How to Choose the Right Realtor in Fort Wayne
Buying a Home · From Moving Fort Wayne
How to Choose the Right Realtor in Fort Wayne
You've decided to buy or sell a home, and now you face a quieter but just as important choice: who do you trust to guide you through it? For most people, this is the biggest purchase of their life. Picking the wrong agent can turn an exciting chapter into a stressful one.
On this episode of Moving Fort Wayne, host Brad Noll of The Noll Team sits down with Richy Mon, the newest agent on the team, to answer a question a lot of buyers and sellers ask but rarely know how to approach: how to choose the right realtor. Richy brings a fresh perspective, having recently returned to Fort Wayne after five years working real estate in Nashville.
This post is for Fort Wayne homeowners, buyers, and sellers who want a confident starting point. We'll cover the role values play, why a support team matters, the questions worth asking, and what actually separates a good agent from a great one.
Why People Move, and Why the Right Realtor Matters
Before choosing an agent, it helps to understand what's driving the decision to move at all. According to Brad, the number one reason people moved in 2025 was to get closer to family, and he expects that trend to hold.
Richy's own story is a perfect example. After building a career as a professional dancer in Nashville, he and his wife Marissa decided to move back to Northeast Indiana with a second child on the way.
"When we originally moved down there, I knew the ultimate goal was to be back when we had a family," Richy said. "It sounds cliche, but it takes a village to raise a kid."
A move tied to a life stage carries real emotional weight. That's exactly why the person guiding you matters. The right realtor treats the move as a life-stage journey, not just a transaction to close.
“You want somebody that's truly going to be there for you. That's going to advise you, tell you what the pros and cons, not just the pros.”
Richy Mon
Choosing a Realtor Starts With Shared Values
When Richy decided to return to real estate in Fort Wayne, his first call was to Brad Noll. But joining The Noll Team wasn't automatic, and that's a lesson for buyers and sellers too.
Brad is upfront that the team leads with values before anything else. Their core values are simple: serve others, earn everything, grow constantly, win together, and always represent.
Serve Others First
"Serve others is our number one core value," Brad said. "If you're here to serve yourself, Richy, you're not going to last very long."
For a buyer or seller, this is the first thing to explore in an agent. Ask about their values directly. You're about to enter a close relationship for roughly 90 to 120 days, and alignment on how they treat people tells you a lot about how they'll treat you.
Character and Competence
Brad frames it as two reasons an agent gets hired: character and competence. Character answers the question, can I trust you? Competence answers, are you good at what you do?
Richy put it plainly from the client's side. The most important thing, he said, is to "work with somebody that is real with you." You want an advisor who tells you the pros and the cons, not just the pros, and who will say when they see red flags.
Why a Support Team Behind Your Realtor Matters
One of the strongest takeaways from the conversation is that the agent's name on the sign is only part of the picture. What sits behind that name matters just as much.
Brad believes a realtor has four main jobs: build relationships, list homes, show homes, and negotiate deals. Everything else, from lockboxes to scheduling inspections, should be handled by systems and staff so the agent can focus on clients.
Richy felt the difference immediately after coming from a brokerage he described as a numbers game. When operations offered to handle signs and lockboxes, he was surprised.
"You guys got a whole system," Richy said. "The whole back system is like, it's just a well-oiled machine."
That structure isn't just convenience. It's peace of mind for the client.
"It's also more important to know that your client can sleep at night, knowing that everything is covered," Richy explained. "When you have me, you have the whole team."
Brad goes a step further with his advice to buyers and sellers.
"I wouldn't hire a realtor that doesn't have a team behind it," he said. Without one, a solo agent handles every detail alone and can miss things or be unavailable when you want to see homes.
The Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Realtor
If you don't already know an agent, Brad recommends starting with a referral or recommendation, then sitting down for a real conversation. Treat it like an interview and talk to more than one.
Two questions stand out.
What Are Your Values, and Do You Have a Team?
Start by asking about values to see if you align, then ask about their team and company structure. Understanding what the brokerage provides helps you become a confident buyer or seller.
What Percentage of Your Business Is Repeat and Referral?
This question, Brad says, reveals more than most people realize. The national average is about 65 percent from repeat and referral clients.
"The other side of that number is how much time they spend looking for other business while they should be working for you," Brad said. If a large share of an agent's day goes to prospecting and chasing new deals, that's time not spent serving you.
What Separates a Good Realtor From a Great One
Richy's answer to this question is the heart of the episode. A good realtor knows the market and can get you from point A to point B. A great realtor operates as an advisor.
"A great realtor is one that looks at it from the advising standpoint," Richy said. "They're not selling you on anything." Instead, they connect with you, understand the trends, and stay available for whatever real estate needs come up.
Brad summarized it in a way worth remembering: a good realtor is a salesperson, and a great realtor is an advisor. Advisors ask questions. If your agent is asking about your life and your goals rather than only bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage, that's the heart of an advisor.
Both Brad and Richy point to the same signal of a job well done. As Richy put it, "there's no better business than a referral business."
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose the right realtor in Fort Wayne?
Start with a referral or recommendation rather than simply calling whoever listed a home you liked. Interview a couple of agents, ask about their values and whether they have a team, and look for someone who acts as an advisor and is real with you.
Why should my realtor have a support team?
A solo agent handles every task alone, from paperwork to scheduling, which can lead to missed details or limited availability. A team lets your agent focus on relationships, showings, and negotiation while staff handle the logistics, giving you peace of mind.
What question reveals whether an agent will prioritize me?
Ask what percentage of their business comes from repeat and referral clients. The remainder reflects time spent prospecting for new business instead of serving current clients. The national average is around 65 percent.
What is the difference between a good and a great realtor?
A good realtor knows the market and can complete the transaction. A great realtor advises rather than sells, asks questions, points out both pros and cons, and stays available for your long-term real estate needs.
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From Center Stage to Sold Signs with Richy Mon, on Moving Fort Wayne.
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