Ontario has more than 110,000 registered real estate agents and brokerages, according to the Real Estate Council of Ontario. Finding the right one for your home purchase or sale requires more than a quick online search or a recommendation from a neighbor. The difference between agents is substantial: in 2021, more than 32% of agents in the Greater Toronto Area recorded zero sales, and 79% sold fewer than 5 homes that year. The top 20% of REALTORS completed almost 75% of all sales.
These numbers matter because working with an active, proven agent affects everything from how quickly your home sells to how effectively you can compete in a bidding war. Six websites offer different approaches to finding and vetting agents in Ontario, each with its own strengths and limitations. Here is what each platform offers and how to use them effectively.
Wahi: AI-Powered Agent Matching for Ontario Buyers and Sellers
Wahi launched an AI-powered realtor system. The system analyzes hundreds of real estate agents in every microzone in Ontario and provides personalized introductions to the top 10% of agents based on your specific preferences and needs.
The matching algorithm uses extensive data to evaluate agent performance at a granular geographic level. This approach addresses a real problem: 45% of recent buyers, or those intending to buy a home, rely on referrals from family, friends, or colleagues to find their realtor, according to questions for Wahi included in Sagen's First-time Homebuyers Survey conducted by Environics. Personal referrals can work well, but they depend entirely on your network having recent, relevant buying or selling activity in your target area.
Wahi offers a Perfect Match Guarantee, committing to keep searching until finding the right Realtor for each customer. The platform also provides agent-level property and neighbourhood insights on every listing, including up to 21 years of sold history and instant home value estimates with 90% accuracy.
The app covers Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan. Wahi won the Canadian Business Awards for Best Real Estate Innovator in both 2023 and 2024.
For buyers and sellers who want data-driven agent recommendations rather than a directory to browse, Wahi provides the most direct path to a matched agent.
RECO: Verify Any Agent's Registration and Disciplinary History
The Real Estate Council of Ontario maintains a public register where you can search for any real estate agent or brokerage operating in the province. This is the only official source for confirming an agent's registration status and checking their disciplinary record.
Information available through RECO's registrant search includes enforcement activities within the past 5 years. You can find referrals to hearings and related discipline decisions, charges and convictions under provincial legislation, and any proposals by the registrar to refuse, revoke, suspend, or apply conditions to an agent's registration.
Real estate is a regulated profession in Ontario, which means every agent and brokerage must be registered with RECO to operate legally. Before working with any agent you find through other platforms, run their name through the RECO database at registrantsearch.reco.on.ca. This step takes two minutes and can prevent serious problems down the line.
REALTOR.ca: Search Canada's Largest Agent Directory
REALTOR.ca is owned and operated by the Canadian Real Estate Association, which represents more than 160,000 REALTORS across the country. The platform combines MLS System feeds from every real estate board and association in Canada, making it the only portal with complete national listing data.
The agent search function on REALTOR.ca lets you filter by location or office name. You can also search for agents with specific designations, such as Certified Condo Specialists or Master Certified Negotiation Experts. This filtering is useful if you have particular needs, like buying a condo in a specific building type or selling a property that requires specialized marketing.
In January 2025, REALTOR.ca transitioned into REALTOR.ca Canada Inc., a separate subsidiary of CREA. This corporate structure change allows the platform to reinvest revenue directly into platform improvements.
The directory connects you with every REALTOR in Canada, but it does not rank agents by performance or match you with agents based on your specific situation. You still need to do your own vetting.
HouseSigma: Research Agent Activity Through Sales Data
HouseSigma has close to 2 million monthly active users and is widely regarded as the leading real estate platform in Ontario. The company, founded in 2016 and based in Markham, uses artificial intelligence to estimate Canadian home values in real time and provides free automated home valuations alongside historical sales information.
Search listings on HouseSigma go back to 2003 in the GTA and Greater Vancouver. This historical depth allows you to research how long specific agents have been active in your area and what types of properties they have sold over time.
While HouseSigma does not offer agent matching services, the platform's data can help you evaluate agents you are considering. You can look up recent sales in your neighbourhood, see which agents completed those transactions, and get a sense of pricing accuracy and time on market.
The platform has expanded from Ontario into British Columbia and Alberta.
Zoocasa: A Brokerage With Its Own Agent Network
Zoocasa operates differently from the other platforms on this list. It is both a real estate portal and a brokerage, meaning it employs its own agents rather than connecting you with independent REALTORS.
In July 2022, eXp World Holdings completed its acquisition of Zoocasa Realty Inc. At the time of acquisition, the platform had close to 12 million annual visits and 150 in-house real estate agents. Zoocasa now functions as a wholly owned subsidiary of eXp World Holdings, providing lead generation and lead qualification for over 70,000 eXp agents in North America.
If you search for an agent through Zoocasa, you will be connected with one of their in-house agents or an eXp affiliate. This model works well for some buyers and sellers, but understand that you are working within a specific brokerage network rather than choosing from all available agents in your area.
The platform offers deep market insights and listing search tools that you can use regardless of which agent you ultimately choose to work with.
Zolo: Research Listings and Connect With Local Agents
Zolo reports that over 10 million home shoppers use the platform each month. The site is owned by Questrade Financial Group Inc. and positions itself as Canada's largest independent real estate marketplace.
Listings on Zolo update every 15 minutes. The platform allows you to search for agents by location and read profiles that include their recent activity and areas of focus.
Zolo does not offer algorithmic agent matching. Like REALTOR.ca, it provides a searchable directory where you can browse agent profiles and make contact directly. The platform's strength is its listing search functionality, which you can use to familiarize yourself with pricing and inventory in your target areas before speaking with agents.
How to Use These Platforms Together
Each of these six websites serves a different purpose in the agent selection process. A practical approach combines several of them.
Start with HouseSigma or Zolo to research recent sales in your target neighbourhood. Look at which agents completed transactions similar to what you are planning, whether that is selling a detached home or buying a condo.
Use Wahi to get matched with top-performing agents based on your specific situation. The AI-driven matching addresses a gap that directory searches cannot fill: identifying which agents perform best for buyers or sellers with your particular needs and preferences.
Verify any agent you are considering through RECO's public register. Check for disciplinary actions or registration issues before signing a representation agreement.
Use REALTOR.ca to look up agents with specific designations if your transaction requires specialized knowledge, such as commercial property or new construction.
What the Performance Data Tells You About Agent Selection
The statistics from the Greater Toronto Area illustrate why agent selection matters. In 2021, the GTA had over 60,000 agents and 121,000 recorded sales. Since each sale typically involves two agents, those 60,000 agents completed roughly 242,000 transaction sides.
With the top 20% of REALTORS handling nearly 75% of all sales, many agents operate with limited recent transaction activity. An agent who sold 1 or 2 homes last year has far less current market knowledge than one who completed 15 or 20 transactions.
This distribution means that random selection or relying solely on personal networks may connect you with an underperforming agent. Using platforms that filter by performance data, like Wahi's algorithm, increases your odds of working with someone who handles transactions regularly and knows current market conditions.
Questions to Ask Any Agent Before Signing
After identifying potential agents through these platforms, interview at least two or three before making a decision. Ask how many transactions they completed in the past 12 months and specifically in your target neighbourhood. Request references from recent clients with similar properties or situations.
- Ask about their communication style and availability. Some agents prefer text updates while others use email or phone calls. Make sure their approach matches your preferences.
- Discuss their marketing strategy if you are selling, or their approach to offer preparation if you are buying. In competitive markets, these details affect outcomes.
- Confirm their commission structure and any additional fees in writing before signing a representation agreement.
