How we score real estate agent businesses in Ontario

What the score is

Every business in the Ontario Real Estate Agents Directory gets a composite score from 0 to 100. Right now we score 200 real estate agent businesses. The score comes from five measured signals, each with a fixed weight. Nothing else goes into it.

The directory is published by Ontario Real Estate Agents, an independent publisher that launched in 2026 to help home buyers, sellers and property investors compare agents across Ontario. Rankings are maintained by Marcus Ellis, Reviews Editor, who oversees the rubric and how it is applied.

The five signals, heaviest first

Signal	Weight	What we measure
Sentiment	28%	Synthesis of recent review themes: praise versus complaints
Rating	26%	Google aggregate star rating
Volume	20%	Number of reviews, log-scaled
Completeness	16%	Phone, website, hours and address listed
Recency	10%	How recently customers reviewed

Sentiment (28%)

This carries the most weight because a star average hides patterns. Two businesses can both show 4.6 stars, yet one collects repeated complaints about the same thing, such as slow replies, unclear commission talk or listings that sat without activity. Reading what recent reviews actually say is the only way to catch that. We summarise those themes and score the balance of praise and complaints.

Rating (26%)

The Google star rating is still the clearest single number for overall satisfaction. We weight it heavily, but below sentiment, because it is an average and tells you little about what went wrong or right.

Volume (20%)

A 5.0 from six reviews is not the same as a 4.8 from several hundred. We log-scale review counts so the first reviews count for a lot and the hundredth counts for less. A handful of reviews does not equal hundreds, but a huge count cannot swamp everything else either. For a purchase or sale this large, a bigger sample is more trustworthy.

Completeness (16%)

We check whether a phone number, website, hours and address are listed. An agent you cannot easily call, visit or look up is harder to vet, and missing basics are a practical warning sign.

Recency (10%)

Agents change teams, markets shift, and service slips. Recent reviews tell you how a business is performing now, so we reward fresh feedback, with a lighter weight than the signals above.

Honest limits

• Low-confidence scores. Businesses with few recent reviews get a low-confidence score, and we label them that way. Treat those numbers as a starting point only.
• We synthesise, not republish. We summarise review themes in our own words rather than copying reviews. Each listing links out to Google so you can read the source yourself.
• Reviews are not everything. The score does not measure licensing, negotiation skill or fit for your neighbourhood and budget. Use it to build a shortlist, then interview agents.

Scores are never edited

Scores are earned from this rubric and this data only. They are never edited by hand. Paid placement, when it exists, is always labelled and never changes the score. If a list has picks or an order that an editor reviewed, the page itself says so.

How we keep data current

Data is refreshed monthly. Each listing carries a "last verified" stamp so you can see when it was last checked. Listings are updated as new information becomes available.

Contact the publisher

Ontario Real Estate Agents publishes this directory at ontariorealestateagents.ca. If you spot an error, want to dispute a listing, or have a question about the rubric, email ontariodirectorypartners@gmail.com or use the enquiry form on the site. Marcus Ellis and the team read what comes in.