Real Estate Agent Identification

[George Sass]

I am trying to identify the top real estate agents in a city and I can't find out how to tell what agents have sold the most in a city. Any suggestions? I imagine I can find this information on the mls but I am not an agent. I can't really get another agent to look it up since that is the team member I am trying to identify. Any input would be appreciated. 

[Wes Blackwell]

While this may run contrary to popular belief, don't think for a second that the highest volume sales agent is going to have the best knowledge of a given area. Many top volume agents simply sell the same type of property over and over again in the same area over and over again, and don't know the area at large, or do the research to fully understand zip code demographics, crime rates, and other important information you'll want to know as an investor.

Beyond that, agents with high sales volume are most likely going to shove you off to someone on their team. They aren't going to want to do all the leg work to find you the perfect property. "Mega agents" or they are called often form a team of buyer's agents under them because buyers are a lot more work than sellers are. 

They can let the MLS do the work for them and their seller to get an easy commission, or they can run around and show you 15 different properties to find one that might match your criteria, and then possibly have your offer get beat out or have you walk away after inspections and then they start all over again... which one do you think the successful agent is going to choose?

The Mega Agent will co-broke with a buyer's agent on their team, so they'll get some commission and some credit too, but they probably won't even talk to you or ever show you a property. This isn't the case for all, but this is how it normally works with agents at the higher end of the sales volume. It's all about leverage, and successful agents know listings are the name of the game.

My honest opinion is to post on the local forum here on Bigger Pockets for the area you want to invest in looking for an agent or for recommendations. They will have a much better grasp on investing in general than your typical agent, and their willingness to come on a site like this and respond to your post shows their "hunger" and go-getter attitude. 

THAT'S the agent you want working for you as an investor. The one who will show you multiple properties, really dig into the research for any area you're interested in, and make you a priority among his clients. Otherwise, you'll probably end up as just another buyer that someone on that mega agent's team is working with.

Also, be aware that any agent on here who recommends you to another agent in the area is probably hoping for a referral fee or portion of the commission from your first purchase with whatever agent they recommend you too, so do your own research and due diligence on anyone recommended to you. Best of luck!