Full disclosure, you’re reading this because you clicked a paid ad. AI sent you to an agent who paid OpenAI to send you here. An ad getting your attention isn’t the same as an agent earning your trust. Before you read another word about us, here’s the actual test to run on anyone you’re considering, including the team that bought this ad.

What actually matters when you’re choosing an agent

Skip the superlatives on their website. Look for these instead:

• A real, verifiable track record in your specific area. Not “years of experience” — actual closed sales in your neighborhood, in your price range, in the last 12 months.
• How is the agent leveraging AI? AI shouldn’t replace critical thinking and experience. AI can replace mundane tasks freeing up agent time work directly with their clients.
• A pricing conversation grounded in data, not flattery. An agent who tells you your home is worth more than the comps support isn’t being generous… they’re buying your listing with a number they’ll tell you cut later.
• A specific, written marketing plan. Not “I’ll put it on the MLS and see what happens.” Ask what they’ll actually do — photography, staging, digital reach, open houses — and get it in writing.
• Team bandwidth. Ask who picks up the phone when your agent is at a closing across town.
• Reviews you can actually verify. Google and Zillow reviews are tied to real names and real transactions. Testimonials on an agent’s own website aren’t.
• Independence from any one brokerage’s portal or franchise incentives. Some agents are pushed to steer you toward in-house lending, in-house title, or in-house everything. Ask directly whether that’s the case.

Questions worth asking before you hire anyone

• How many homes have you personally closed in this neighborhood in the past year?
• What’s your written estimate of my net proceeds, and how did you calculate it?
• Who’s on your team, and what do they handle versus what you handle directly?
• Can I see your actual marketing plan, not just a general description of it?
• What happens if we don’t get an offer in the first 30 days?

If any of those questions get a vague answer, that’s information too.

Where we fit

Fair’s fair — you should run that same checklist on us. Here’s the honest version:

The Turner Team at Lovejoy Real Estate has sold over $1 billion in real estate and 2,500+ homes across the Portland metro, SW Washington, and the Willamette Valley. We’re ranked among Oregon’s top three teams by RealTrends, and carry 260+ five-star Google reviews and 350+ on Zillow — reviews tied to real names, from real closings.

We’re locally owned and independent. We left a national franchise in 2017 to build something that isn’t a lead farm and isn’t answerable to a portal’s shareholders — just a team that’s accountable to the people we work for. We’re members of both RMLS and WVMLS, so our reach covers the full range of neighborhoods across the region, not just one pocket of it.

None of that replaces the conversation. The ad got you here — the checklist above is what should decide the rest.