How many reviews does a real estate agent need before a listing appointment?

Sellers rarely read past the first handful. Six or eight that describe different kinds of sale, a bidding war next to a listing that sat for months, will do more than a long list of one-liners. Keep adding after each closing so the newest one is never more than a few weeks old.

Should I ask at closing or after the move?

Closing day is when the relief is strongest, so a quick text that afternoon gets the most honest reply. Sellers often write better a couple of weeks later, once they can see how it all went. I would text at closing and email two weeks on.

Can I ask a buyer whose deal fell through?

You can, and sometimes those are the most believable ones. A client who lost a house and still says you were straight with them tells a reader more than a smooth closing does. Ask only if the relationship ended well, and let them say what they want to say.

Do my brokerage's rules affect what I can post?

Some brokerages and state real estate commissions have rules about advertising, including how a client's words are used. Read yours before you publish, and leave out sale prices and addresses unless your client has said they are fine with it.

real estate agents

Reviews for real estate agents

Walk into the listing interview with proof.

Sellers interview two or three agents and pick on confidence. Recent clients describing the sale is the strongest thing you can bring to that meeting.

Right below is the text I would send a client, ready to copy.

Start freeNo card needed. Cancel whenever.

A text you can send

The text I would send after a good job

The afternoon of closing, once the keys have changed hands.

Hi Owen, Carla from Ashby Street Realty here. Congratulations again on the keys. If you get a minute this week, could you jot down what buying with me was like, for my website? What worried you back in March is a good place to begin. No account needed: [your link]

Swap in your own names. The link comes from your dashboard.

Real estate agent review examples

The kind of thing real estate agents collect with Exalted. Each one is invented and labelled as an example.

Example

Told me to spend two thousand on paint and staging before listing. It went for nineteen over asking in eleven days. I would not have done it unprompted.

Roland T. · Seller

Example

We lost two houses on offer night before we hired her. On the third she had us read the seller's disclosure at her kitchen table first, and that is the house we live in now.

Theo and Jo L. · Buyers

Example

My mother's house had been in the family since 1974. She sat with my brother and me for every showing request and never pushed us toward the first offer that came in.

Lorraine M. · Seller

Example

First home, and I asked her about a septic tank at nine on a Sunday night. She answered within the hour.

Samir R. · First-time buyer

A seller choosing between agents is picturing the tense part, so each of these names a moment, like offer night or a question at nine on a Sunday. Anyone can write "she was wonderful." Only a client would remember the kitchen table.

How it works

1
Share one link
You get a single link. Send it by text or email to a client whose work went well.
2
They write it, in a minute
No account and no app to download. They rate you and write a couple of lines.
3
You approve what appears
Nothing is public until you say so. Approve the good ones and they appear on your website automatically.

When to ask

At closing, while the outcome is settled and the relief is fresh.

The single biggest reason real estate agents have no testimonials is that nobody asks while the work is still fresh, not that clients are unwilling.

Questions that get a real answer

“Please leave a review” produces “great service”, which persuades nobody. Ask something specific instead:

How did the sale price compare to what you expected?
How did we keep you informed?
How did we handle the offers?

Or an email

For sellers, two or three weeks after closing, when the move is over and they can look back.

Subject: Your old house on Marlow Court

Hi Adaeze,

I hope the new place is starting to feel like yours. I drove past Marlow Court last week and the new owners have already put a bench on the porch.

Would you give me a few sentences for the reviews page on my website? People about to list a house they have lived in for decades want to hear from someone who did it. How the offers were handled, and whether you always knew where things stood, is what they ask me about.

Here is the link, and there's nothing to log into: [your link]

Warmly, Carla

Swap in your own names and the details of the job. The link comes from your dashboard.

Where people check a real estate agent first

Zillow agent profile
Sellers open it to see your recent sales and the reviews left there. An agent with a full profile and no recent reviews looks like one who stopped asking.
Google Business Profile
Searching your name and "realtor" brings up the map card first. Stars and the newest review are the whole first impression for a lot of people.
Your brokerage's agent page
The page your broker controls, often thin. It rarely carries reviews at all, which leaves a gap your own site can fill.
Neighborhood Facebook groups and Nextdoor
"Who did you use to sell?" gets asked every week. What matters is whether a neighbor answers with your name before you ever hear about it.
Your own website
The one page you can send ahead of a listing appointment, with the offer night story on it. Sellers who have read it arrive already sure you can do the job.

Questions real estate agents ask

How many reviews does a real estate agent need before a listing appointment?: Sellers rarely read past the first handful. Six or eight that describe different kinds of sale, a bidding war next to a listing that sat for months, will do more than a long list of one-liners. Keep adding after each closing so the newest one is never more than a few weeks old.
Should I ask at closing or after the move?: Closing day is when the relief is strongest, so a quick text that afternoon gets the most honest reply. Sellers often write better a couple of weeks later, once they can see how it all went. I would text at closing and email two weeks on.
Can I ask a buyer whose deal fell through?: You can, and sometimes those are the most believable ones. A client who lost a house and still says you were straight with them tells a reader more than a smooth closing does. Ask only if the relationship ended well, and let them say what they want to say.
Do my brokerage's rules affect what I can post?: Some brokerages and state real estate commissions have rules about advertising, including how a client's words are used. Read yours before you publish, and leave out sale prices and addresses unless your client has said they are fine with it.

Every testimonial Exalted publishes is written by a real person and approved by the business owner.

Your reputation, as a ladder

Each approved testimonial moves you up a tier, so you have a reason to keep asking. Visitors see the tier and know how established you are.

Friendly1+ approved

Honored5+ approved

Revered15+ approved

Exalted30+ approved

Pricing

Starter is $9 a month or $85 a year. Pro is $19 a month or $180 a year. Both are free until your fifth testimonial, and neither asks for a card to begin.

See what is in each plan

Worth reading before you ask

More on the blog. If you ask for Google reviews too, the free Google review link generator and the review request templates need no account. If you want a client quote as a picture to post, I made a free testimonial image maker.

Start collecting this week

Set up a link in about five minutes and send it to the last client who thanked you.

Start free