How to choose an agent in Toronto.

Almost every agent in Toronto describes themselves as trusted, local and experienced. None of those words can be checked. This page is a list of things that can be - and where to look them up yourself, including for us.

1. Are they actually registered, and for how long?

Every real estate salesperson and broker in Ontario must be registered with the Real Estate Council of Ontario. RECO publishes a free public registrant search - you can look up any agent by name, confirm their registration is current, see their brokerage, and see whether there is any disciplinary history. It takes thirty seconds and almost nobody does it.

2. How many transactions have they done - and where?

Total career transactions tells you about experience. Transactions in the last year tells you whether they are currently active. Transactions in your neighbourhood tells you whether their pricing instinct is worth anything on your street.

All three are knowable and an established agent can produce them from brokerage records. Be wary of team totals presented as an individual's, and of "over $X in sales" with no time period attached.

3. What do the reviews actually say?

Volume and recency both matter more than the star rating, because almost everyone sits between 4.7 and 5.0. Read the three-star reviews if there are any - they are usually the most informative. And check whether the agent responds to reviews at all.

4. Have they sold something like yours?

A downtown condo specialist pricing an East York bungalow is guessing, and so is the reverse. Property type and price band matter as much as geography. Ask directly: what is the most recent home you sold that is like mine?

5. What exactly is included, and what will it cost?

Commission is negotiable and must be in writing in the listing agreement before anything is signed. Ask what is included - photography, floor plans, video, staging, print - and what is billed back to you. Two agents at the same commission can offer very different things.

If you want the full picture of selling costs before you talk to anyone, we have written it out on our cost of selling page.

6. Who will you actually be dealing with?

On a team, the person who pitches you is not always the person who runs your file. That is not inherently bad - a good team gives you more coverage, not less - but you should know before you sign who is at your showings, who writes your offers, and who answers when you call on a Sunday.

7. How fast do they respond?

Test it before you hire them. Send an email on a weekday evening and see what happens. In a competitive market, response speed is not a nicety - it decides whether you get into a property before the offer date.

8. Will they tell you something you do not want to hear?

The most expensive agent is the one who agrees with your price because they want the listing, lets the home sit for six weeks, and then walks you down. At the listing appointment, ask what they would price it at and why - and ask what would make them tell you not to sell right now. An agent with no answer to that second question has never given one.

How we measure up against this list

It would be a bit rich to publish a checklist and dodge it. Here is where we stand, with the sources, as of August 2026.

Written by the Luke Fraser Homes team · Royal LePage Signature Realty · Last reviewed 21 August 2026. Volume figures are per-end credited from brokerage production records, January 2015 to August 2026, including team transactions. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract.