The stress of selling is subjective; It depends on your motivation.  It you are serious about moving then picking a full-time agent is prudent.

99.9% of all personal agent website will not be ranked.  Most agents rely on their company or Multiple Listing Service (MLS) solely/heavily .  Most proactive MLS sites will rank far higher than the largest franchise in any area despite afranchises claims.  This question is more about guaging how adept they are to internet marketing than having a right or wrong answer.

Their answer should indicate their eagerness to work for you.  If they only have one other listing and have a multi-faceted system to market your home that may be better than if they had five, ten or twenty listings.

A knowledgeable assistant can be invaluable if the agent is extroidinarily busy.  But make sure you connect with your agent regularly.  Ask him if he will contact you the same day every week with updates.  There is no right answer here so go with your gut.

Commissions may be negotiable but make sure you're not stepping over dollars to pick pennies.  The escrow closing costs range between 1-2% and in a down market you should expect to pay 2-4% toward the buyers loan closing costs.

Is it based on opinion, specific area experience, analytical analysis, or a combination of both?  Their answer doesn't have to one or all.  The agent should be able to use MLS data to explain where the market has been, where it is, and where it is going.  He should also be able to forecast 5 to 15 years ahead; this shows he/she researches well.

If you like his/her personality, an agent who can produce a checklist or system that outlines what will be done and when and where he/she feels maximum exposure is best obtained is someone to seriously consider.

If they won't take less ask why not?  If the agent or broker feels you are confident in his/her abilities and advice they will list it in accordance with the immediate statistics.

If they've been in the business full-time over 3 years good but more importantly the longer they've been in full-time the better.  Ask them if they meet the minimum continuing education requirement just to be eligible for license renewal or if they choose first-class education that benefits their clients.

They should at the minimum have a stack of letters and even better a few clients you can call if you wish.  If you do call at least ask the client: 1) if they would use the agent again, 2) If they have referred anyone to him, 3) What could the agent have done better

Most agents are sales agents and a few are brokers.  It takes a concerted effort to be eligble for a brokers license that's a good sign.  But more importantl is their personality, their designations, and their ability to explain the process and answer your questions concisely.

Large companies and franchises will undoubtedly have errors & omissions insurance and General Liability insurance.  This question is more relevant to independent companies and agents who are not a member of the National Association of REALTORS.