How to Hire the Right Real Estate Agent for Your Agency

Hiring the right real estate agent can have a direct impact on an agency’s listings, revenue, client relationships and long-term growth. However, knowing how to hire the right real estate agent for your agency involves more than reviewing a CV and choosing the candidate with the most sales experience.

The Australian real estate industry is highly competitive, and agencies are often looking for people who can combine market knowledge, prospecting ability, communication skills and cultural fit. Real estate sales agents are also the largest employing occupation within Australia’s Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services industry.

For employers, the challenge is therefore not simply finding someone who has worked in real estate. It is finding someone who can perform in your particular market, fit your team and contribute to the agency’s growth.

Start With a Clear Definition of the Role

Before advertising a position, determine exactly what you need the new hire to achieve.

A common mistake is creating a generic job description for a “Real Estate Agent” without defining the commercial outcomes expected from the position.

Instead, consider:

• Is the role focused on listings and business development?
• Will the agent primarily work with buyers?
• Is the position focused on a specific suburb or territory?
• Does the agency need an experienced agent or someone with potential?
• What level of database and prospecting activity is expected?
• What sales targets will apply?
• Will the agent receive existing leads?
• What support will be available from the agency?

These questions help establish the difference between the person you want and the person you actually need.

Experience isn’t everything

An experienced agent may appear to be the obvious choice. However, previous performance does not automatically guarantee future performance in another agency.

Someone who performed exceptionally well with a large established brand may struggle in a smaller independent agency where they need to generate more of their own business.

Conversely, a less experienced candidate with strong prospecting skills, discipline and the right attitude may become a valuable long-term hire.

The objective should be to assess the candidate against your business model rather than simply counting years of experience.

Look Beyond Sales Results

Sales performance is important, but it should not be the only consideration when assessing a real estate candidate.

A strong candidate should demonstrate a combination of commercial performance and behaviours that support sustainable success.

Assess their prospecting ability

Ask candidates how they generate opportunities rather than simply asking how many properties they have sold.

Explore areas such as:

• Prospecting routines
• Cold calling
• Database management
• Referral generation
• Open-home follow-up
• Listing presentations
• Farming strategies
• Social media and personal branding
• Past client relationships

A candidate who can clearly explain how they consistently create opportunities may be more valuable than someone who has relied heavily on inbound leads.

Assess communication skills

Real estate agents deal with vendors, buyers, landlords, tenants, solicitors, colleagues and other industry professionals.

Communication is therefore critical.

During an interview, pay attention to whether the candidate can explain complex situations clearly, listen properly and adapt their communication style to different people.

The interview itself can provide useful evidence. Candidates who communicate confidently, ask thoughtful questions and demonstrate genuine listening skills are often easier to envision in client-facing positions.

Assess Cultural Fit Carefully

Cultural fit should not mean hiring people who are similar to everyone already in the business.

Instead, consider whether the candidate’s values and working style are compatible with the agency.

For example, an agency may prioritise:

• Accountability
• Collaboration
• Professionalism
• Transparency
• Customer service
• High activity levels
• Continuous learning

Ask candidates for real examples of how they have demonstrated these behaviours.

Rather than asking, “Are you a team player?”, ask:

“Tell me about a time you had to work with another agent to achieve an outcome.”

This encourages the candidate to provide evidence rather than simply giving the answer they think the interviewer wants to hear.

Check Their Knowledge of the Local Market

Real estate is highly localised.

An agent may have an impressive track record but limited knowledge of the market your agency operates in.

Look at whether the candidate understands:

• Local suburbs
• Recent sales activity
• Buyer demographics
• Rental conditions
• Local competition
• Property types
• Vendor expectations
• Local development activity

This becomes particularly important when recruiting agents across different Australian markets.

An agent moving from Melbourne to Brisbane, Perth or regional Victoria, for example, may need time to build local relationships and understand the nuances of the market.

At the same time, don’t automatically reject candidates from outside the area. Strong sales ability, adaptability and a proven ability to build networks can sometimes be more valuable than existing local knowledge.

Build a Structured Interview Process

A structured recruitment process makes it easier to compare candidates objectively.

Instead of having an informal conversation and making a decision based on personality, establish consistent assessment criteria.

For example, you could score candidates across:

Area	What to assess
Sales performance	Past results and consistency
Prospecting	Ability to generate new opportunities
Communication	Client-facing and interpersonal skills
Local knowledge	Understanding of the relevant market
Database	Quality and management of relationships
Culture	Alignment with agency values
Motivation	Reasons for changing roles
Career goals	Long-term expectations
Accountability	Approach to targets and performance

This approach helps reduce the risk of hiring based purely on first impressions.

Don’t Ignore Motivation

One of the most important questions to ask is why the candidate wants to move.

A candidate may be leaving because they are looking for:

• Better career progression
• Stronger leadership
• Greater earning potential
• More autonomy
• Better training
• A different market
• A healthier workplace culture

However, you should also investigate whether there are underlying performance or relationship issues.

From our experience, the best recruitment conversations go beyond “Why are you leaving?” and explore what the candidate wants from their next agency and what would make them stay long term.

Understanding motivation can help determine whether the opportunity is genuinely suitable for both sides.

Avoid These Common Hiring Mistakes

Even experienced agencies can make costly recruitment mistakes.

Hiring purely on experience

Years in the industry don’t necessarily equal performance.

Look at what the candidate actually achieved, how they achieved it and whether those conditions will exist in your agency.

Focusing only on current listings

A candidate’s current listings can be useful, but they don’t tell the entire story.

Consider the quality of their relationships, database, prospecting habits and ability to generate future business.

Selling the role too early

An interview should be an assessment process for both parties.

Give candidates a realistic understanding of the role, expectations, culture, remuneration structure and performance requirements.

Overpromising during recruitment can create problems once the employee starts.

Failing to check references

Reference checks can help verify claims about performance, reliability and working style.

Ask specific questions rather than simply asking whether the referee would recommend the candidate.

For example:

“What were their strongest qualities?”

“What areas required development?”

“Would you employ them again?”

These questions can produce much more useful information.

How Linea Talent Group Approaches Real Estate Recruitment

At Linea Talent Group, we believe successful real estate recruitment starts with understanding the agency before searching for candidates.

That means looking at the agency’s structure, leadership, market position, culture, expectations and growth plans before determining what type of candidate is likely to succeed.

In our experience working with employers, the strongest placements are not always the candidates with the longest resumes. They are candidates whose experience, motivations and working style align with what the agency actually needs.

The Australian recruitment market also reinforces the importance of having a targeted approach. Jobs and Skills Australia reported that the national vacancy fill rate fell to 68.2% in the March 2026 quarter, while recruitment conditions weakened across both metropolitan and regional Australia.

For real estate employers, this means relying solely on a job advertisement may not always be enough to reach the right people. A targeted recruitment strategy can help agencies identify passive candidates who may not be actively applying for positions.

The goal should ultimately be to create a match that works for both the employer and the candidate.

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Final Thoughts

Knowing how to hire the right real estate agent for your agency requires more than finding someone with a strong sales record.

The best hiring decisions consider the complete picture: sales performance, prospecting ability, communication, local market knowledge, motivation, cultural alignment and long-term potential.

Start by defining exactly what your agency needs. Then use a structured interview process, assess evidence rather than assumptions and make sure the opportunity genuinely aligns with the candidate’s career goals.

Most importantly, don’t simply hire the best real estate agent available. Hire the right real estate agent for your agency.

About the Author

Ben Mulligan is an Associate Director at Linea Talent Group and a seasoned recruitment specialist with extensive experience in the Australian real estate sector.