I have been noticing lately that a loft of agents are making false claims. They place ads on publications and make false statements on their websites. Since this kind of advertising is not really regulated these statements are often unsubstantiated and mislead the public.
I think agents that do a good job and have a good track record should be rewarded and recognized and the ones that don’t should earn by putting the time and being honest.
Recently I stumbled on a site that can help you recognize and maybe filter the good, the bad and the ugly. The site is called Neighbor City. Besides allowing buyers to look for properties, it also allows buyers and sellers to see agent ratings. They grade the agents based on MLS data and offer several ways to track the agents performance.
I am sure the sytem is not perfect and might make some mistakes, but it gives an idea of who the agents are besides what they are telling you.
So next time you want to hire an agent, maybe you want to go here and see how she/he rates: http://www.neighborcity.com/
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with this site in anyway.
This is my rating: http://www.neighborcity.com/CA/agent-profile/1522341-Christiano-Sampaio/