Best Real Estate Agent in Montreal? The Proof to Check Before You Sign

You type “best real estate agent in Montreal”, “best real estate broker in Montreal” or “best realtor Montreal”, and the results answer with claims: rankings, trophies, stars, “number 1” in a borough. A claim is not proof. In Quebec, section 112 of the Regulation respecting brokerage requirements, professional conduct of brokers and advertising prohibits any false, misleading or incomplete representation or advertising, notably about a broker’s competence and the effectiveness of their services. Section 113 also prohibits publishing a statistic without indicating its source.

So the right reflex is to ask for proof. Here are five checks, applied to a market that cannot be read as a block: on the island, a triplex in Saint-Léonard, a condo in Ville-Marie and a semi-detached house in Rivière-des-Prairies share neither the same buyer, nor the same file, nor the same price. “Real estate agent” is not a title in Quebec: the legal title is real estate broker, and REALTOR® is a trademark of the Canadian Real Estate Association. The nuances are explained in broker, agent and REALTOR in Quebec.

What the Montreal market asks of a broker

The island has 19 boroughs and 15 related cities, and Centris publishes separate statistics for each. Over the four quarters ending in Q3 2026, the island median is $816,250 for a single-family home, $477,544 for a condo and $906,875 for a plex of 2 to 5 dwellings. These three figures describe three markets, not one.

The mix of sales changes from one borough to the next. Over the same period, Centris counts 1,468 condos sold in Ville-Marie against 49 single-family homes; 140 plexes against 70 single-family homes in Saint-Léonard; and 482 single-family homes in Rivière-des-Prairies/Pointe-aux-Trembles, at a median of $586,125. Each category brings its own file:

• The plex: current leases, Section G of the lease on the lowest rent paid in the previous 12 months (article 1896 of the Civil Code of Québec), income and expenses that the buyer and their lender will examine.
• The condo: declaration of co-ownership, minutes of meetings, state of the contingency fund.
• The single-family home: comparables are often scarce. In Q3 2026, Centris publishes its quarterly median in only 6 of the 19 boroughs.

A useful broker in Montreal therefore knows which category and which borough they work in, and can show it.

Proof 1: the licence and the record on the OACIQ register

The register of licence holders of the OACIQ, the body that regulates real estate brokerage in Quebec, shows:

• the licence number and category;
• the establishment, the agency the broker is attached to and its executive officer;
• the broker’s photo, updated every five years;
• the courses taken in the current cycle of mandatory continuing education;
• a mention if the licence is suspended or subject to conditions or restrictions.

According to the OACIQ, no brokerage transaction can be carried out during a suspension or after a revocation. The register also lets you check administrative monetary penalties and upcoming hearings.

Discipline committee decisions are public and free on citoyens.soquij.qc.ca. The OACIQ recommends reading them to the end: the respondent may have been acquitted, and a name may appear as a witness. Suspension notices are removed from the OACIQ website once the measure has ended: if in doubt, the office of the secretary answers at 450 462-9800 or greffes@oaciq.com.

On a sign in Villeray or an ad in Saint-Laurent, section 114 of the same regulation requires the name as it appears on the licence, the licence and the agency name. These three items must match the register, and the published photo cannot be more than five years old (section 113).

Proof 2: closed transactions in your part of Montreal

A sign proves a listing, not a sale. In Q3 2026, Centris counts 10,490 active listings on the island, all categories, 12% more than a year earlier: listings are not in short supply.

Ask for a written list of transactions closed in the last 12 months, with the borough, the category (single-family, condo, plex and number of units) and the side represented, seller or buyer, for each one. The sale price does not need to be on it: the prices of comparable sales belong in the CMA, described below.

Condos sold in Ville-Marie do not demonstrate command of a triplex in Saint-Léonard, with its leases and rents, and the reverse is also true. A broker with few transactions can say so and describe their method: that is a verifiable answer. The questions to ask during the interview are gathered in 5 questions to ask before hiring a real estate broker.

Proof 3: a price backed by a written CMA on sales from the neighbourhood

A comparative market analysis (CMA) starts from recent sales in the same category and the same area, then adjusts for differences in size, condition and lot. Over the four quarters ending in Q3 2026, the plex median is $1,056,875 in Saint-Léonard and $824,750 in Mercier/Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, against $906,875 for the island. A price drawn from the island median, or even the borough median, places no specific address.

For a plex, the comparable must also have the same number of units, and the price rests on the actual rents in the leases, not on a hoped-for rent. As for the agglomeration’s 2026-2027-2028 property assessment roll, it reflects the market as of July 1, 2024: it does not replace 2026 sales. See how to audit your neighbour’s price.

Be wary of a price inflated to win the listing. The highest figure heard in an interview is not proof: ask which sales support it. An overpriced listing pays in time: in Q3 2026, Centris records an average of 67 days to sell a condo on the island, 14 more than a year earlier, and 92 days in Ville-Marie.

Proof 4: Google reviews, rankings and trophies

Before reading a ranking as a verdict, ask four questions: which criterion (dollar volume, number of transactions, something else)? Which territory (agency, network, island, province)? Which period? Who compiles it, and from what data?

In Montreal, dollar volume depends heavily on location. Over the four quarters ending in Q3 2026, the single-family median is $2,299,200 in Outremont and $524,875 in Montréal-Nord, according to Centris: for the same number of sales, the volume is more than four times higher in Outremont. A volume ranking mostly tells you where a broker sells, and a network trophy compares brokers within the same network.

Read Google reviews for their content: transaction described, borough, problem solved, date. A rating measures satisfaction, not the price obtained. And any statistic a broker publishes must indicate its source (section 113).

Proof 5: the brokerage contract, read before you sign

The Real Estate Brokerage Act governs the contract for an immovable that is mainly residential with fewer than five dwellings, or a condo unit (section 23). In Montreal, that covers the single-family home, the duplex, the triplex, the fourplex and the condo. A five-unit building, which Centris counts in the “plex of 2 to 5 dwellings” category, falls outside this chapter: read the proposed contract closely.

For the properties covered:

• Mandatory form. The contract is evidenced in writing on the OACIQ form and is formed only once signed (section 24). Any verbal contract is null (section 26).
• Copy. The broker gives the client a copy, and the client is bound by their obligations only once they have it (section 25).
• Term and remuneration. Both are written into the contract and negotiated before signing; see real estate commission in Quebec.
• After the contract ends. Remuneration can be owed after expiry only if the contract is exclusive, the transaction is with a person who showed interest during the contract, and it occurs no more than 180 days later, with no new exclusive contract signed with another licence holder (section 27).
• Three days. Despite any stipulation to the contrary, the client can cancel the contract at their discretion within three days after receiving the copy signed by both parties, by written notice (section 28), with no remuneration owed except in a case covered by section 27 (section 29).

Promises that should make you pause

• “I will sell your triplex in two weeks.” In Q3 2026, a plex sold in 52 days on average on the island, according to Centris. A quick sale remains possible, but the promise must rest on comparables.
• “Your condo is worth much more than the others told you.” Ask for the written CMA and the sales that support it.
• “Number 1 in Montreal”, with no source. Section 113 requires the source of any published statistic.
• “Plateau specialist.” Section 113 prohibits falsely suggesting a specialist title: ask what the word rests on.
• “I already have a buyer for your plex.” Ask who will represent that buyer.

These checks also apply to the broker publishing this guide. Georges Matar is a residential real estate broker, licence J7941, verifiable on the OACIQ register, attached to RE/MAX DU CARTIER INC., 2820 boulevard St-Martin Est, Laval. Ask him, as you would any broker, for the list of his closed transactions. His method is the one in this guide: a written CMA on comparable sales from your borough and your category, the contract read clause by clause, figures with their sources. Borough data are in the Montreal real estate market by borough, Q3 2026, and the real estate broker in Montreal page describes the areas covered.

Selling or buying in Montreal? Write to Georges Matar: the analysis starts from comparable sales in your area and your category. Service in French, English and Arabic.

Georges Matar

Residential Real Estate Broker · RE/MAX DU CARTIER INC.

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