Google Screened for realtors: what you need
The badge is now Google Verified. Agents who were already screened kept it without doing anything (Local Services Help: About Google Verified badge). The history is in Google Guaranteed vs Google Screened.
To get it, you sign up for Local Services Ads and pass Google's checks. For "Real estate agents and brokers", Google lists (Local Services Help: Business screening and verification requirements):
| Check | Required? |
|---|---|
| License check for each real estate agent in the firm | Yes |
| Business owner identity verification | Yes |
| Professional liability insurance | Where local law requires it |
| Business background check | Select users only |
| Business registration and business representative checks | Select users only |
| Verified Google Business Profile | Yes, for every Local Services advertiser |
On the profile: "Local Services advertisers must have a public and verified Google Business profile to advertise with Local Service Ads" (Local Services Help: About Google Business Affiliation). If you don't have one yet, start with can a real estate agent have a Google Business Profile.
Plan for a wait. On average the process "takes 3–4 weeks to complete after submitting your documents" (Business screening and verification requirements).
The license check and the background check
The license check covers every agent in the firm, not just the owner. Google checks licenses "against the state or country databases" and shows the verified ones on your profile (Local Services Help: Understand the screening and verification process).
Whether Google runs its own background check depends on your state:
"In some states, real estate agents (including brokers and realtors) must complete a background check in order to secure a professional license. In those states, Local Services don't perform a separate background check." (Business screening and verification requirements)
Google lists 21 such states on that page, including New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland and North Carolina. Check the page for yours.
Where Google does run one, it is free, run by a third-party partner, and "doesn't involve a credit check or a credit pull" (Understand the screening and verification process).
Who signs up: agent, team or brokerage?
The check list is written for a firm with agents under it: "License checks for each real estate agent in the firm." A solo agent is a firm of one. A brokerage signing up for its agents gets each agent's license checked.
Your state may also require the brokerage name in your ads. That rule comes from your state commission, not Google: see real estate advertising rules.
Local Services Ads for home listings
On June 11, 2026, Google began rolling out real estate Local Services Ads that show homes for sale across the US:
"Following a limited pilot, we're now rolling out richer Local Services Ads for Home Listings across all 50 U.S. states. As buyers look for homes, this expanded format surfaces relevant property details — such as pricing, images and core home features — powered by a partnership with HouseCanary's rich data platform." (Google Ads & Commerce Blog)
You don't apply separately: "Existing LSA agents will automatically appear in this experience" (same post). Buyers can "call, message or book an appointment with a local agent right from the ad."
What a Local Services lead costs a realtor
You pay per lead, not per click: "A bid is the most you'd pay for a lead. When similar local businesses bid on the same lead, those bids determine how much the lead is worth. You only pay when you get a lead." (Local Services Help: How bidding works)
Google publishes no fixed price per real estate lead. You choose a bid mode:
| Bid mode | What you set |
|---|---|
| Maximize leads | Weekly budget only; Google sets the bid |
| Target cost per lead | A target "around the average you'll pay for leads" |
| Max per lead | "the most you'd pay for a lead" |
Source: How bidding works. For leads you think you shouldn't pay for, see Local Services Ads lead disputes. Local Services Ads are also being folded into Google Ads: see what changes for you.
Compared with Zillow's model, where you pay a share of commission at closing, you pay for every lead whether it closes or not, but owe nothing on the sale. See Zillow Flex pricing.
Can Canadian realtors get it?
Not as far as Google's Canadian requirements show. Local Services Ads run in Canada (Getting started with Local Services Ads), but on November 14, 2026 Google's requirements page for Canada listed home-service categories only, with no real estate category (Business screening and verification requirements, Canada). The home listings rollout above names the 50 US states only. Canadian agents can still build a Google Business Profile.
Example
Solo agent, Ohio
She has a verified Business Profile and an active license. Ohio requires a background check for the license, so Google doesn't run a separate one. She sets a target cost per lead and goes live about a month after applying.
Ten-agent brokerage, Texas
The broker signs up. Google checks all ten licenses and the owner's identity. Texas isn't on Google's list of states with a license background check, so the dashboard may ask for Google's own. Buyers searching homes can see the brokerage's agents in the home listings format.
Agent in Vancouver
No real estate category in Google's Canadian requirements, so she puts the time into her Google Business Profile and reviews instead.
Different for you?
- What changed from Google Screened to Google Verified: Google Guaranteed vs Google Screened.
- No Maps listing yet: real estate agent Google Business Profile.
- Ad wording rules: fair housing advertising words.
- Approved but few leads: Local Services Ads not showing.
- Want it set up and run for you: Paid Ads.