NY Licensed Real Estate Broker, SRS, GRI, RSPS, CIPS
How to shop for a listing agent intelligently.
Selling Your Home in Ithaca? How to Find the Right Real Estate Agent…
So you’re thinking about selling your house.
Maybe you’re ready to make a move. Maybe you’ve been talking about it for six months. Maybe you’re just curious what your house is worth and wondering, “If I actually decide to sell, who the heck should I call?”
And then you do what everyone does.
You Google “best real estate agent in Ithaca.”
And that’s where things get messy.
You’ll find agents with hundreds of reviews. Teams claiming to be #1. Brokerages touting market share. Awards. Sales statistics. Pretty websites. And approximately 47 different people who would all very confidently tell you they’re the best choice.
So how do you actually figure it out?
Here’s a better way.
Start by figuring out what you’re actually hiring an agent to do
You’re not hiring someone to put a sign in your yard.
You’re hiring someone to help you make a series of decisions that could have a six-figure impact on your financial outcome.
Your agent should help you:
Determine a realistic market value
Decide when and how to launch
Prepare the property for market
Position it against competing listings
Create demand
Market it where buyers will actually see it
Manage showings and feedback
Negotiate offers
Navigate inspections, appraisals and repairs
Keep the transaction moving
And, ultimately, get you from “For Sale” to “Sold” with as little unnecessary drama as possible
That’s a pretty important job.
So don’t choose your agent because your neighbor used them three years ago.
And don’t choose them because they have the most Zillow reviews.
Interview them.
Step 1: Look for an agent who actually sells homes
This sounds obvious.
It isn’t.
There are plenty of excellent real estate agents who are terrific at helping people buy homes.
That’s a different skill set from representing sellers.
When you’re interviewing an agent, ask:
“What percentage of your business is representing sellers?”
Then ask:
“How many homes have you listed and sold in the last 12–24 months?”
You’re looking for evidence that listing homes isn’t something they do occasionally between buyer clients.
Look at recent production—not just lifetime sales
Someone who sold 500 houses over 30 years but has six transactions this year may have an impressive résumé.
Someone who is actively selling 50 homes a year today may have more relevant experience for today’s market.
Ideally, you want both:
Longevity + current production.
Step 2: Don’t confuse reviews with results
Reviews are useful.
They’re just not the whole story.
A five-star rating tells you something about the client experience.
It doesn’t necessarily tell you:
Whether the agent priced the property correctly
Whether the home sold quickly
Whether the seller had to reduce the price
Whether the agent negotiated effectively
Whether the agent generated multiple offers
Whether the final sale price was strong compared with the original asking price
A seller should care about those things.
So when you look at an agent’s reviews, read them.
Don’t just count them.
Look for repeated comments about:
communication, preparation, pricing strategy, negotiation, marketing, problem-solving and getting the deal to the closing table.
Those are the reviews that matter.
Step 3: Ask about the list to sale price ratio
Three colleagues review market data and financial notes during a focused planning session.
This may be the most revealing question you can ask.
“What percentage of your listings sell for at least 95% of their original list price?”
Better yet:
“What’s your average original-list-price-to-sale-price ratio?”
Why does the word original matter?
Because anyone can eventually sell a house after reducing the price enough.
If a house is listed at $600,000, reduced to $550,000 and sells for $545,000, someone can technically say:
“We sold it for 99% of asking!”
Technically true.
Completely different story.
The question is whether the agent’s pricing strategy and marketing generated the result the seller was expecting.
Step 4: Find out how they determine your price
This is where I’d pay close attention.
A good listing consultation shouldn’t be:
“I looked at Zillow and I think you could get $475,000.”
It should involve an actual analysis of the current market.
Ask:
“What properties are you using to determine my home’s value, and why?”
You should be able to have a conversation about:
Recent comparable sales
Current competition
Condition
Location
Size
Lot
Updates
Market activity
Buyer demand
Pricing trends
What makes your house different
And don’t be afraid to ask:
“What would make you recommend pricing it lower than I want?”
A listing agent shouldn’t be afraid to tell you something you don’t want to hear.
In fact, that’s part of what you’re paying them for.
Step 5: Look at their marketing—not their marketing promises
Every listing agent says they have “aggressive marketing.”
Great.
Show me.
Look at their recent listings.
Are the photographs good?
Are the descriptions interesting?
Do the properties have video?
Are they creating a reason for someone to care about the house?
Are they using social media intelligently?
Do they understand how to market properties that aren’t cookie-cutter?
Do they know how to tell the story of an older home, a rural property, a lake house, an investment property or a quirky house with actual personality?
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Putting a house in the MLS is not marketing.
It’s distribution.
Marketing is creating enough interest that a buyer wants to see the house.
Step 6: Find someone who knows YOUR market
“I sell real estate in the Finger Lakes” is a very broad statement.
The Ithaca-area market isn’t one market.
Cayuga Heights is different from South Hill.
East Ithaca is different from Trumansburg.
A lake property is different from a village home.
A rural property with a well and septic is different from a house on municipal utilities.
A student-oriented property is different from a $900,000 owner-occupied home.
You don’t necessarily need an agent who lives two streets away.
But you do need someone who understands the market where your property competes.
Ask:
“How many homes have you sold in my area?”
And then ask:
“What are buyers looking for in this particular market?”
The second question is harder to fake.
Step 7: Interview at least three agents
This is one of the biggest mistakes sellers make.
They call one agent.
The agent gives them a price.
They sign the paperwork.
Done.
Instead, interview at least three.
And here’s the important part:
Give each agent the same information and ask the same questions.
You’ll start seeing differences.
One may tell you your house is worth $650,000.
Another says $599,000.
Another says $625,000.
Don’t automatically choose the highest number.
Ask why.
The highest suggested price isn’t necessarily the best pricing strategy.
Sometimes it’s simply the easiest way to win the listing.
A quick way to compare the agents
After each interview, score them from 1–5 on:
Question
Score
Do they understand my local market?
/5
Do they have strong recent seller production?
/5
Did they explain their pricing strategy?
/5
Did they show me actual marketing examples?
/5
Do they have a clear plan to generate buyer interest?
/5
Are they a strong negotiator?
/5
Did I feel listened to?
/5
Did they tell me things I needed to hear—even if I didn’t like them?
/5
Did they answer my questions directly?
/5
Do I trust them with a major financial transaction?
/5
That last one matters more than people think.
Because when the inspection report comes back with 17 items, the appraisal is $20,000 below the contract price, or the buyer’s agent suddenly wants a concession three days before closing…
you are going to want an adult in the room.
What about the “Top” agents in Ithaca?
Once you’ve narrowed down what matters to you, then it makes sense to look at who’s actually performing in the market.
Current 2026 public data show a number of very strong agents and teams in the Ithaca area.
Among the names worth researching are:
Rank
Agent / Team
Tier
Why they stand out
1
Lindsay Hart / Hart & Homes
🏆 Tier 1
Strong current seller production, local market depth, team infrastructure, marketing, negotiation and seller-focused experience
2
Kate Seaman Team
🏆 Tier 1
Very high transaction volume, extensive Ithaca history, strong review base and substantial seller activity
3
Jill Burlington Team
🏆 Tier 1
Large overall production, extensive Ithaca experience, strong seller activity and broad property expertise
4
Karen Hollands Team
🏆 Tier 1
High current production, luxury/waterfront expertise, substantial seller volume and strong local reputation
5
Laurel Guy
🥈 Tier 2
Nearly two decades of experience, substantial lifetime production, strong seller history and deep local knowledge
