The Challenge

Borrowers relocating from DC to Huntsville, Alabama came to us with a referral for a real estate agent, a friend of a friend who averaged about six transactions a year. They had specific criteria: a sought-after neighborhood and a particular school district.

On paper, the referral seemed fine. But here's the reality: real estate often follows the Pareto Principle, where 20% of the people achieve 80% of the results. 

In my experience, about 20% of agents move about 80% of the inventory. In fact, the average agent closes only about 7 transactions a year. A busy-looking lead generation platform, mailers, and regular calls don't necessarily mean an agent is actually closing deals, or that they're the right fit to negotiate on a client's behalf.

The Solution: Vetting the Agent Relationship

Rather than simply accepting the referral, we treated the agent selection the same way we'd treat any other part of the client's wealth team: by asking who's actually giving the advice, researching their production, and identifying alternatives.

Watch the full case study here. 

Here's what that looked like in practice:

• We used our portal to identify the top-producing agents in the Huntsville market.
• We vetted those agents directly on the client's behalf — no financial ties, no bias toward any one agent.
• We narrowed the list to two or three top candidates and let the client interview them and decide.

One of those agents, Kerry Dainey, stood out immediately. Her production numbers were significantly higher than the original referral. When we called to ask if she was part of a team, she stated that the volume was hers alone, built around relocation clients and a strong base of her own listings, giving her buyers early access to inventory before they hit the open market.

Why This Mattered

The client ultimately chose to work with Kerry. Because of her production and listing pipeline, she had a property coming to market that matched the client's criteria exactly. The client was able to negotiate a deal before the property was ever publicly listed.

• The client worked with an agent who had real market depth and access to off-market inventory, not just an active-looking marketing presence.
• The advisor relationship — us, functioning as an unbiased vetting resource — meant the client made an informed decision instead of relying on a casual referral.
• The outcome was a smoother, more competitive transaction than the original referral likely would have delivered.

The Result

The client found a home that matched their exact criteria and negotiated an offer before it ever hit the market, all because they worked with one of the top-producing agents in that market. 

Sadly, most of our client base cannot access this data without leveraging specialists (like our team) who understand how the market works and where to look. It’s just another way we add value to the transaction, beyond simply funding a mortgage.

When to Use this Strategy

• Clients relocating to a market where they don't have an established agent relationship
• Referrals that haven't been independently vetted or compared against other options
• Situations where inventory access and negotiating leverage matter as much as general service
• Any client asking, "Who do you know in [market]?" — whether buying or selling

What makes this work: we have no financial interest in which agent a client chooses. We simply do the research and share insights so clients make more informed decisions.

If you have a client relocating or in need of a vetted agent referral in any market, I'd love to help. Email me at Leo@Anzoleaga.com to learn more. Our team is with Luminate Bank, and we close mortgage loans across the U.S.

‍