Why Use a REALTOR®

Interviewing Your REALTOR®

Making the Decision

Choosing a professional REALTOR® should be considered one of your most important decisions, much the same as choosing your attorney or financial advisor.

It is important to choose a professional who will advise you wisely and who will keep your personal goals at the forefront of all decisions.

You should interview several potential REALTORS®, just as you would interview any person you might be hiring for a job, to establish their specific knowledge and experience.

Don't be afraid to interview a few to compare them and choose the one that best suits you and your interests.

Asking the Right Questions

• Are you a licensed REALTOR®?
  Agents who cannot call themselves REALTORS® have not sworn to uphold the profession's code of ethics. REALTOR® members of the Calgary Real Estate Board have access to all of the most current information and training on the real estate business. Members have access to the MLS® (Multiple Listing Service®) System and can search through thousands of properties in Calgary and the surrounding area to find a list of those that meet your specific needs.
  
  
• Do you have any designations, certifications, or special training?
  REALTORS® learn as much as they can about the real estate business with continuing education, and are required to take mandatory professional and continuing education in order to maintain their licenses.
  
  Some kinds of education result in special designations for the REALTOR®. For instance, some REALTORS® are relocation specialists or residential experts. For more information on professional designations, please refer to the Real Estate Institute of Canada's website.
  
  
• How do you communicate with your clients?
  If your REALTOR® prefers to communicate via e-mail, but you want to be called on the telephone, the two of you will need to work out an agreeable communication plan. Your REALTOR® will work with you to keep in touch.

For examples of more questions you can ask, please click here (80KB PDF).

Why the registered “®” after the word REALTOR®?
Only REALTORS®, who are members of the Canadian Real Estate Association and a local real estate board, can call themselves REALTORS®. Calgary Real Estate Board members adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Business Practice, that non-board members and independent listing companies do not.