How to Choose the Right Real Estate Agent in Maryland

Most home sellers don’t go it alone anymore — and the data shows why. According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 91% of sellers used a real estate agent last year, an all-time high, while only 5% sold For Sale By Owner, an all-time low.¹ The bigger number: agent-assisted homes sold for a median of $425,000, compared to $360,000 for FSBO sales — an 18% difference. So the real question isn’t whether to use an agent. It’s how to pick the right one.

Look for Someone Who Knows Your Specific Area

A Maryland real estate agent who mainly works 40 minutes from where you’re buying or selling isn’t going to have the same read on local pricing, school zones, and neighborhood-level trends as someone working there regularly. Ask directly: how many transactions have you closed in this specific county or zip code in the last year? A vague answer is itself an answer.

Ask How They’ll Actually Communicate With You

This sounds basic, but it’s consistently one of the top complaints in buyer and seller surveys — not being kept in the loop. Ask up front: will you hear from your agent weekly, only when there’s news, by text, by call? There’s no universally right answer, but there is a wrong one: finding out three weeks in that you and your agent have completely different expectations.

Consider Whether You Need More Than Just a Transaction Manager

Some situations call for more than someone to list a property and field offers:

If you’re evaluating an investment property, an agent with actual investment experience — not just sales experience — can tell you something different about a property’s upside than one who’s never bought for themselves.
If English isn’t your first language, working with a bilingual agent removes a real source of friction from one of the most document-heavy processes most people go through. We covered this in more depth in why a bilingual realtor matters in Maryland.
If you want more than one person’s perspective without hiring two separate agents, a team structure — two agents working together on your behalf instead of one — covers more ground than a solo agent juggling every client alone.

Check Their Credentials, Not Just Their Listings

A real estate license is the baseline, not the differentiator — confirm it’s current (Maryland license numbers are public record), but then look past it. How long have they been licensed? What do they specialize in? Do they have any track record you can verify, like total transaction volume or years active?

What This Looks Like at Executive Home Group

Ryan Byrd has been a licensed Maryland Realtor since 2022 and has helped facilitate more than $100 million in transactions since entering the industry in 2020, with hands-on experience evaluating property as an investor — covered in more detail in our guide to investing in rental property in central Maryland. Rebeca Garcia is fluent in English and Spanish and brings a background in healthcare and patient communication to how she works with clients. Together, that’s two agents — not one juggling everyone alone — serving Howard County and the surrounding Maryland counties.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do most people really use a real estate agent, or is FSBO common?

Using an agent is now the overwhelming norm — 91% of sellers used one in the latest NAR data, with FSBO sales at an all-time low of 5%.

Do agent-assisted homes actually sell for more?

According to NAR’s 2025 data, agent-assisted homes sold for a median of $425,000 versus $360,000 for FSBO sales — an 18% difference, though individual results vary by market and property.

What should I ask a real estate agent before hiring them?

At minimum: how many transactions they’ve closed in your specific area recently, how they’ll communicate with you throughout the process, and whether they have any relevant specialty (investment properties, bilingual service, first-time buyers) that matches your situation.

Does Executive Home Group work with both buyers and sellers?

Yes. Ryan Byrd and Rebeca Garcia work with first-time buyers, repeat buyers, sellers, and investors throughout Howard County and the surrounding Maryland counties.

Ready to talk through what you’re looking for? Schedule a consultation with Ryan or Rebeca — no pressure, just a conversation about whether we’re the right fit.

Source:
1. National Association of Realtors, “FSBOs Reach All-Time Low, More Sellers Rely on Agents” — 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, published November 11, 2025