Lorn: My feelings are that if you are going to hire an agent, you have to first of all feel some amount of "trust" for the person you are hiring to represent you.

Is that person going to look out for your best interests? Do they possess the knowledge and experience to know how to look after your best interests? In order to possess the knowledge and experience, an agent needs to be selling at least 40-50 homes per year. If not, how can they possibly know how to deal with some of the problems that can come up in a real estate transaction? How will they keep problems from arising? Will they be honest with you and tell you the good and bad in every situation? Do they call you with feedback from other agents that have shown your home? Do they tell you the good and the bad of what people are thinking? Will they tell you if the price of your home is too high? Not just the good to get you to sign with them.

I am very open and honest when I answer these questions. I answer yes to all of them and I prove it every day. An agent can tell you whatever you want to hear, but are they giving you references from past clients and I don't mean one or two. How about 10 or 20 past clients. I have been the a leading agent in the Oshawa, Courtice, Bowmanville, Whitby area for the past twenty years. In my opinion, that is a very strong indicator of trust, honesty and performance.