A good real estate agent shapes far more than which listings you see — they influence negotiation outcomes, paperwork accuracy, and how smoothly a transaction closes. One reliable signal is how well an agent listens during the first conversation: do they ask about your actual priorities, or immediately start pushing listings that happen to be easy commissions? Local market knowledge matters more than a polished pitch — an agent who can speak specifically about school catchment boundaries, resale trends, or upcoming infrastructure projects in a neighbourhood is demonstrating real expertise. Responsiveness during the search phase is also a preview of responsiveness during a time-sensitive negotiation, so slow replies early on are a legitimate red flag. Ask for references from at least two recent clients, and specifically ask those references how the agent handled a problem, not just how the deal went overall. Verified agents on VP Life are checked for active licensing before being listed.