How to Find an Honest and Trustworthy Realtor in Comox Valley

If you’re buying or selling a home in the Comox Valley, choosing the right Realtor is one of the most important decisions you’ll make.

One of the things that frustrates me in this business is watching people choose an agent because they know them personally, because they saw a polished video online, or because somebody looks successful on social media.

Real estate is too important for that.

You want somebody who understands pricing, negotiation, contracts, communication, and how to guide clients through real situations that come up every day.

If I was hiring a Realtor today, this is what I would look for.

Don’t Confuse Marketing With Experience

There are Realtors who are excellent at promoting themselves.

They’re polished.

They speak well.

They make great content.

That doesn’t automatically mean they’re experienced at selling real estate.

Selling real estate isn’t putting a sign in the ground.

It’s understanding value.

It’s knowing when to push and when to pull.

It’s understanding contracts, inspections, negotiation strategy, buyer behaviour, and market timing.

Every transaction teaches something.

The more situations someone has worked through, the more prepared they become when challenges show up.

Ask Questions and Don’t Feel Bad About It

If I was interviewing Realtors tomorrow, I’d interview at least two.

Ask questions like:

• How many homes have you sold in the last 12 months?

• How many listings did you personally close?

• What percentage of asking price are your listings achieving?

• How do you determine pricing?

• What does your marketing process look like?

• How often will I hear from you?

• What happens if something goes sideways?

• Who am I actually working with?

You are hiring somebody to help guide one of the biggest financial decisions of your life.

Good Realtors shouldn’t be uncomfortable answering those questions.

Read Reviews - And Actually Read Them

One of the easiest things buyers and sellers can do before hiring a Realtor is spend time reading reviews.

And I don’t just mean looking at star ratings.

Read what people actually say.

Check:

• Google Reviews

• Rank My Agent

• Rate My Agent

Look for patterns.

Do people talk about communication?

Did the Realtor follow through?

Did they feel supported?

Would they hire them again?

Did the Realtor show up when things got difficult?

Reviews won’t tell you everything.

But when you read enough of them, you’ll usually start seeing consistent themes.

One or two reviews don’t tell the whole story.

Consistency does.

At the end of the day, a Realtor can say anything about themselves.

Past clients usually tell the real story.

Don’t Choose a Brokerage Name - Choose the Right Realtor

Another thing I think people sometimes overvalue is the logo on the sign.

Consumers often assume a bigger or older brokerage automatically means better results.

In my experience, that’s not how real estate works.

The brokerage a Realtor hangs their license at doesn’t automatically mean your house sells faster or for more money.

Today, many brokerages, both traditional and newer models, have excellent tools, technology, marketing platforms, and support.

What separates agents isn’t usually the logo.

It’s:

• experience

• communication

• preparation

• negotiation

• responsiveness

• follow-through

• market knowledge

Choose the person.

Not the sign.

Ask to See Their Process

Every Realtor says they market.

Ask them to show you.

Ask what happens before a listing launches.

Recently our team listed a property where another nearly identical property nearby was competing.

Before launching we had photography complete, drone content finished, iGuide completed, title reviewed, buyer questions anticipated, and pricing strategy finalized.

We launched prepared.

That property sold in multiple offers and achieved approximately $150,000 over asking.

The comparable property remained active.

Preparation matters.

Be Careful of Overpricing

One of the biggest mistakes sellers make is hiring the Realtor who gives them the highest number.

Recently, I had homeowners come into the office wanting to list at $799,000.

Before giving my opinion, I asked them to privately write down where they thought the market would support after reviewing the data.

Then we sat down in front of a 72-inch TV and walked through active listings, sold listings, competing inventory, buyer activity, and exactly how their house compared.

I didn’t want them taking my word for it.

I wanted them to actually see what the market was saying.

At the end of the meeting, I asked them to write down where they thought their property should be positioned.

At the same time, I wrote mine.

We flipped all three papers over.

Every number matched.

$759,000.

That would have been at the high end of where I believed the market supported value.

What made the conversation interesting was they had already spoken with two other Realtors who suggested closer to $800,000.

At that point they could clearly see the difference between somebody giving them a number and somebody actually showing them the market.

I explained that if we listed at $800,000, we’d likely spend the next several weeks chasing price reductions because we started too high.

Your first couple weeks on market are often your best opportunity.

That’s when buyers are watching.

That’s when momentum builds.

That’s when your property receives the most attention.

If you miss that window because you start too high, it can become difficult to regain momentum.

The goal isn’t to get the highest list price.

The goal is to position the property properly in today’s market.

In the end, they decided to wait a couple years.

And I respected that decision.

We weren’t trying to win a listing.

We were trying to help them make the right decision.

That same day, they referred their best friend to our team.

People remember the agents who helped them understand the market, not necessarily the ones who gave them the highest number.

Great Buyer Agents Build Strategy

Before we write offers for clients, we sit down and do a market evaluation.

We look at comparable sales, active competition, pricing strategy, buyer activity, days on market, and alternatives.

We want our clients understanding value before they negotiate.

Too often, inexperienced agents ask:

“What do you want to offer?”

Then they type paperwork.

That’s not advice.

That’s order-taking.

Sometimes buyers low-ball homes that are already priced properly and lose.

Sometimes buyers overpay.

The goal isn’t writing the lowest offer.

The goal is writing the right offer.

Setting Up Automatic Searches Isn’t Enough

One thing I see often is agents setting clients up on an automatic search and then stepping back.

Technology is great.

Search alerts are useful.

But they shouldn’t replace representation.

One of the most common questions buyers get asked at open houses is:

“Are you working with a Realtor?”

It surprises me how often people say yes.

At our team, we believe representation should be proactive.

That means bringing listings to clients, calling when opportunities appear, discussing strategy, reviewing value, and staying in communication.

Many times our clients hear from us before the listing email even arrives.

We also stay connected with productive agents and often hear about inventory before it officially reaches the market.

Relationships matter.

Preparation matters.

A good buyer’s agent doesn’t just send listings.

They help clients move confidently when the right opportunity appears.

Why Track Record Matters

In 2025 our team helped 162 families buy or sell real estate.

We closed 51 listings.

Achieved 96.62% of asking price.

Sold 53% of listings within the first 30 days.

Helped buyers negotiate more than $2.5 million in savings.

So far in 2026 we’ve continued building on that experience with 78 closed transactions year to date and more than $24.6 million in listing volume.

Those numbers aren’t there to impress people.

They matter because experience creates confidence.

Experience doesn’t guarantee results.

But it gives clients a better chance of getting pricing, communication, negotiation, and strategy right.

Quick Checklist Before Hiring a Realtor

☐ Did they explain pricing with real market data?

☐ Did they show me a marketing strategy?

☐ Did they provide reviews and proof of results?

☐ Did they explain their communication process?

☐ Did they answer difficult questions confidently?

☐ Did I feel educated instead of sold?

If you answered no to several of those questions, keep interviewing.

Final Advice

Interview at least two Realtors.

Ask questions.

Read reviews.

Look at production.

Ask to see their process.

Get a proper market evaluation.

Then trust your gut.

Don’t choose somebody because they gave you the highest number.

Choose somebody because they helped you understand the market, gave honest advice, and made you feel confident in the decision.

Your home deserves that.