How to Find a Great Real Estate Agent in Another State (2026)

Moving out of Silicon Valley, or buying a second home somewhere else, means hiring an agent in a market you don’t know. Most people pick the first name a search turns up, or a friend of a friend. Here’s a better way: what to look for, the questions that separate a great agent from a busy one, and how a referral from an agent you already trust can save you weeks.

The short answer

• Look at recent, local results, not lifetime totals: closed sales in the last year or two, in the areas and price range you’re shopping.
• Interview two or three, by video if you can’t visit, with the same questions for each.
• Ask for the numbers in writing: recent sales near your price, how their listings sold against asking, and how long they took.
• Check the license on that state’s real estate licensing site before you sign anything.
• Ask your current agent for a referral. A good one will vet agents where you’re going and stay in touch through closing, at no cost to you.

Step 1: Decide what kind of help you need

A buyer’s agent in a new city, a listing agent for a home you own there, or both ends of a move at once each call for a different strength. Write down where you’re going (or the commute you need), buying or selling, price range, timing, and anything fixed, like a job start date or a lease end. If your employer has a relocation program, read it first: many programs have their own agent network and paperwork.

Step 2: Build a short list from results, not ads

• Recent sales where you’re going. An agent with a dozen sales in your target area last year will know the streets, the pricing and the offer customs better than one with a hundred sales spread across a region.
• The right price range. Selling a $900,000 house and a $4 million house are different jobs.
• A team behind them. Ask who covers showings, paperwork and deadlines when the agent is busy.
• Licensed and in good standing. Every state has a public license lookup; check it.

Step 3: Interview with the same questions

• What did you sell near my price in the last six months? Addresses, list prices, sale prices and days on market.
• How do offers work here right now? Escalation clauses, contingencies, deposit size and closing timelines vary a lot by market.
• How would you price my home, and why? Ask for the comparable sales behind the number, in writing.
• Who will I actually work with, and who answers on weekends?
• How will you keep me updated while I’m out of town? Video tours, written notes, a shared folder, a set weekly call.
• What do you charge, and what’s included? Commissions are negotiable everywhere.
• What should I know about this market that a listing site won’t show me? Local rules, permit history, flood or fire zones, HOA rules, property taxes.
• Can I talk to two recent clients, one buyer and one seller?

Step 4: Watch for red flags

• Vague answers about recent sales, or only lifetime totals.
• A price for your home with no comparable sales behind it.
• Pressure to sign a long exclusive agreement before you’ve seen how they work.
• Slow replies during the interview. It rarely gets faster after you sign.

Step 5: Coordinate both ends of the move

If you’re selling in Silicon Valley and buying somewhere else, the timing is the hard part: sell first and rent back, buy first and carry two homes for a while, or write a contingent offer where the market allows it. Your agent here and your agent there should talk to each other, and to your lender, before you list or write an offer.

How a referral works

Agents refer clients to each other all the time. When we refer you, we talk with you about the move, look for agents with strong recent results where you’re going, at Compass and other brokerages, call them first, and introduce you to one to three. You choose, or ask for someone else. We check in at the moments that matter and keep your Silicon Valley side moving. There’s no cost to you for the introduction; if a referral fee is paid, it’s paid between the brokerages under a written agreement and doesn’t add to what you pay. The details are on our Nationwide Referrals page.

Moving to Silicon Valley instead?

That’s our home market. Start with Moving Here, the Relocation Lab (cities near your employer, with commutes and first-year dates) and City Match-Up.

Moving somewhere new?

Tell us where you’re headed and we’ll introduce you to agents we’d trust with our own move. Call (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or book a strategy call. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.