How do I choose the best listing agent to sell my Colorado Springs home?

Watch: NEVER Tell Your Agent These 8 Things

Interview agents, even if you have a referral

Most sellers don't shop around. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, 66% of sellers in its 2025 survey found their agent through a referral or used an agent they had worked with before, and most buyers and sellers interview only one agent.

Referrals are a great place to start, and asking people you trust is smart. But just because an agent is a referral doesn't mean you shouldn't interview them. Experience matters, and so does whether the agent can clearly explain what they'll actually do to sell your home. It's great to find an agent. You also need to know what they're going to do for you.

Ask for their method: price, preparation, presentation

Three things sell a home: price, preparation, and presentation. A strong listing agent can explain their approach to each one and how the three work together.

Price

Pricing should be grounded in data: recent comparable sales, the homes you'll be competing against, and how price relates to time on market. I show sellers that data directly, because it shows how pricing correlates with how long a home is likely to sit.

An agent who simply tells you what you want to hear is doing you a disservice. A price that isn't supported by the market usually means more time on the market and, often, price reductions later. That's why I won't take a listing that's overpriced. In this market, you have to know what you're doing. Otherwise, you waste everyone's time, including yours.

Preparation

Preparation is getting the home ready for buyers: repairs, cleaning, decluttering, staging, and any improvements that are worth making. A good agent helps you decide what's worth investing in and what isn't, based on your budget and what buyers in your price range expect. You should leave the conversation knowing which recommendations are essential and which are optional.

Presentation

Presentation is the marketing: photography, the listing description, online exposure, and how the home is shown. Ask each agent how much exposure your home will get and how they'll reach the buyers most likely to want it.

Good presentation also sells the lifestyle of that particular home. At the end of the day, buyers make emotional decisions. The marketing should help them picture living there, whether that's the view, the backyard, the layout, or the neighborhood's access to trails.

Strategy matters more as the market shifts

When homes sell quickly, a seller can sometimes succeed with an average plan. As the market becomes more balanced, and buyers have more choices, you need a real strategy. When more homes are for sale, yours competes with more alternatives. See whether Colorado Springs is a buyer's or seller's market for how to read the current numbers, and what time of year has the most homes for sale for the seasonal pattern.

Questions to ask when you interview listing agents

• What is your process for selling my home, from listing to closing? Listen for a clear, specific method.
• How did you arrive at your suggested price? Ask to see the comparable sales and the data on time on market.
• What would you recommend I do to prepare the home, and what would you skip? Listen for recommendations tied to your budget and your buyers.
• How will you market the home? Ask about photography, online exposure, and how they'll present the home's lifestyle.
• What happens if the home doesn't sell as quickly as planned? A good agent has a plan for adjusting.
• How will you communicate with me, and how often?

How to check a listing agent's record

• Recent listings and closed sales. Ask for homes they've sold near your price range, with addresses and dates, and check them in the El Paso County Assessor's property search.
• Their actual marketing. Ask to see the photos, description, and video from a recent listing like yours. It tells you more than a list of services.
• Reviews from sellers. Look for reviews that describe a sale like yours.

For a higher-priced home, see how to choose a luxury listing agent and verify their experience.

Red flags to watch for

• A price without data. A price that sounds high isn't a plan. Ask how they arrived at it, and look for comparable sales and time-on-market data.
• Vague answers about results or challenges. Ask about their toughest listings and how they got them sold. Specific, honest answers are a sign of authenticity.
• No plan beyond the MLS. Every agent can put a home in the MLS. Ask what else they'll do to reach buyers. See what you're paying for with a full-service agent.
• Selling instead of guiding. A good agent tells you what the data says, even when it isn't what you hoped to hear.

Read the listing agreement before you sign

Colorado law now requires a written agreement before a broker performs services for you, and that agreement must clearly disclose the broker's compensation. Before you sign, make sure you understand:

• how much the listing broker will be paid;
• how long the agreement lasts;
• how either of you can end it; and
• whether you plan to offer compensation or concessions for a buyer's agent. See how buyer agent fees work now.

How I hold myself to these standards

I'm a listing agent too, so hold me to every question on this page. I use the same three-part model with every seller: a price grounded in current data, preparation matched to what you're willing to invest, and presentation built around the buyers most likely to want your home. You can read more about how I work.

We invest in marketing your home right alongside you: professional photos, video, social media, and a dedicated landing page. That's part of why the price has to be right. Marketing an overpriced home is spending good money after bad, for both of us. Unless we agree otherwise, you get a weekly report on online activity, showings, feedback, and how the marketing is performing.

What could change the answer

Some sales call for different strengths. A higher-end or unique home may depend more on pricing strategy and marketing reach. A sale on a tight timeline, such as a PCS move, depends heavily on preparation and a realistic price from day one. And if you're selling a longtime family home, you may value patience and coordination with other professionals as much as marketing.

When to talk with a professional

A listing agent can show you the pricing data, preparation plan, and marketing approach for your specific home. If your sale involves an estate, a divorce, or complex tax questions, you may also want an attorney or a CPA involved early.