One way to shop for a Realtor is by looking for names that frequently appear on For Sale signs in your area -- preferably ones that often end up with SOLD riders.

#6: Pick a Realtor that can manage the market and you.

Picking a listing agent is a bit like picking a high school boyfriend. The one you like the most might not be the one who is good for you. (And once your home is listed, you might find yourself sitting by the phone on Saturday night wishing they would call, but I digress.) You need to employ a couple of critical strategies to find a Realtor to handle your precious property.

What have they sold lately? As a first step, you'll want to look at their track record. As much as you might like them, the fact that a Realtor is your hairdresser's play cousin does not qualify them to list your home. While picking a buyer's broker is all about the interpersonal relationship you can build with your agent, picking a listing agent is all about that agent's track record of successfully selling properties like yours -- homes in the general price range, area and time frame that your sale will be. In fact, it is not a terrible idea to select a couple of your listing agent candidates from the names you frequently see on "For Sale" signs in your area. But prioritize the ones whose signs end up with a SOLD rider on them, more often than not! Beyond that, you should also get a referral or two from some folks you know who have recently sold their homes and loved their listing agents. Then sit down and talk with a few of the candidates.

One important note -- if your deal will be a short sale, ask your listing agent prospects to break down their recent short sale successes. These deals take experience and skill to get your lenders' green light.

Just the facts. With Realtors, as your parents felt with your teenage beaux, sweet talkers need not apply. What you want to hear and what you need to hear are two different things. So many Realtors use the strategy of inflating their opinion of your home's value just to get the listings (with a plan to hammer you for a price reduction after your home languishes on the market for three or four months) that there's a name for it: buying the listing. In contrast, a strong candidate for the position of your listing agent is a Realtor who has the guts to meet you at the listing interview, sometimes for the first time ever, and give you a reality-based opinion of what your home is worth, even if they know you won't welcome the news.

So, how can you tell if you're being sweet-talked into a listing? Before you meet with candidates, do your own real estate reality check and educate yourself about the recent sales of homes comparable to your home. Ask your candidates to justify their opinions as to your home's value with comps, and ask what their listings' list-price-to-sale-price ratio is. Agents whose listings sell consistently near the asking price are the agents who price their listings smartly up front.

What's the marketing plan, man? Inquire as to what marketing strategies they have found work well with today's buyer and look for a very Web-savvy broker. Over 90 percent of homebuyers start their house hunt on the Web, and you cannot afford to miss them.

Paging Ari Gold. As relentless and irritating as the cocky talent agent from "Entourage" may be, who doesn't want someone like that to have our back when it really counts? If you manage to negotiate all sorts of discounts and concessions from your Realtor, be a little concerned. If they can't out-negotiate you, how are they going to be your advocate in negotiations with your eventual buyer? Food for thought.

NEXT: #5: Make sure your buyer can close the deal >>

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