How SoldNest finds the best real estate agents
Most people define a “top real estate agent” as an agent who sells a lot of homes. The problem with this is that many home sellers associate the word “top” with an agent who will get them the best price. While that can certainly be the case, an agent who sells a lot of homes is often prioritizing their commission and focusing their energy on finding their next sale instead of working hard to get their current clients the best possible sale price.
We believe the word “top” should only be used to reference a real estate agent who is more likely to be trusted to sell a home for top dollar. Our rigorous vetting process identifies exactly who these agents are.
To date, about 3% of all real estate agents are accepted and able to become SoldNest Verified.
The SoldNest vetting process
Each agent who applies to the SoldNest network must pass a vetting process designed to measure their sales performance, trustworthiness, and selling process.
These three things are key to knowing if an agent is putting you in the best position to sell for the highest price.
Experience
The first step of the vetting process is to look at the applicant’s experience. We do this by verifying their sales through the MLS and looking for these two things: their all-time sales and how many properties they’ve sold over the last 3 years. Recent experience is a minimum requirement, so an agent must rank in the top 20% of properties sold in their county over the last 3 years.
But the number of homes sold only tells you about the agent’s experience. It doesn't tell you about their performance. That’s why the next step is critical.
Sales performance
Does that agent have a suspicious number of sales where they represented both the seller and buyer? What’s their sale to list price ratio? How many times have they sold below the asking price, and by how much? How fast do their listings sell?
We analyze these key data points to determine if the applicant has a trusted reputation. Primarily, they reveal that the agent has a proven track record of:
- Setting the best asking price (they don’t over or underprice)
- Prioritizing the seller’s best interests (they negotiate for top dollar and aren't tempted to prioritize their commission)
Every agent who becomes SoldNest Verified has a top-rated sales performance, and we typically only advance applicants who outperform other agents in their county on all metrics.
Live interview
Each candidate is interviewed by an expert on our team so that we can learn more about their process when working with a client. The goal is to verify that the service they provide is nothing less than exceptional and that they are fully committed to prioritizing the sale of any client we refer to them.
We evaluate the following:
- Their marketing approach
- How they conduct a property analysis
- Their online reviews
- The advice they typically give to maximize value
- How involved they are in the prepping process
- Their accessibility and their commitment to being responsive
- How many clients they typically work with at a time
- Knowing if they’ll be the main point of contact and won’t pass a client off to a junior team member if they have one
- Their commitment to not locking a client we refer to them into a contract
Continued excellence
Agents who are SoldNest Verified maintain a track record of excellence while working with clients we refer to them. We verify this by looking at the results of the property sold, continuously analyzing their sales, and giving clients the option to provide feedback about their experience.
As a quality-first company, our focus is on connecting home sellers with only the very best agents who can be trusted to make them the most money.
The top 3%
SoldNest is an elite network of the very best real estate agents unlike any other. The SoldNest network is home to people who are moving out of their area, getting ready to retire, relocating jobs, and more. We are industry experts who value integrity, and homeowners rely on us to help them sell for top dollar so they can move on to life’s next journey feeling well-off and confident about their future.