This guide is published on David Goad’s own real estate website. It is a comparison checklist, not an independent ranking of agents.
Start with the property and the community.
Write down what you need help with: selling an estate property, buying your first home, coordinating a purchase and sale, or comparing communities. An agent’s overall transaction count tells you something different from experience with your kind of property in your city.
Ask for recent relevant examples and the agent’s role in each transaction. A seller-side assignment and a buyer-side assignment involve different work. Ask how the agent would research the property’s local requirements and who will confirm them with the municipality. Use the Downriver city guides to organize your questions about individual communities.
Check the credentials and the record.
- Identity and brokerage: Compare the professional name, brokerage and contact details across the agent’s website and official profiles.
- License: Use Michigan LARA’s MiPLUS page and Verify a License link. A number displayed on a website is not a substitute for checking the current state record.
- Sales: Ask whether figures cover a career, a calendar year or a rolling period, and whether they belong to an individual or a team. Do not treat a profile-wide count as a count for one Downriver city.
- Reviews: Open the original platform. Read the detail behind the rating, including the type of help described. Adding platform counts does not produce a deduplicated client count.
For David, start with the sales and reviews evidence, then ask for examples that fit your particular move. Public profile totals cannot establish every detail of a transaction or guarantee the same outcome for another client.
Ask for the plan before the pitch.
For a listing, ask the agent to explain the comparable sales, preparation priorities, marketing services and review points if the home does not attract suitable offers. Ask how the plan accounts for property condition and competing listings. A proposed asking price is more useful when you can follow the evidence behind it.
For a purchase, ask how properties will be screened, how offer terms will be compared, and how the agent handles inspection findings or appraisal concerns. Ask what information would make the agent advise against an offer. Compare the explanation with your budget and tolerance for repairs.
Use the same practical scenario with each agent you interview. For example: “We need to sell before buying, and our closing dates may not align. What are the decisions we should make first?” Compare how clearly each person explains choices, costs and uncertainty.
Agree on communication and responsibilities.
Ask who answers questions, attends appointments, coordinates paperwork and covers an absence. Discuss your preferred contact method and how urgent decisions will be handled. Ask for a realistic update schedule rather than assuming every agent works the same way.
Read the agreement and negotiate the terms.
NAR’s consumer guide to negotiating written buyer agreements explains that services, compensation and agreement duration are negotiable. Compensation is not set by law. Ask which services are included, what you may owe, when payment is due, how exclusivity works, and what termination provisions apply.
NAR says many real estate professionals must have a written buyer agreement before touring a home with a buyer. Asking about services or independently attending an open house does not itself require that agreement. Discuss what applies to your proposed relationship before scheduling tours. If you do not understand a provision, ask for clarification and consider legal advice before signing.
Make the comparison concrete.
Keep a short note for each agent: relevant sales examples, original review links, communication plan, proposed services and contract questions. The strongest fit is the person whose evidence and working approach meet your needs. You do not need to accept an unsupported “number one” claim to make a well-informed choice.
Read Why David · Check David’s source profiles · Read the local market reports