How to Interview a Realtor Before You Hire One in Northwest Indiana

We’re the shop on South Main in Crown Point. Love Thy Neighbor. Call (219) 801-0432.

This page is Realest’s guide to interviewing a Realtor before you hire one in Northwest Indiana and the Illinois towns we work. Pam and Sash take that call from Suite B almost every week. No trophy talk. No “best Realtor” contest. A short checklist: license, recent local work, how they talk to you, how they handle offer week, and whether they will say a house is wrong for you.

Our office is at 112 S. Main St., Suite B, Crown Point, IN 46307. We represent buyers and sellers across Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties, plus Homewood, Orland Park, Flossmoor, and Lansing when the Illinois side is in play. Start on Buy or Sell when you are ready for representation. Read Ask Realest for short shop answers while you interview. This post is the interview walk-through.

The Suite B call that starts with "who's the best"

Someone called last month wanting “the best Realtor in Northwest Indiana.”

Pam did not hand them a trophy. She asked what town they were shopping, whether they were buying or selling first, and whether they had already talked to a friend-of-a-friend who “knows a guy.”

Sash’s line in that moment is simple: interview the person who will write your offer or list your house. Ask the same questions you would ask a contractor before they open your walls. License. Recent closed work on your pocket, not a county slogan. How often they text back. Whether they will tell you a house is wrong.

That is the shop habit. Crown Point, Munster, Valparaiso, Merrillville, Schererville, Dyer, Hobart, and the Illinois-line towns we work all get the same interview frame. The street changes. The questions do not.

If you are still picking the town before you pick the agent, read our live Living in Crown Point guide or Living in Munster post. Seller prep before photo day lives here: What to Fix Before You List. This article is the hire conversation.

Crossing from Illinois into Indiana, or hiring while you sell on the Illinois side? Read Illinois to Indiana relocation on Real Estate USA, then call the shop for representation. Confirm the address fits the towns we work. Do not assume every Chicagoland suburb is on the list.

What "interview" actually means here

You are not grilling a stranger for sport. You are checking fit before you sign a buyer agency agreement or a listing agreement.

Fifteen to thirty minutes on a call or in Suite B is enough if you bring a short list. Write the questions down. Take notes. Compare two or three candidates if you want. Hire the one who answers clearly, not the one who talks longest.

Homes are searched on Realest.com. Search with the shop. Call (219) 801-0432 or email saso@realest.com and a Realtor here will walk inventory or listing prep with you.

The interview checklist (ask every candidate)

1. License and states.

Are you licensed in Indiana? In Illinois? For a Homewood, Orland Park, Flossmoor, or Lansing file, or an Indiana buy after an Illinois sale, you need someone who can actually work both sides of the line when that is your plan. Ask. Do not assume the logo on the yard sign covers the state you need.

2. Recent closed work in your pocket.

Not “I sell Lake County.” Ask: What did you close in the last six to twelve months in this town or this pocket? Crown Point Square-adjacent is not Cedar Lake lake stock. Munster Ridge Road rhythm is not a Valparaiso ranch off the bypass. If they cannot name recent work near your search or your address, keep interviewing.

3. Communication cadence.

How fast do you return texts and calls during offer week? Who covers you if you are in a closing? Will I get updates after every showing, or only when something changes? Pam and Sash will tell you how Suite B actually runs. Ask the other candidates the same way.

4. Buyer agency or listing plan.

Buyers: How do you write offers here: inspection windows, escalation, appraisal gaps, when you walk away? Sellers: How do you price from comps on my block, not a wish list? What is your photo and showing plan? Read What to Fix Before You List so you know what a serious listing conversation sounds like.

5. Fees, without shopping a public split.

Ask how they are paid and what the agreement covers. On a public page we keep dollar admin fees and payment details private. Invite that conversation on the call. Compare value and advocacy, not a rumor of the lowest number. Call (219) 801-0432 for the Suite B version of that talk.

6. Dual agency honesty.

If they (or their brokerage) might represent both sides, ask how they handle it and when they disclose. You want a clear answer, not a shrug.

7. Inspection and offer week.

Who schedules the inspectors? Who is in the room when the report gets ugly? Who drafts the repair request? Who tells you to walk? That week is where advocacy shows up. Ask for a recent example without asking them to break another client’s privacy.

8. Will you say this house is wrong for me?

If they never say no, they are not protecting your payment. A good Realtor will redirect you off a bad fit even when it costs them a weekend of showings.

Interview checklist before you hire a Realtor in Northwest Indiana: license, local sales, communication, fees, timeline

Interview checklist: license and states, local closed work, communication, plan, fees talk, honesty on dual agency and walk-aways.

Honest tradeoffs (say them out loud)

Big brand vs local shop.

A national logo can mean systems, desks, and brand recognition. A local shop on South Main can mean the person who answers the phone already knows the pocket. Neither is automatically better. Ask who actually shows the house and who writes the offer. Then decide.

Friend-of-friend vs licensed and active.

A cousin who “used to sell” is not the same as an active Realtor with recent closed work in your town. Kindness is not a license. Check the license and the recent sales.

Lowest fee vs actual advocacy.

Cheapest is not always the cheapest once a bad inspection week or a soft list price costs you weeks. Ask what advocacy looks like before you optimize for a number you heard at dinner.

Speed hire vs interview.

Hiring the first person who texts back feels efficient until offer week. Thirty minutes of questions now is cheaper than a bad fit later.

Who this interview fits (and who should wait)

Strong fit

Buyers or sellers who have not signed an agreement yet and want a clear process
Households shopping Lake, Porter, or LaPorte, or Illinois towns we work (Homewood, Orland Park, Flossmoor, Lansing)
Neighbors willing to ask about license states, local closed work, and communication before they hire
Anyone who wants a Realtor who will say a house is wrong

Maybe wait or adjust

You already signed exclusive buyer agency or a listing agreement elsewhere. Honor that agreement or ask how to unwind it cleanly before you interview someone new
You only want a yes-person who will chase every listing at any price. We will not sell that
Your timeline is “someday” with no town shortlist. Read the living guides first, then call when the search is real

What Pam and Sash will ask you back

Interview goes both ways.

Expect questions about your timeline, payment comfort, must-haves vs nice-to-haves, and whether you need to sell to buy. Expect honesty if your target pocket and your payment do not match. Expect a redirect to Buy, Sell, or a living guide when the town question is still open.

If you are an agent interviewing brokerages, that is a different page: start on Join. This post stays for buyers and sellers hiring representation.

FAQ

How do I interview a Realtor in Northwest Indiana?

Ask about Indiana and Illinois licenses if you need both, recent closed work in your town or pocket, communication during offer week, buyer agency or listing plan, how fees work on a private call, dual agency disclosure, and whether they will tell you a house is wrong. Call Realest at (219) 801-0432 to run that list with Pam or Sash.

What questions should I ask before hiring a Realtor?

License states, recent local sales (not county slogans), response time, who covers when they are in a closing, offer or listing process, fee conversation without public split shopping, dual agency honesty, and a recent inspection-week example. Write the answers down and compare.

Should I hire the cheapest Realtor?

Not if cheap means weak advocacy. Compare how they price, negotiate, and handle inspection week. Ask for the fee conversation on a call. Call (219) 801-0432.

Can one Realtor help if I buy in Indiana and sell in Illinois?

If the Illinois address is in a town we work (including Homewood, Orland Park, Flossmoor, and Lansing) and we are licensed for that file, yes. Confirm fit on the call. Read Illinois to Indiana relocation if the move crosses the line.

Is Realest a good fit if I want a big national brand?

We are a local shop on South Main in Crown Point. Love Thy Neighbor, not a trophy wall. If you want a national logo more than local pocket knowledge, say so. We will not pretend to be something we are not. Read About.

How do I start a hiring conversation with Realest?

Call (219) 801-0432 or email saso@realest.com. Start on Buy, Sell, or Contact. Bring your town list and timeline. Homes are searched on Realest.com, and a Realtor at the shop walks inventory or listing prep with you. Hours 9am-8pm daily at 112 S. Main St., Suite B, Crown Point, IN 46307.

A simple next step

Write eight interview questions on a note. Call two Realtors. Compare answers on license, local closed work, and who will say no. Bring the better conversation to Suite B, or start here if we are already on your shortlist.

Talk to the shop

Realest | 112 S. Main St., Suite B, Crown Point, IN 46307

(219) 801-0432 | saso@realest.com

Hours 9am-8pm daily | Love Thy Neighbor

Sources: Shop interview process (Suite B buyer and seller intake). Buy, Sell, Learn Buying, and Learn Selling guides. Living in Crown Point, Living in Munster, and seller-prep posts. Verified USA Illinois-to-Indiana relocation guide.