How to Choose a Real Estate Agent in Connecticut, and What Changed About Hiring One

By Mike Weaver | Dream Home Realty | Connecticut Realtor | September 2026

Most people choose an agent the same way: a friend recommends someone, they meet once, and that is the decision. No interview, no questions, no comparison. It is the biggest financial transaction of most people's lives and the person guiding it gets picked more casually than a contractor for a bathroom remodel.

I am Mike Weaver with Dream Home Realty, and I am going to tell you how to evaluate an agent honestly, including the parts that are uncomfortable for me to write down. The rules around this changed significantly in the last couple of years and most buyers still do not know what they are entitled to ask for.

First: What Actually Changed

The National Association of Realtors settled a set of antitrust lawsuits in 2024, and the practice changes took effect August 17, 2024. Two things matter to you as a buyer or seller.

One, you now sign a written buyer agency agreement before an agent takes you into a home. This is not a formality. It is a contract that defines what your agent will do for you, how long the relationship lasts, and what they get paid. The trigger is narrow: it applies when an agent is working with you and you are touring a home, which includes a live virtual walkthrough. You can still walk an open house on your own without signing anything.

Two, commissions are openly negotiable and buyer-agent compensation is no longer posted on the MLS. Sellers can still offer to pay a buyer's agent, and in most transactions they still do, but it is now negotiated deal by deal rather than assumed. Typical buyer agent compensation in Connecticut still runs in the 2.5% to 3% range, but nothing about that is fixed by rule.

What this means practically is that you have more leverage than buyers had three years ago and more responsibility to read what you sign.

Read the Buyer Agency Agreement Before You Sign It

Four minutes of reading in the driveway is cheap compared to a six-month exclusive you did not intend to give anyone. Here is what to look at.

The term length. Some agreements run six months. Some run for a single property or a single day of showings. If you are meeting an agent for the first time and are not sure yet, ask for a short term. A good agent will not flinch at that. If they insist on six months exclusive at the first meeting, that tells you something.

The compensation. The agreement states what your agent is paid. Ask directly what happens if the seller offers less than that number, because the difference may fall to you. That is the single most important question in the document and the one buyers skip most often.

The exit terms. How do you end the relationship if it is not working? Every agreement should have an answer and you should know it before you sign.

If an agent gets defensive when you ask to read it carefully or ask for a shorter term, that is useful information about how they will handle the harder conversations later.

The Questions Worth Asking

How many transactions have you closed, and in which towns?

Volume matters less than relevance. An agent who has closed forty deals in Fairfield County knows Fairfield County. If you are buying in Meriden, you want someone who knows what a 1958 cape on the west side goes for and which streets have septic. Ask specifically about your market, not their overall production.

What is your availability actually like?

In a market where homes in Wallingford go pending in about two weeks, an agent who cannot get you into a house within 24 hours costs you houses. Ask how many active clients they carry and who covers when they are unavailable. This is a fair question and the answer tells you a lot.

Walk me through what happens after my offer is accepted.

This is my favorite question to hear because the answer separates agents fast. An agent who can walk you through the inspection window, the purchase and sale agreement, the attorney's role, the appraisal, and the closing timeline without notes actually understands the process. An agent who gets vague after the offer stage is going to be vague when something goes wrong at day 32.

How do you communicate, and how fast?

Text, call, email, whatever. It matters less what the answer is than whether they have one. Mismatched communication expectations cause more client frustration than almost anything else.

What are you paid, and what happens if the seller offers less?

Ask it plainly. An agent who cannot discuss their own compensation comfortably is not going to negotiate confidently on your behalf.

What Actually Matters More Than Anything on That List

Whether they will tell you no.

The best thing an agent does for a buyer is not finding houses. Zillow finds houses. The best thing an agent does is tell you when a house is overpriced, when an inspection finding is a real problem rather than a negotiating chip, when you are about to stretch past what you can comfortably carry, and when the right move is to walk away from something you have already emotionally committed to.

That requires an agent who is willing to lose a commission to give you honest advice. When you are interviewing someone, listen for whether they push back on anything you say or whether they agree with everything. Agreement feels good in a first meeting. It is worth very little in month three.

Red Flags

They pressure you to sign a long exclusive at the first meeting. They cannot explain the closing process clearly. They dismiss your questions about compensation. They tell you every house is a great deal. They are hard to reach before you have signed anything, which is when they should be most responsive.

And one that is specific to right now: if an agent tells you commissions are fixed or that you have no say in the terms, they are either misinformed or hoping you are. That has not been true since August 2024.

Where I Land on This

About 85% of the people I work with are first-time buyers. That shapes how I do this job. Most of my clients have never read a purchase and sale agreement, never sat at a closing table, and never had to decide whether a $9,000 inspection finding is worth walking away over.

So the thing I try to do is explain rather than direct. Not what to do, but what the options are and what each one actually means, so that the decision is yours and you understand it. When people describe working with me afterward, the word that comes up most is comfortable. Not impressed. Comfortable. That is the one I care about.

I am not the right agent for everybody and I am fine saying that. If you want someone who will tell you every house is perfect and never push back, we are not going to enjoy each other. If you want someone who will explain the whole thing and be straight with you even when it is not what you were hoping to hear, that is what I do.

Interview a Few People, Including Me

Talk to two or three agents before you commit to anyone. Ask them the questions above. Notice who explains things and who just reassures you.

I am Mike Weaver with Dream Home Realty, licensed through Real Broker CT, LLC, working in Wallingford, Meriden, and Cheshire. Call or text me at (203) 815-8036, email mweaver.re@gmail.com, or visit dhrealty.net. No pressure and no long agreement at a first conversation. Just a conversation.

Mike Weaver is a licensed Connecticut real estate agent affiliated with Real Broker CT, LLC, an equal housing opportunity broker. This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. NAR settlement practice changes took effect August 17, 2024. Information sourced from the National Association of Realtors Consumer Guide to Written Buyer Agreements and related 2026 industry reporting. Agreement terms and compensation structures vary. Consult a licensed Connecticut real estate attorney before signing any agreement.