7 SIGNS YOU HAVE HIRED THE WRONG REAL ESTATE AGENT
(and questions you should ask to avoid it)
Buying and selling real estate is a high stakes game. You work hard, scrimp, save, stress and invest to find the perfect home. When time comes to move, who sells your home and how your home is sold should leave you feeling warm with confidence, trust and respect.
If you are buying or selling a home and seeing any of these signs, you likely have hired the wrong agent.
- LACK OF COMMUNICATION
Have you been trying to reach your agent and not getting a timely response, or no response at all? This is a sign you have hired the wrong agent.
The agent / client relationship should never be based on you signing papers, and them pulling a disappearing act. Your agent should be in contact with you on a regular basis so that you know what is going on with your listing, and they are working for you.
TELL-TALE SIGN: If you reach out to your agent and you don’t hear back in 24-48 hours
WHAT TO ASK BEFORE DECIDING ON YOUR AGENT:
- What is your follow up system?
- How often will I hear from you?
- Will you be giving me feedback on showings?
- How are you tracking online interest & how will this be communicated to me?
- How are you going to market my listing?
- LACKS CONFIDENCE
A fundamental attribute of a great agent should have? Confidence. An agent who seems hesitant and fumbles for solid answers will tell you a good deal about their confidence level. Whether you are considering a new agent, or a seasoned agent they need to be able to answer your questions truthfully, and not pretend to know the answer.
TELL -TALE SIGN: They avoid eye-contact when speaking to you, you have asked them a question and they have answered with what you know to be a lie or assumption.
WHAT TO ASK BEFORE DECIDING ON YOUR AGENT:
- How long have you been licensed? Do you work in real estate full time?
- What percentage of your business is working with buyers? With sellers?
- How familiar are you with the area?
- Do you have references from other buyers/sellers who have used your services?
- OVERLY AGGRESSIVE
Is it their way or the highway? While some agents might urge you to take their advice, you should never feel bulldozed into deciding. Aside from it all feeling uncomfortable, an aggressive agent could end up convincing you to make a costly mistake.
TELL -TALE SIGN: As a buyer, be aware of an agent pushing you into making an offer before you’ve had time to consider other options. As a seller, being pressed into accepting an offer you clearly perceive as being low should set alarm bells ringing.
WHAT TO ASK BEFORE DECIDING ON YOUR AGENT:
- Do you have a reference list of clients I could contact?
- What happens if I’m not happy with the job you are doing to get my home sold? Can I cancel my listing contract?
- May I see the documents I must sign?
- Is your real estate license in good standing and have you ever been subject to a client complaint?
- Can you explain the process to me?
- UNPROFESSIONAL
The very least you should expect from an agent is a professional service. One of the biggest signs that an agent is unprofessional is whether they value your time. Are they showing up late to appointments with you? Are they showing up at all? Do they look sloppy? How do they present themselves on social media?
TELL -TALE SIGN: Your agent is a ‘fixer-upper’. They are dressed overly casual, or their clothes are ripped, stained, un-laundered. Perhaps they have showed up to your appointment late or continue to answer their phone / check their phone while meeting with you. And of course, you took a look at their social media profile, and you cannot believe what you see.
WHAT TO ASK BEFORE DECIDING ON YOUR AGENT:
- Do you have a website / blog / social media profile I can look at?
- What is your advertising and marketing plan for my house?
- How many sellers are you representing now?
- TOO PROFESSIONAL
Yes, as noted above the very least you should expect from an agent is a professional service, however, there is such thing as being too professional. Agents who are too professional lack personality, character, authenticity and empathy. You are not looking for a robot to sell your home, you are looking for someone you connect with and is about more than making buck on your professional relationship – .Any successful relationship requires comfort, fun, empathy to create a happy story and a happy ending.
TELL -TALE SIGN: Your agent is stiff. Seldom do you see a smile (if at all), and when they speak they are overly-rigid and lack any signs of a personality.
WHAT TO ASK BEFORE DECIDING ON YOUR AGENT:
- How long have you been a real estate agent?
- What do you do with your time off / what are your interests?
- How do you connect / approach people during an open house?
- LACK MARKETING SKILLS
Are your agent’s marketing skills up to scratch? Do they think ‘social media’ means looking at cat pictures on Facebook? Are their listing materials more about them then they are about you?
TELL -TALE SIGN: They have an outdated website. They do not use or are inactive on social media. Their listing presentation is either non-existent or still shows “insert agent name here”. At the end of the day, if they can’t market themselves professionally, they cannot market your property properly.
WHAT TO ASK BEFORE DECIDING ON YOUR AGENT:
- How will you market my home?
- Who will you be targeting in marketing my home?
- What is your advertising and marketing plan for my house?
- How do you interact with your network?
- How do you use digital marketing technology to market homes?
- How many visitors do you have to your website in a given month?
- DOESN’T LISTEN
Your agent should spend a lot of time listening and taking notes of needs, especially in your first meeting. A very important trait that real estate agents need is strong listening skills. If a real estate agent is unable to identify what you as a buyer or seller is expecting, they will cause you nothing but frustration.
TELL -TALE SIGN: Is your communication with your agent ‘in one ear and out the other’? If the conversations you’re having with your real estate agent don’t seem to be going anywhere or feel like a one-way conversation, the agent is probably lacking listening skills, and may very well drive you nuts!
WHAT TO ASK BEFORE DECIDING ON YOUR AGENT:
- What haven’t I asked you that I need to know? (If they repeat questions you have already asked, they obviously were not paying attention to you the first time)
If you’ve hired the wrong real estate agent, you need to review the agreement (if any) that you have signed. If you’ve hired the wrong real estate agent, you should express to them your dissatisfaction. In some cases, the real estate agent will release you from any agreement that you’ve signed. If you still find yourself getting nowhere, escalate to their broker. Still not getting anywhere, escalate to their real estate board, and governing body.
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