Q. We’re going to sell our house in the spring and are trying to decide which real estate agent to list with.

We interviewed several agents but found it confusing. They all have web sites and they all put the house in the multiple listing service and have newspaper ads. We’re not sure what to base our decision on. Since you don’t list houses we thought we’d ask for your recommendations.

A. If I were selling my own home, I would want someone who was experienced, had an excellent reputation, did a lot of business on the Island, and had access to good marketing tools. (It’s always smart to ask for references). I would also want to know that they are accurate with their pricing. The wrong price could mean that you leave money on the table at closing, or that your house is so overpriced that it stays on the market for a very long time.

In addition to those things I add a few other requirements based on my years representing buyers. As a broker selling a house, I want to believe that the listing agent is ethical and goes well beyond what the law requires of them. I want someone I can trust to fully disclose material defects in a property.

It’s possible that I, or someone in my office, will sell your home so I would also want to know that your agent is really knowledgeable about representation. I want them to be working as hard for you as I am working for my buyer clients.

Once we’re in a transaction both agents have a lot of work to do. I like to feel that we can have a good working relationship to solve problems as they come up and make the entire experience as pleasant as possible for our clients.

One last thing to remember. You will be working very closely with this person for weeks or even months. You need to feel comfortable with them. You want to be able to totally trust them and know that they’re looking out for your best interests.