How can I know whether I can trust a real estate agency?

A real estate agency’s reliability should be verified, not assumed. You can check whether the agency is entered in the Register of Real Estate Brokers, whether the agent is licensed, whether the agency holds professional liability insurance, whether it uses a written brokerage agreement, and whether its valuation is based on actual completed sale prices. An agent who promises a price without carrying out an analysis is selling you a promise, not a service.

A good agent will not promise the highest price, a guaranteed sale or a quick result before seeing the property and its documentation. They will be open about what they know, what still needs to be checked and which risks they see.

The final value of a property is not determined by the seller, the agent or the valuer, but by the market and the buyers.

What you can check before the first meeting

Before inviting anyone into your home, there are five things you can check yourself, without speaking to an agent:

Registration in the Register of Real Estate Brokers. The Register is maintained by the Croatian Chamber of Economy and is publicly accessible. Every agency that legally provides brokerage services has its own registration number.

The agent’s licence. Individuals authorised to carry out real estate brokerage activities are entered in the Directory of Real Estate Agents. Ask who will personally handle your sale and check that person, not only the company name.

Professional liability insurance. An agency is legally required to hold this insurance, with coverage of at least EUR 100,000 per insured event and EUR 300,000 for all claims in one year. Ask for a copy of the policy or its policy number.

The registration number in the agreement. A brokerage agreement must contain the broker’s registration number from the Register. If it is missing, that is the first sign that something is wrong.

Basic company information. You can check the company’s Croatian personal identification number (OIB), registered office, year of establishment and responsible person in the Court Register.

Reviews with names and dates. Reviews are useful when they explain what kind of transaction took place and when. Anonymous ratings without any written context tell you very little.

A large number of listings, a well-known name or a prominent logo are not proof of quality in themselves. What matters is who will actually handle your property, how much attention they can give it and whether they can clearly explain the entire sales process.

Eight questions you should ask an agent

Before signing an agreement, ask specific questions, including uncomfortable ones. For every question below, we also explain what a serious answer should sound like.

1. What data do you use to estimate the value of my property? A serious answer includes sources: completed sale prices, comparable properties currently on the market, the property’s condition and its documentation. A weak answer relies on “experience” and “a feel for the market”. Read more about how a price is actually set in our article Setting the Asking Price.

2. What is the specific marketing plan? A serious answer is a list of activities and deadlines: photography, video, floor plans, listing copy, advertising channels and the market launch date. A weak answer is: “We will put it on the portals.”

3. Where will you advertise the property? Ask for a list of channels and clarify who pays for them. If you are paying for the marketing, this must be stated in the agreement.

4. Who will personally manage the sale and negotiations? Ask for the name of the person, not the name of the team. Then check that person in the Directory of Real Estate Agents.

5. What will you do if there is not enough buyer interest? A serious answer explains the benchmarks and next steps: how many enquiries and viewings are expected within a certain period and what will change if they do not materialise. A weak answer is: “We will lower the price.”

6. How will you report the results to me? Agree on the frequency and content of reports: number of listing views, enquiries, viewings and buyer feedback.

7. Do you cooperate with other agencies, and under what conditions? An agency that refuses to cooperate narrows the pool of potential buyers. The terms for sharing commission must be clear from the outset. We explain how commission works in our article Real Estate Agency Commission.

8. Do you require buyers to sign an agreement and pay commission before viewing the property? Ask this question as a seller, not only as a buyer. The answer must be “no”, because this type of condition has been prohibited by law since 7 July 2026. An agency that asks your potential buyers to sign before they have even entered your home is turning some of them away at your doorstep — and that is your loss, not the agency’s.

What changed under the new 2026 Act

The new Real Estate Brokerage Act (Official Gazette 69/26) has been in force since 7 July 2026 and changes several points that directly affect both sellers and buyers:

A viewing may not be conditional on signing a brokerage agreement. An agency advertising a property under an agreement with the owner may not require an interested person to sign a brokerage agreement before being allowed to view the property.

A viewing confirmation is not a brokerage agreement. It serves as proof to the owner that the agent showed the property and may not contain a clause obliging the buyer to pay commission. The title of the document is not decisive; its content is. Before signing, check whether it mentions any fee, contractual penalty or cost.

A buyer pays commission only if they have personally entered into a brokerage agreement. Charging a person who has not concluded such an agreement with the agency is not permitted.

Advertising without an agreement with the owner is not permitted. If you see your property advertised by an agency with which you have signed nothing, the agency is committing an offence.

Commission may not be requested in advance. The right to commission arises only when the contract for which the brokerage services were provided is concluded, or when a preliminary contract is concluded if this has been agreed.

Making a viewing conditional in this way is punishable by a fine for the agency, with a separate fine for the responsible person. Supervision is carried out by market inspectors of the State Inspectorate.

One important nuance: the ban on conditions does not mean that an agent must show a property to everyone at any time. The Act also provides that the agent may allow or refuse a viewing in line with the owner’s interests and the agent’s professional judgement. The distinction matters: a viewing may not be conditional on signing and paying, but appointments must still be arranged reasonably and in the owner’s interest.

Ask for evidence, not promises

A reliable valuation is based on verifiable data: completed sale prices, comparable properties currently offered for sale, location, documentation, property condition and genuine demand.

This kind of analysis provides a realistic starting point, but an honest agent must explain that it is still a statistical estimate. Only after the property enters the market can we see how buyers respond and whether they are prepared to pay the asking price.

Be cautious if an agent immediately promises a price significantly higher than all other estimates without carrying out a serious analysis. A high promise may simply be a way to win the listing, only to result later in months of advertising and repeated price reductions. Your property then remains on the market for months and gradually becomes less attractive to buyers.

Five warning signs

  • A valuation provided over the phone, without visiting the property or reviewing the documentation
  • A promised price significantly higher than all other estimates, without an explanation for the difference
  • An agreement with no defined marketing plan and no deadlines
  • An agent who avoids written communication and makes every arrangement verbally
  • Making a viewing conditional on signing an agreement or accepting an obligation to pay commission, which has also been prohibited by law since July 2026

Why it is better to have one accountable agency manage the sale

When the same property is advertised by a large number of agencies, different prices, incomplete information, concealed locations and different photographs start to appear. This kind of presentation confuses buyers and weakens their trust in the property before anyone has even viewed it.

It is clearer when one accountable agency manages the sale, controls the information, organises viewings and negotiations, and cooperates with other verified agencies. The seller then knows who is responsible for the results and who to contact at every stage of the process. Our way of working is described on the Selling Through an Agency page.

A reliable agent does not create unnecessary pressure

A buyer must be given enough time to inspect the property, review the documentation and make a considered decision. A seller must receive honest feedback, even when it is not pleasant to hear.

The purpose of good brokerage is not to persuade one party to sign as quickly as possible. It is to organise a transparent and secure process in which both parties understand the terms, deadlines and consequences of their decisions.

How we build trust

At Maris Real Estate, we work with a limited number of properties so that we can give each one the attention it deserves. We estimate value using available market data, speak clearly about advantages and risks, and do not promise a result that the market has not yet confirmed.

We manage the sale through a clear process, cooperate with other agencies, control how the property is presented and link payments to the fulfilment of contractual conditions.

You can verify our claims in the public records of the Croatian Chamber of Economy:

Trust is not something you ask for. It is earned through transparent work, evidence and accountability.

The next step

If you are considering selling a property in Pula or the surrounding area, do three things before signing anything:

Call +385 98 190 0688 or contact us through the contact page.

Frequently asked questions

How can I check whether a real estate agency is registered in Croatia? Check whether it is entered in the Register of Real Estate Brokers maintained by the Croatian Chamber of Economy. The Register is publicly accessible and can be searched by company name. Check the person handling your sale in the Directory of Real Estate Agents.

Does a brokerage agreement have to be in writing? Yes. A brokerage agreement must be concluded in writing and must clearly state the services provided by the agency, the amount of commission and the conditions under which it becomes due.

Is it better to list a property with several agencies? More agencies do not necessarily mean more buyers. When the same property appears on the market with different prices and descriptions, it loses credibility. One accountable agency that cooperates with others gives buyers a clear picture and gives the seller one responsible point of contact. We discussed selling independently in our article Selling an Apartment in Pula Without an Agency.

May an agency require a signed agreement before allowing a viewing? No. Under the Real Estate Brokerage Act (Official Gazette 69/26), in force since 7 July 2026, an agency advertising a property under an agreement with the owner may not make the viewing conditional on the prior signing of a brokerage agreement. A viewing confirmation may be signed at the viewing, but it is not a brokerage agreement and may not contain an obligation to pay commission.

Does the buyer have to pay commission to the agency selling the property? Only if the buyer has also entered into a brokerage agreement with that agency. Charging commission to a person who has not concluded an agreement with the agency is not permitted.

What if an agent promises a substantially higher price than everyone else? Ask for a written explanation supported by comparable properties and completed sale prices. If no such explanation is provided, it is a promise made to win the listing, not a genuine valuation.

Author: Aljoša Vučetić, Prof., Director of Maris Real Estate in Pula and a licensed real estate agent (licence No. 43/2010). He has worked in the Pula and surrounding real estate market for more than 25 years, specialising in buyer representation and sales through exclusive brokerage agreements. He is President of the Professional Group of Real Estate Brokers of Istria County at the Croatian Chamber of Economy — Pula County Chamber.

More about the team: About Us | Contact: Marijanijeva 11, Pula | +385 98 190 0688 | maris.hr