Top Real Estate Agents in Florida (2026)

FastExpert ranks its agents based on their number of successful sales, real customer reviews, and years active. We collect each real estate agent’s transaction history to provide the most accurate data in our directory of top agents. We like to use the data of the last three years of closed sales as a reference point, as it shows how well the agent is doing now - not 10 years ago.

We only show true and accurate data, and our agents cannot buy their way into a higher ranking. At FastExpert, you’ll always see the most accurate and up-to-date rankings with our top real estate agents.

According to the Florida Department of Real Estate as of May 2020, there are a total of 310,252 licensed real estate agents.

Total real estate agent fees (including seller and buyer’s agents) range from 4-6% of the total home sale price.

This is split between the seller’s agent and the buyer’s agent. So if a home sells for $500,000 and the commission is 5%, the total fee is $25,000 with $12,500 for each agent.

The home seller usually pays for this fee, but that can vary depending on what both sides agree on.

If you want to see if a real estate agent is licensed in Florida you can visit the Florida Department of Real Estate website and look them up by name. This will give you their license number, type, and the cities they are active.

The seller commonly pays the realtor fee.

You will usually see the fee included in the final closing costs for the property sale. On average, total commissions are about 4-6% of the total house sale price, with half going to the seller’s agent and half to the buyer’s agent. This is negotiable and is something you should discuss with your agent before you decide to work with them.

When looking to hire a real estate agent in Florida, it’s essential to interview a few agents and choose the one that fits your needs best.

When interviewing, there are some questions to ask to ensure you get information that will help you with your decisions.

Be sure to ask about where they have worked in the past, what their average price point is, how they like to communicate, and how much they charge for commission. For a full list of recommended questions, see our blog post, Essential Interview Questions to Ask a Real Estate Agent.

Florida real estate agents do much more than just put a sign in front of your house. A good Realtor will work with you from the moment you decide to sell your home to after you hand over the key.

This includes things like working with appraisers to set the right listing price, staging, having pictures taken, preparing the listing, online marketing, open houses, working with individual showings, answering questions, negotiating, closing paperwork, and so much more!

If you don’t think hiring a real estate agent is worth the money, think about this - according to the National Association of Realtors, in 2021 the average home sold FSBO (for sale by owner) sold for 32% less than the average home sold with a Realtor.

Hiring a top real estate agent for selling or buying a home in Florida will save you time and money. Here are four reasons you should consider hiring a real estate agent

1. It’s their job and they have the time and resources you likely don’t have to do it well. 2. They know the market. The best real estate agents live and work in the same area for years, they know it well and can help address your questions and concerns. 3. They are good at negotiating. They work as the middleperson between you and the other party so you can stay behind the scenes. 4. They do the hard work for you. They market your home, make phone calls between interested parties, handle documents, and negotiate the best deal for you.

When browsing through the top Florida real estate agents, you’ll need to know what makes a great real estate agent before making a decision. Here we’ve listed out the qualities that make a great agent to help you narrow it down!

Professionalism: A top real estate agent takes themselves seriously, and handles every situation with professionalism. Responsiveness: A top real estate agent is your go-to for any questions or concerns you may have when it comes to the purchase or sale of your home. Listens to you: A real estate agent is always personable with their clients. Knowledgeable: A professional real estate agent doesn’t live in the dark ages.

Home Buyers and Home Sellers need not worry about finding an agent in Florida. At FastExpert, we take the time to separate the professionals from the agents you should avoid.

I work remotely and I'm looking to cut back on my housing costs and general living costs. I would like an area that is medium-sized, but otherwise, I'm pretty open.

Daniela Wilson: Texas is known for offering a cost of living that is below the national average, making it a good option for people looking for relocating. Housing costs, including rent prices and home purchase prices, tend to be more affordable compared to many other states, additionally, everyday expenses such as groceries, gas, healthcare, and entertainment are typically more manageable here.
The combination of a lower cost of living, strong economy, diverse job market, and unparalleled quality of life make Texas an incredibly enticing choice for those seeking a new place. Plus is a state with no income tax like Florida.
I live in Dallas and I love it, but if you are interested in a smaller city, I highly recommend San Antonio.

Cathy Verne: There are a lot of variables that go into that question. You need to check into property taxes and cost of living in an area. Also, what is your price range and what are you looking for. Do you want to be centrally located or near one of the coasts. I am licensed in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. If you have any interest in those areas, let me know. I would love to help.

Read all answers on FastExpert Advice →

I’m getting ready to list my house and my agent suggested 'virtual AI staging' instead of renting furniture because it’s cheaper. Does this actually help sell the house, or do buyers just feel tricked when they show up to an empty room? Has anyone had success with this?

Aaron Sims: AI/virtual staging can absolutely help a listing perform better online — but only when it’s done correctly and used for the right reasons. When it’s sloppy or unrealistic, it backfires fast and erodes buyer trust the moment they walk through the door.

🖼️ 1. AI staging is an online marketing tool — not an in‑person experience
Buyers shop online first.
AI staging helps:
- Make empty rooms feel purposeful
- Show scale and layout
- Highlight how furniture fits
- Increase clicks and saves
It’s designed to get buyers into the house — not to replace real staging.

😬 2. The biggest danger: the “expectation gap”
If the AI staging looks too perfect or too modern, buyers walk into the empty home and immediately feel:
- Disappointed
- Misled
- Unsure about room size
- More critical of flaws
That emotional drop can kill momentum.

🎨 3. Quality matters — cheap AI staging looks fake
Bad virtual staging is obvious:
- Floating furniture
- Wrong shadows
- Wrong scale
- Overly glossy or cartoonish textures
- Furniture that doesn’t match the home’s style
High‑quality AI staging looks natural and believable.
Low‑quality staging hurts you more than it helps.

📏 4. AI staging is best for “function clarity”
It’s especially effective when buyers struggle to visualize:
- How to use an awkward room
- Whether a king bed fits
- How an open floor plan flows
- How to arrange a small living room
AI staging solves confusion — not condition issues.

💸 5. It’s cheaper, but not always the best value
AI staging saves money, but it doesn’t:
- Create emotional connection
- Improve the in‑person showing
- Make the home feel warm or lived‑in
- Mask wear and tear
Real staging still wins for emotional impact and perceived value.

🤝 6. Work with an informed Realtor who knows when AI staging helps — and when it hurts
A knowledgeable agent — someone who understands buyer psychology, marketing strategy, and presentation — can tell you exactly when AI staging will elevate your listing and when real staging is worth the investment. This is exactly where having an experienced Realtor like me becomes a major advantage.

🎯 Bottom line
AI staging works when:
- The home is clean, empty, and in good condition
- The staging is high‑quality and realistic
- You disclose that it’s virtual
- You use it to clarify layout, not hide flaws
AI staging fails when:
- It looks fake
- It misrepresents the space
- The home shows poorly in person
- It creates unrealistic expectations

Barrett Henry: It works, and it's worth the money. But there are limits to what it can do.

AI virtual staging has gotten significantly better in the last couple of years. The good platforms produce images that look realistic enough to stop a buyer scrolling through listings and actually click. That's the whole point. Your listing photos are a marketing tool to get people in the door, and a staged photo of a living room with furniture performs dramatically better than an empty room with beige carpet and bare walls.

The concern about buyers feeling tricked is valid but manageable. The key is disclosure. Every virtually staged photo should be clearly labeled as virtually staged in the MLS, on Zillow, and in any marketing materials. This isn't optional, it's an ethical obligation and most MLS systems require it. When buyers know upfront that the staging is virtual, they don't feel deceived. They understand they're looking at a representation of what the space could look like, not what's currently in the room.

Where AI staging falls short is when it's used to hide problems. If the software is covering up damaged floors, outdated cabinets, or stained ceilings, that's where buyers feel misled. Use it to show the potential of a clean, empty space. Don't use it to pretend the space is something it's not.

The cost difference makes it a no-brainer for most sellers. Traditional staging runs $1,500 to $5,000 or more per month depending on the home. AI staging is usually $20 to $50 per photo. For a few hundred dollars you can have every major room staged versus spending thousands on rented furniture that has to be moved in and out.

Does it replace the impact of walking into a physically staged home? No. A buyer standing in a beautifully furnished living room feels something that a photo can't replicate. But for the price difference, AI staging gets you 80 percent of the benefit at 5 percent of the cost. That math works for most sellers.

Barrett Henry
Broker Associate | REALTOR®
RE/MAX Collective · The NOW Team
Tampa Bay, Florida
nowtb.com

Read all answers on FastExpert Advice →

Does the buyer get the earnest money back yes or no? or is the earnest money for good faith? Where does the earnest money go? Does it go to the closing cost for my understanding my realtors that I would get the money back after closing?

Jeff Peterson: Earnest money should be viewed as a "pre-payment" as part of the buyer's down payment, on the house. For example, if the house price is $300,000 and the buyer has a 10% down payment and a 90% loan, typically the earnest money would be around 1%. So, the buyer pays a $3,000 earnest money deposit, then still owes $27,000 at closing as their 10% down payment and then their loan would be $270,000, plus any other closing costs.

Michelle Cecchini: The earnest money goes into an escrow account that can be a credit towards the amount you must bring to closing or refunded if you have 100% financing and 100% closing cost concessions.

Read all answers on FastExpert Advice →

Who owns my property photos? I had listed my house over a year ago, but had it delisted after a month because of a family illness. I'd like to list again and use the same photos. I'd also like to share them on my social media. Do I have ownership of my property photos to use however I want?

Nadia Colucci: Hello Mike,

First of all, I'm sorry to hear about the family illness. I hope everyone's doing better now.

As for the photos: it depends on your contract. Typically, the photographer or brokerage owns the copyright unless your listing agreement states the photos transfer to you. Many agreements do grant usage rights, but not always full ownership.

Check your original listing agreement or ask your former agent directly if you have rights to reuse them for a new listing or social media. If it's unclear, a quick email confirming permission avoids any issues, especially since you're re-listing with different circumstances now.

Larry Mastropieri: Probably not, and this surprises almost every seller. Copyright attaches to whoever pressed the shutter. Paying for the shoot bought you a license to use the photos, not ownership of them. Like buying a song doesn't let you put it in a commercial.

And that license is usually tied to the active listing. Once you delist, most of it goes with it. Relisting a year later and posting to your personal social are both new uses.

Easy fix, though. Call the photographer directly, not your old agent. The agent never held the rights to give. Ask for a new license covering the relist plus personal use. It's cheap, and photographers handle this all the time. Worth checking your old listing paperwork too, since some photographers do assign rights to the realtor.

And when you relist, say up front that you want to own the images. You'll likely pay for the shoot yourself, but then they're yours for good.

Read all answers on FastExpert Advice →

What if a room does not have a closet, can it be a bedroom?

Adrian Tridel: Truly it depends on the area. In Florida you can have a Ikea style closet and if it is attached to the wall, it is a closet.

Trachele Shields: According to section 200 of the Florida Building Code, a bedroom is defined as a room that can be used for sleeping and that:

For site-built dwellings has a minimum of 70 square feet of conditioned space
For manufactured homes is constructed according to the standards of the Housing and Urban Development and has a minimum of 50 square feet of floor area;
Is located along an exterior wall;
Has a closet and a door or an entrance where a door could be reasonable installed; and
Has an emergency means of escape and rescue opening to the outside in accordance with the Florida Building Code.
A room may not be considered a bedroom if it is used to access another room except a bathroom or closet.

Read all answers on FastExpert Advice →