Agreeing · Answer
What if we can't agree on which agent to hire?
The short answer
Interview agents together, or at least ask each one the same questions in writing. Pick the agent who will work for the sale, not for either spouse, and who will send both of you every update, offer and number at the same time. If one of you already knows the agent personally, that's worth putting on the table.
- 01
Why it gets stuck
Choosing an agent feels like choosing a side. If one of you brings in an old friend or a former coworker, the other spouse may reasonably wonder whose agent that really is. It's a fair worry. Your spouse may also wonder whether an agent who knows you will hear things in confidence, take your side on price or move faster on your calls, even if none of that would ever happen. An agent who already has a relationship with one of you starts with a trust problem that's hard to fix after the listing is signed.
- 02
A fair way to choose
Each of you can put forward one or two names, and you interview them together or by video. Ask every agent the same questions, and give each one the same facts about your house and your case. Good questions include how they'll communicate with two sellers who may not be speaking, how they'll handle an offer one of you likes and the other doesn't, and what they'll do if one of you calls with a private request. Compare the answers side by side. If you each bring one name and neither of you will budge, a third agent neither of you knows can break the tie.
Listen for whether the agent talks about working for the sale. If they promise to look out for you in particular, think about what they're promising your spouse. Your attorneys or mediator may also be able to suggest agents who've worked divorce sales before.
- 03
Read the pamphlet
In Oregon, an agent has to give you the initial agency disclosure pamphlet at first contact under ORS 696.820. It explains whom an agent works for, and it's a good starting point for these interviews. Read it before the first interview. The page on what the initial agency disclosure pamphlet is explains it, and can one agent represent both of us covers the duties an agent owes two sellers.
If you'd like to talk to me as one of the candidates, call 541.784.7745 or book a consult for the two of you. I'll give both of you the same answers. If you hire someone else, ask them for the same promise in writing. A good agent won't mind.
Sources · checked 23 Oct 2026
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