zoning violations, or mismatched timelines between the sale and your move. This can allow you to re-direct your time and energy towards other properties before you spend hours visiting a property.
How do you handle multiple offers and bidding wars? What strategies do you employ to make my offer stand out?
There are many ways to make an offer stand out in a bidding war without simply offering more money. For instance, which of the following two offers would you accept?
To save you the suspense, in present value terms, Offer 2 is worth slightly more today. However, this is only if you know how to invest the money. If not, you could take the immediate bump in income and waste the money. Because of this, some people might be perfectly happy to take a guaranteed $2 million in 20 years and retire.
When you make an offer to purchase, a good broker will look for clues that indicate if is any way that the offer can be positioned so that it stands out to the seller and increases the likelihood of a quick acceptance. Other strategies also include:
- Writing a letter to the seller: A personal letter rarely beats a higher price, but it can create a lasting impression. If another deal falls through, sellers often return to buyers they remember as thoughtful and serious.
- Including proof of funds: Providing mortgage pre-approval and evidence of your down payment reassures the seller that financing is unlikely to fail. Listing agents know that buyers with thin margins—such as minimum down payments—are more vulnerable to last-minute issues that can derail a deal.
- Offering a strong deposit: A meaningful deposit signals commitment and reduces the seller’s risk, making your offer more credible even if the price is similar to others.
- Justifying your offer price (when appropriate): In non-competitive situations, a well-reasoned explanation—based on comparable sales, condition, or required work—can support a lower price. This is less effective in bidding wars but powerful in balanced markets.
What’s happening in this area, and how could that impact home prices?
Montreal is undergoing a period of rapid growth and redevelopment. Since 2019, the city’s population has grown significantly, prompting major public investment in infrastructure, transit, and neighborhood revitalization—especially in areas that were previously harder to access from downtown.
One example is Lachine, which is currently receiving substantial investment in waterfront redevelopment, public spaces, cycling infrastructure, and residential projects aimed at making the borough more livable and attractive. Another major project is the REM, which now connects parts of the West Island to downtown in under 30 minutes and provides direct access to Montréal–Trudeau International Airport.
These kinds of improvements can dramatically enhance quality of life while increasing demand for housing in affected areas. We saw a similar pattern during the redevelopment of Griffintown and the Sud-Ouest borough starting in the late 2000s, where improved transit access and public investment preceded strong price appreciation.
For buyers, understanding what is changing in a neighborhood—and why—can be just as important as understanding current prices. Long-term infrastructure and redevelopment plans often shape future demand well before it shows up in today’s listings.
What happens if I’m not satisfied with the home after I move in?
In Quebec, according to the standardized brokerage agreements, once the conditions of the promise to purchase have been satisfied by both the buyer and the seller, the real-estate agents job is officially done. However, many real-estate agents build strong, genuine relationships with their clients through the purchase of a home. Because of this, almost all agents provide some form of unofficial after care support.
In addition to this, many real-estate agents offer latent defect insurance for their clients. This insurance can cover you if, you move into a property and later discover a hidden defect that impacts your ability to use the property as you intended. Under the Civil Code of Québec, sellers are generally responsible for hidden defects, and this type of insurance can help cover the costs involved in pursuing a claim or recovering compensation.
Ultimately a realtor can advise you and present the facts about a property and its surrounding area. But they are not allowed to tell you that you must buy one place vs another place. You make the final decision and, ultimately, you will live with the consequences of your decision. For instance, let’s say that your realtor tells you that a duplex in Mont-Royal has been illegally converted into a single-family townhouse however, you decide to move your family in anyway – this would be your decision.
How long do you usually work with buyers, from first viewing to closing?
Buying a home is a very big decision and you don’t want to rush it. However, prices also change regularly, especially in early spring and summer months. Added to this, many buyers have hard deadlines, such as the start of the school year or the time that your mortgage rate is held for or pre-approval.
Once you find a property that you want to buy, the process from offer to acceptance should take no more than 30 days. However, from our experience finding a place that you like and getting an offer to purchase accepted is the challenging part. Generally speaking however, if it takes more than 6 months to find a place, then something is wrong.
How do help me decide how much to offer for a property?
Before you make an offer to purchase a property, the real-estate agent should do a Comparative Market Analysis, otherwise known as a CMA. This helps the agent establish if the list price is higher than other similar properties in the same neighbourhood and, if what are any material differences.
For instance, let’s say that you want to buy a townhouse in Pointe-St-Charles and the property price is very similar to other properties currently listed in the neighbourhood. However, the property you are looking at has an unfinished basement, whereas the other properties do not. In this situation, your realtor might recommend offering $20,000 below asking and explaining to the seller that the unfinished basement justifies the lower price.
Questions to ask your listing agent when in the process of selling
Once you have decided on a listing agent, you will sign either an exclusive or non-exclusive brokerage agreement. You will then begin the process of selling your home. Here are some questions that you should ask during this process.
How did you arrive at the list price?
Good real-estate agents make pricing decisions based on market data and not just on gut feelings. The process that realtors use to analyze your local market is called a Comparative Market Analysis or CMA. This is when they pull market data about property sales in your neighbourhood to work out what comparable homes are selling for and, how long homes tend to sit on market for.
According to a recent study we completed in Montreal, many seller’s complained that real-estate agents who were eager to please their clients set list prices that were unrealistically high. We found that this resulted in lost months, lost income and (in a few cases) banks denied buyer financing following the home appraisal.
How can I increase the selling price? Do I need to make repairs or hire a stager?
Properties that stand out online attract more demand, increasing the chances of multiple offers and a higher sale price. To do this, you should certainly hire a professional staging company. They will advise you on thinks like the hight at which to hang your pictures, the colors you need to bring into the home, biophilic design (the use of greenery in your home) and so on. All of these things make it easier for people to find your home online and visulize themsevels living in it.
What pitfalls or mistakes should I avoid in this process?
Real estate sales are high-stakes, and small mistakes can cost you tens of thousands of dollars. That’s why it’s essential to work with an agent who is honest and direct about how to navigate the process.
Ultimately, you want a professional who will lead you through the sale and help you avoid costly pitfalls. That means being willing to tell you when something isn’t working—whether it’s your asking price, the need to depersonalize spaces like a child’s bedroom, or addressing issues that could turn buyers off during showings. These details make a real difference, and the right agent won’t hesitate to tell you what you need to hear.
How to find a high performance realtor in Montreal
Buying or selling a property is a high stakes transaction that most often involves hundreds of thousand of dollars. Because of this, small differences in purchase price, commission fees or other contract terms can result in tens of thousands of dollars in unwanted costs.
To find a high performance realtor means that you have found someone who has developed a process to consistently service a particular type of client better that other realtors.
To find this agent, you need to study past transactions and online reviews. You will also need to meet with the agent to assess their expertise, communication style, and whether their approach aligns with your needs and expectations.
To create a list of the top realtors to reach out to in your neighbourhood of Montreal, use our Free Immovision Agent Finder.
