How Do I Verify a Real Estate Agent's Track Record in Santa Clarita Valley?
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How Do I Verify a Real Estate Agent’s Track Record in Santa Clarita Valley?
Connor “with Honor” MacIvor - December 10, 2025** Tags: [verify real estate agent](/-/Blog/tag/verify real estate agent), [agent track record verification](/-/Blog/tag/agent track record verification), [Santa Clarita realtor credentials](/-/Blog/tag/Santa Clarita realtor credentials), [check agent performance](/-/Blog/tag/check agent performance), [real estate agent research](/-/Blog/tag/real estate agent research), [agent sales history](/-/Blog/tag/agent sales history), [verify agent claims](/-/Blog/tag/verify agent claims), [Santa Clarita agent vetting](/-/Blog/tag/Santa Clarita agent vetting), [realtor background check](/-/Blog/tag/realtor background check), [agent perfo](/-/Blog/tag/agent perfo) ** 0 Comments | Add Comment “I’ve closed over 100 transactions!”
“I’m a top producer in Santa Clarita Valley!”
“I specialize in your neighborhood!”
Real estate agents make impressive claims during interviews. They present polished marketing materials, share glowing testimonials, and project supreme confidence in their abilities. Everything sounds great.
But here’s the uncomfortable question most buyers and sellers never ask: How do you know if any of it is actually true?
After 27 years in Santa Clarita real estate since 1998, I’ve watched countless buyers and sellers accept agents’ claims at face value, only to discover later—often when problems arise mid-transaction—that the impressive track record was exaggerated, the “specialization” was marketing spin, or the “top producer” status was self-proclaimed rather than objectively verified.
The real estate industry makes verification challenging. Unlike doctors, lawyers, or contractors whose credentials, disciplinary history, and track records are easily accessible through public databases, real estate agent performance data is scattered, incomplete, and sometimes deliberately obscured. Agents control their own marketing narratives, and there’s no central authority publishing objective performance rankings that consumers can easily access.
This information asymmetry puts buyers and sellers at a significant disadvantage. You’re making one of the largest financial decisions of your life, entrusting potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars to someone whose actual competence and track record you cannot easily verify.
But verification IS possible—if you know where to look, what to ask, and how to interpret the information you find. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll show you exactly how to verify real estate agent track records in Santa Clarita Valley, what sources provide reliable information, what red flags indicate exaggerated or false claims, and how to separate genuinely excellent agents from skilled self-promoters.
Whether you’re preparing to buy your first home in Canyon Country or sell a luxury property in Stevenson Ranch, verifying agent credentials protects your interests and ensures you work with proven professionals rather than convincing talkers.
Why Agent Track Record Verification Matters
Before diving into how to verify track records, let’s establish why this verification is critically important—beyond the obvious reason that you want a competent agent.
Claims Are Often Exaggerated or Misleading
Real estate is a sales profession, and agents are skilled at presenting themselves favorably. Common exaggerations include:
Transaction Volume Inflation: An agent claiming “100 transactions” might be counting every side of every transaction over their entire career, including deals where they provided minimal contribution as part of a team. When you dig deeper, you might find they’ve personally represented clients in only 30-40 transactions in the past five years—a very different picture.
Selective Time Frames: “I sold 50 homes last year!” sounds impressive until you learn this was during a hot market when almost every agent saw record volume, and this year they’re on pace for 20. Or they’re referencing their single best year from five years ago rather than current performance.
Geographic Ambiguity: “I’m a top producer in Santa Clarita Valley!” might mean they do high volume somewhere in the valley, but zero business in your specific neighborhood. If you’re in Valencia, their “track record” in Castaic is largely irrelevant.
Team Production vs. Individual Production: Many agents work on teams where the team leader gets credit for all team transactions. The agent you’re interviewing might be claiming the team’s production numbers while personally handling only a fraction of those deals.
Self-Proclaimed Titles: “Top Agent,” “Best Realtor,” “Premier Producer”—these are often self-assigned marketing titles with no objective verification. There’s no governing body preventing any agent from calling themselves a “top producer” regardless of actual production.
Misleading Specialization Claims: Agents claim to “specialize” in areas where they’ve done minimal business because it sounds good and potential clients are unlikely to verify the claim. An agent might say they “specialize in first-time buyers” when they’ve actually worked with three first-time buyers ever.
Without verification, you’re relying entirely on self-reported claims from parties with vested interests in being selected.
Performance Varies Dramatically Among Agents
Real estate agent competence follows a power law distribution: the top 20% of agents typically handle 80% of transactions, while the remaining 80% of agents fight for the remaining 20% of business.
This means:
The difference in experience level, systems, negotiation skills, and overall competence between an agent doing 50 deals per year versus an agent doing 5 deals per year is enormous. The agent doing 5 deals per year isn’t necessarily bad—but they’re not getting the repetition and experience that builds elite-level skills.
You deserve to know where an agent falls on this spectrum before hiring them.
Past Performance Predicts Future Performance
While past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, track records provide the single best predictor of agent competence available to consumers:
Consistent High Performance suggests:
Inconsistent or Limited Track Records might indicate:
Understanding an agent’s actual track record helps you assess whether they’re likely to deliver the results you need.
Verification Protects Against License Issues
Beyond performance verification, you need to confirm agents:
While serious license violations are rare, they do occur, and working with an agent facing disciplinary action creates legal and practical complications.
Public Records: The Foundation of Verification
Let’s start with publicly available information sources that provide objective data about agent credentials and track records.
California Department of Real Estate (DRE) License Verification
The California DRE maintains a public license verification system at verify.dre.ca.gov where you can search any real estate licensee.
What You Can Verify:
How to Use This Information:
Verify Active Status: Confirm the license is currently active. If it shows as expired, inactive, suspended, or revoked, do not hire this agent under any circumstances.
Check Disciplinary History: Review any disciplinary actions. Minor issues (late renewal fees, administrative paperwork issues) are usually not concerning. Serious violations (fraud, misrepresentation, trust fund violations, license restrictions) are major red flags requiring explanation or disqualification.
Calculate Experience: The original license date tells you how long they’ve been licensed—though this doesn’t necessarily indicate activity level. Someone licensed for 20 years but working part-time might have less practical experience than someone licensed for 5 years working full-time with high volume.
Verify Brokerage: Confirm they work at the brokerage they claim. If the DRE shows a different brokerage, something’s wrong—either outdated information or potential misrepresentation.
Red Flags in DRE Records:
Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Data - Indirect Access
The MLS contains the most comprehensive transaction data—every listing, sale, price, date, and agent involved. Unfortunately, MLS access is restricted to licensed real estate professionals and consumers cannot search it directly.
However, you can request MLS-derived information from agents:
Request Specific Data: “Can you provide a list of your transactions in [specific neighborhood] over the past 12-24 months, including addresses, list prices, sale prices, and days on market?”
Professional agents can easily generate this report from their MLS system. The addresses allow you to verify the transactions actually exist.
What to Look For:
Red Flags:
Public Property Records
County assessor and recorder offices maintain public records of all real estate transactions, though accessing and searching these records requires effort.
What’s Available:
How This Helps: If an agent claims to have sold a specific property, you can verify the transaction actually occurred and matches their claimed timeline and price.
Limitations:
This works best for spot-checking specific high-value claims rather than comprehensive track record verification.
Online Research: Reviews, Profiles, and Social Proof
Beyond official records, online research provides additional verification sources—though these require careful interpretation and awareness of platform biases.
Zillow Premier Agent Profiles and Reviews - Use With Caution
Zillow maintains agent profiles with reviews and transaction counts, but recent legal scrutiny has exposed significant problems with their agent placement and recommendation systems.
Important Context You Need to Know:
Zillow operates a pay-to-play model where agents purchase leads and prominent placement. The agents appearing at the top of search results aren’t necessarily the best agents—they’re the agents who paid the most for that positioning. Recent lawsuits have highlighted how this creates conflicts of interest where Zillow profits from steering consumers toward agents who pay them, regardless of agent quality or suitability.
When you search for homes on Zillow, the “Premier Agents” featured prominently are there because they purchased advertising, not because Zillow verified their competence or determined they’re best suited for your needs.
What You Can Still Find (But Interpret Carefully):
How to Interpret With Appropriate Skepticism:
Reviews: Look for patterns across multiple reviews, but understand that agents paying for Zillow placement often aggressively solicit reviews to support their paid presence. Dozens of detailed, consistent reviews carry more weight than a handful of generic ones, but remember the context: agents with the most reviews are often those investing heavily in Zillow advertising, not necessarily those with the best track records.
Transaction Counts: These are self-reported, may be inflated, and cannot be independently verified through Zillow. Use as rough guidance rather than reliable data.
Featured Placement: If an agent appears prominently in Zillow search results, this indicates they’re paying for leads—nothing more. It doesn’t indicate verified expertise, local knowledge, or superior performance.
Response to Reviews: How agents respond to both positive and negative reviews still reveals character. Professional, gracious responses to criticism suggest emotional maturity and customer service orientation.
Critical Red Flags:
Bottom Line on Zillow:
Zillow is fine for browsing property listings (which come from MLS regardless of agent). But for agent selection, Zillow’s pay-to-play model makes it an unreliable verification source. The platform profits when you select agents who pay them, creating inherent conflicts of interest.
If an agent prominently features their Zillow presence as a credential, understand what that really means: they’re willing to pay for leads. This isn’t necessarily bad—some excellent agents use Zillow advertising effectively—but it’s not verification of competence.
For actual track record verification, rely on:
Zillow can be one data point among many, but never your primary verification source.
Realtor.com Agent Profiles
Realtor.com, operated by the National Association of Realtors, also hosts agent profiles with reviews and self-reported information.
Important Context:
While Realtor.com has different ownership and operational structure than Zillow, similar cautions apply: agents can pay for enhanced placement and prominence. Featured agents are there due to advertising spend, not verified competency.
That said, Realtor.com’s connection to NAR (the professional trade organization) means it tends to have somewhat better data accuracy regarding agent credentials, designations, and affiliations than purely commercial platforms.
What You Can Find:
Interpretation Guidelines:
Google Reviews and Google Business Profiles
If agents maintain Google Business Profiles, reviews appear in Google search and Maps.
Advantages:
What to Assess:
Red Flags:
Why Google Reviews Matter More:
Unlike platforms where agents pay for prominence, Google’s organic search results reflect genuine relevance and reputation. An agent with 50+ Google reviews averaging 4.8 stars has earned that reputation through actual client satisfaction, not advertising spend.
Facebook Business Pages and Reviews
Some agents maintain Facebook business pages with reviews and recommendations.
Look for:
Agent Websites and Blogs
Professional agent websites often showcase:
What to Verify:
Red Flags:
LinkedIn Profiles
LinkedIn provides professional background verification:
What This Reveals:
Red Flags:
Direct Verification Methods: Questions and References
Beyond online research, direct verification through strategic questions and reference checks provides crucial insights.
Strategic Questions That Reveal Truth
Question 1: “Can you provide the addresses of your last 10 transactions in [your neighborhood], along with closing dates and sale prices?”
Why This Works: Specific addresses allow verification. Agents with strong neighborhood track records can provide this immediately. Agents exaggerating experience will hesitate, provide vague answers, or refuse.
What Strong Answers Look Like: “Absolutely. Give me your email and I’ll send you a list from my MLS history. Off the top of my head, I just closed 123 Main Street in your neighborhood last month at $825K, and before that 456 Oak Avenue at $795K in October…”
They’re comfortable providing specifics because the track record exists.
Red Flag Answers: “I’ve sold a lot in your area but I’d need to look up specific addresses.” “That information is confidential.” (No, it’s not—sales are public records.) “I don’t track it that specifically.” (Professional agents absolutely track this.)
Question 2: “What percentage of your listings in the past year sold within 5% of the original asking price?”
Why This Works: This metric reveals pricing accuracy and negotiation skill. Agents who consistently achieve 95%+ of asking price demonstrate strong market knowledge and pricing expertise.
What Strong Answers Look Like: “In the past 12 months, about 85% of my listings sold within 5% of asking, and my average sale-to-list ratio was about 98.5%. I can show you the specific numbers if you’d like.”
Specific percentages with confidence suggest they actually track these metrics.
Red Flag Answers: “I’m not sure exactly but pretty close to asking usually.” “It depends on market conditions.” (This evades the question.) “We always get full price!” (This is almost never true and suggests dishonesty.)
Question 3: “What’s your average days on market compared to the neighborhood average for similar properties?”
Why This Works: This reveals marketing effectiveness. Agents whose listings sell faster than average demonstrate superior marketing and pricing strategies.
What Strong Answers Look Like: “The average in your neighborhood is about 35 days on market right now. My listings there typically go under contract in 20-25 days because we price accurately from day one and have aggressive marketing strategies.”
They know both their own metrics and market benchmarks.
Red Flag Answers: “My homes sell pretty quickly.” “It varies a lot.” (Too vague to be useful.) “I don’t track that.” (Huge red flag—this is fundamental performance data.)
Question 4: “Can you walk me through a recent challenging transaction and how you handled it?”
Why This Works: This reveals problem-solving skills, honesty about challenges, and real experience. Generic or overly positive answers suggest limited actual experience with difficulties.
What Strong Answers Look Like: “I had a transaction last year where the inspection revealed foundation issues the seller wasn’t aware of. We brought in a structural engineer, got repair estimates, renegotiated with the buyer to split costs, and kept the deal together. It took an extra three weeks, but both parties were ultimately satisfied…”
Specific details, acknowledgment of challenges, concrete problem-solving steps.
Red Flag Answers: “I haven’t really had any difficult transactions.” (Either lying or too inexperienced.) “We just work hard and get it done.” (Generic non-answer.) Blaming others for problems without taking responsibility.
Question 5: “How many of your transactions in the past year came from repeat clients or referrals versus new client acquisition?”
Why This Works: High referral rates indicate client satisfaction. Agents whose business comes primarily from referrals and repeat clients are delivering results that earn recommendations.
What Strong Answers Look Like: “About 70% of my business comes from past clients or referrals from past clients. I also get referrals from other professionals—lenders, attorneys, CPAs—who trust my work.”
High referral percentages (60%+) suggest strong client satisfaction.
Red Flag Answers: “Most of my business comes from online leads.” (Suggests they’re buying leads, not earning referrals.) “I’m not sure of the breakdown.” (They should know this.) Very low referral rates (under 30%) despite years in business.
Reference Check Best Practices
When agents provide references, maximize the value of these conversations:
Ask for Specific References: Don’t just accept generic testimonials. Request: “Can you provide contact information for 2-3 clients who bought or sold in situations similar to mine—[your property type] in [your neighborhood] within the past 12-18 months?”
Questions to Ask References:
Red Flags in Reference Conversations:
Verify References Are Real:
Professional Credentials and Designations
Beyond transaction history, professional credentials indicate commitment to education and specialization.
Important Designations to Recognize
CRS (Certified Residential Specialist):
ABR (Accredited Buyer’s Representative):
SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist):
GRI (Graduate, REALTOR® Institute):
Luxury Home Certifications:
How to Verify Designations:
Don’t just accept agents’ claims about designations:
If agents claim designations, verification takes 2 minutes and ensures honesty.
What Designations Mean (and Don’t Mean):
Designations Suggest:
Designations Don’t Guarantee:
Designations are positive signals but shouldn’t override track record verification and personal assessment.
Red Flags That Should Disqualify Agents Immediately
Some red flags are so serious they should eliminate agents from consideration regardless of other factors:
Absolute Disqualifiers:
❌ Expired, Suspended, or Revoked License: Never work with anyone not currently licensed and in good standing.
❌ Serious Disciplinary Actions: Fraud, misrepresentation, trust fund violations, or license restrictions related to competence or ethics.
❌ Refusal to Provide Verification: If agents refuse to provide references, transaction data, or basic verification information, walk away. They’re hiding something.
❌ Caught in Lies: If you catch agents misrepresenting their track record, credentials, or experience, nothing else matters. Dishonesty disqualifies them.
❌ Pressuring You to Sign Immediately: Professional agents understand you need time to make informed decisions. Pressure suggests desperation or manipulation.
❌ Bad-Mouthing Other Agents Extensively: Some criticism of competitors’ approaches is normal, but agents who extensively trash-talk other professionals often signal their own insecurity or unprofessionalism.
❌ Guaranteeing Specific Outcomes: No ethical agent guarantees sale prices or purchase prices. The market determines outcomes. Guarantees suggest either dishonesty or incompetence about how real estate actually works.
Serious Warning Signs (Not Automatic Disqualifiers, But Require Explanation):
⚠️ Part-Time Status Without Disclosure: If you discover they’re working another job when they claimed to be full-time agents.
⚠️ Multiple Brokerage Changes in Short Periods: Might indicate instability, poor performance, or conflicts.
⚠️ Extremely Limited Track Record: Claims of years of experience but minimal actual transactions.
⚠️ No Online Presence: In 2026, lack of website, reviews, or professional online presence suggests minimal investment in their business.
⚠️ Discrepancies Between Sources: If information on their website contradicts what they told you verbally, or if different platforms show conflicting information.
How Expert Referral Services Verify Track Records
This is where services like Santa Clarita Open Houses provide significant value: professional track record verification that individual consumers struggle to perform comprehensively.
Professional Verification Advantages
Through 27 years in Santa Clarita real estate, I’ve developed:
MLS Access and Analysis: I can search MLS directly to verify:
Consumers cannot access this data directly, but I can verify agent claims in minutes.
Industry Relationships: Professional relationships reveal information consumers can’t access:
Long-Term Observation: I’ve watched agents’ careers over years or decades:
Client Feedback Loop: Through years of making referrals, I receive feedback about which agents deliver excellent service vs. disappointing performance. This ongoing information stream continuously refines my knowledge of agent capabilities.
Efficient, Accurate Matching
When you schedule a consultation, I can:
No Conflicts of Interest:
Unlike Zillow and paid referral platforms, I receive no fees or commissions from agents I refer. My only incentive is making successful matches that lead to satisfied clients and future referrals based on trust.
This means my verification serves YOUR interests, not my financial interests in steering you toward whoever pays me the most.
Putting It All Together: A Verification Checklist
Here’s your practical step-by-step verification process:
Step 1: Initial License Verification (5 minutes)
Step 2: Online Research (20-30 minutes)
Step 3: Direct Questions During Interview (During meeting)
Step 4: Reference Checks (30-45 minutes)
Step 5: Cross-Reference Information (15 minutes)
Step 6: Trust Your Instincts (Immediate)
Total Time Investment: 2-3 hours for thorough verification of one agent.
If interviewing three agents, you’re looking at 6-9 hours of verification work—which explains why many people skip verification and later regret it.
Alternative: 45-minute consultation with Santa Clarita Open Houses where verification has already been done professionally, saving you hours while providing superior information.
What to Do When Verification Reveals Problems
What if your verification uncovers issues?
Minor Discrepancies: If small inconsistencies appear (slight differences in transaction counts, minor timeline discrepancies), ask the agent directly for clarification. Honest mistakes happen; how agents respond reveals character.
Moderate Concerns: If verification shows the agent’s experience is less impressive than claimed but still reasonable (e.g., they said “extensive neighborhood experience” but you find moderate experience), decide if their actual track record still meets your needs.
Serious Issues: If you discover:
Walk away immediately. Don’t rationalize or make excuses. These are deal-breakers.
When In Doubt: If something feels off but you can’t quite identify why, trust your instincts. There are many competent agents in Santa Clarita Valley—you don’t need to settle for anyone about whom you have significant doubts.
Conclusion: Verification Protects Your Biggest Investment
Real estate transactions involve hundreds of thousands of dollars and represent one of the most significant financial decisions most people make. Accepting agent claims without verification is like hiring a contractor based solely on their business card or selecting a doctor based on their advertisement.
You wouldn’t do that in other contexts involving far less money, so why accept it in real estate?
Professional track record verification:
The verification process takes time and effort if you do it yourself—or you can leverage expert referral services where verification has already been done professionally.
When you’re ready to buy in Canyon Country, sell in Valencia, or transact anywhere in Santa Clarita Valley, contact Santa Clarita Open Houses for free expert consultation and agent referrals based on objectively verified track records.
No cost. No obligation. Just professional guidance toward agents whose expertise has been thoroughly vetted and verified.
Visit SantaClaritaOpenHouses.com or schedule a consultation to discuss your real estate goals with someone who’s spent 27 years verifying agent track records professionally.
I’m Connor with Honor, and I’m here to ensure you work with agents whose impressive claims are backed by verified performance.
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Yes, I earn referral fees when you work with agents I recommend. But unlike national platforms like Zillow or Realtor.com, I personally know and vet every single agent in my network of 17 trusted professionals.
My recommendations are based on YOUR specific needs and the complexity of your situation—not who pays the highest referral fee. I live in Santa Clarita Valley, and my reputation in this community depends on your success. Local accountability matters.
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