The best agents will protect you at every turn. The problem is that, from the outside, they can look just like the ones who will not. The Protect The Seller Circle™ is how you tell the difference. Download the questions every seller should ask, then ask your own agent to make the Commitment and join the Circle. Who says yes shows you who is real.
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I have been a top real estate agent for close to 15 years, and I built a YouTube channel, Sell Your Home with Kati - Truth in Real Estate®, with millions of views and tens of thousands of homeowners who follow along. Over and over, those sellers told me the same thing: they did not know where to turn, or who to trust.
So I built Truth in Real Estate®, a company dedicated to elevating the standards of the real estate industry, and our Agent Referral Network to connect sellers with agents the right way. But from the outside, I still could not always tell which agents truly shared my values and would put the seller first. I knew the great ones were out there. I just needed a way to know who they were. So we created the Protect The Seller Circle™: agents who commit, in writing, to put the client first.
This was never really about finding you an agent. Most sellers already distrust the industry and hate the idea of paying a commission. But a truly great agent makes you more money, with far less stress, at one of the hardest moments of your life. That is how valuable the right agent is, and it is exactly who this movement exists to find.
Kati Spaniak, Protect The Seller - Founder of Truth in Real Estate®
Visit Truth in Real Estate®Before you sign, you have no real way to tell an authentic, honest agent from one who is simply better at marketing themselves. They all smile, they all promise the world, and every one of them tells you they are the right choice. But the agent with the slickest pitch is rarely the one who will fight hardest for you, and nothing has ever given you a way to know the difference. The best marketer is not always the best agent.
So we wrote the hard part down for you. These are the Ten Questions that reveal how an agent really works: how they are paid, how they handle conflicts of interest, what your home is honestly worth, and how they will protect you when it matters most. Ask them of every agent you interview. A great agent will welcome every one and answer openly. If an agent gets vague or defensive, that tells you something too.
Every Protect The Seller Circle™ Member has already put their answers to these in writing, had them reviewed, and renews the promise every year. Download the list, print it, and bring it to the table.
You are about to make one of the largest financial decisions of your life, and you have to hand it to someone you barely know and have no real way to vet.
Every agent promises the highest price, the fastest sale, and the best service. In the interview, you cannot tell who actually means it.
The agent who overpriced a home just to win the listing, then chipped away at the price once it sat. Maybe you have lived one.
Every certification and award out there can be bought. They are pay-to-play, so none of them prove an agent will actually protect you.
It does not even have to be ill-intended. One innocent suggestion from an agent who does not know better can cost you tens of thousands of dollars.
The agents who put themselves first have earned that reputation for the whole profession, and it leaves you with no one you feel you can count on.
Being a Protect The Seller Circle™ Member is not something an agent can buy. It is a standard Truth in Real Estate® holds agents to, and that is exactly what makes it worth something to you.
Every Circle Member signs the things every seller deserves: honesty, transparency, your interest ahead of their commission, and holding the line even when no one is watching.
Every agent is reviewed by an actual person, so membership means something. This is not an automatic badge for anyone who asks.
The Commitment is renewed in writing every year, and it can be revoked. It is not a promise made once and then forgotten.
Agents do not pay to be in the Circle. The only way in is to be the kind of agent who can honestly make the Commitment, mean it, and be accepted.
This is what a Protect The Seller Circle™ Member puts in writing and commits to you.
We believe you deserve the truth, always.
We believe your profit comes before the agent's paycheck.
We believe no one should ever win your listing with a price they know is too high.
We believe you deserve complete transparency, every fee and every term, up front.
We believe every conflict of interest should be named without you having to ask.
We believe a great agent consults with you and never pressures you.
We believe you should never be left in the dark, and should always know when you can reach your agent.
We believe someone should be protecting you at every step, even when the truth costs the agent your business.
We believe a great agent is self-accountable to do what's right for you even when no one is watching.
We believe you deserve an agent who will not embellish their experience or the number of transactions they have sold, and will always tell you the truth.
Every Protect The Seller Circle™ Member signs their name to these.
No. The Protect The Seller Circle™ is not pay-to-play. An agent cannot buy in or advertise their way in. The only way in is to make the Commitment, be reviewed by a real person, and mean it.
Any agent can say it. The Circle is how you know it is real: the Commitment is signed in writing, reviewed by a real person, reaffirmed every year, and it can be revoked. It is a standard, not a slogan.
Wonderful. Ask them the Ten Questions and hold them to it. If you believe in them, invite them to join the Protect The Seller Circle™ so they can put their commitment to you in writing too.
You are never on your own. The Circle is built on accountability, not a faceless list. If something ever came up, you can come straight to us, and a Member's commitment can be revoked.
This movement runs on sellers as much as agents. If you have worked with an agent who is honest, transparent, and truly in your corner, we want them in the Circle. Share this link and invite them to make the Commitment and join the Protect The Seller Circle™, free.
Send it to your agent by text or email. When they join, every client they serve is protected.
Everything a seller needs to walk in prepared, and the story behind why this exists.
A free planner to help you get organized and walk into your sale prepared.
Get the planner →The only guide you need before you sell your home.
Get the book →Sell Your Home with Kati - Truth in Real Estate®: honest, practical advice for home sellers, with millions of views.
Watch now →This movement runs on agents who put the seller first. If that is you, put your name on it and join the Circle, free.
The whole idea behind this movement is in the book: that selling a home should be a partnership between you and an agent you can trust. It is Kati walking you through the sale step by step, so you know what to expect, what to ask, and how to spot an agent who will truly protect you.
Pre-order now for $34 and get $600 in bonuses.
Get the bookTruth in Real Estate® is the company behind Protect The Seller. Truth in Real Estate also powers our Agent Referral Network, where we have helped thousands of homeowners get matched with vetted and experienced agents. Here's how it went, in their words.
"I screened the agents Truth in Real Estate® recommended against two I found myself, and I picked one of theirs. My home listed Thursday for $1 million, and I was under contract by today. I am still in disbelief."
"We interviewed five realtors. The three Truth in Real Estate® recommended were in another league. We chose Nikki, there was a bidding war, and we signed way above asking. I have been telling everyone how we found her."
"My wife and I cannot recommend Frank enough, and Truth in Real Estate® is why we found him. He made a stressful process feel seamless. We closed 30 days after listing, with offers above asking."
"The agent the Truth in Real Estate® team connected me with has been an absolute wealth of knowledge about the new area we are moving to. Looking back, I cannot imagine going through this with any other agent."
"After a discouraging start and parting ways with our first agent, Truth in Real Estate® stepped in at exactly the right time and introduced us to Sommer. Where our previous agent fell short, she exceeded expectations in every way."
"We have bought and sold several homes over 50 years, but finding Lauren through Truth in Real Estate® was the golden ticket. Our house sold for $110,000 over asking."
The first thing we check is a real track record: genuine experience and a history of getting it done for sellers, not just a license.
We look at references and reputation too, because how an agent treats you matters as much as how many homes they have sold.
Not a name you pulled off a sign. Before we refer an agent, we personally review their stats, their website, and everything we can, so you start with someone we have actually checked out.
The Protect The Seller Circle™ is the written commitment we hold agents to. We are honest that not every agent we refer has joined it yet; that is the direction we are growing, one agent at a time.
If something ever felt wrong, you can come straight to us. This is built on accountability, not a faceless directory.
Getting connected is free. You are not buying anything. You are simply starting with someone we trust.
You may not be looking for an agent yet, and you may never use an online referral service at all. But if you ever do, it is worth knowing they are not all the same. Most are pay-to-play: an agent simply pays to be on the list, whether they are brand new, barely experienced, or selling real estate only part time. Money is the only requirement. Truth in Real Estate® is working to change that. We look for agents who share our values first, hold them to the Protect The Seller Circle™ standard, and only then do they become agents we refer. No one can buy their way in. It is built around values, not money.