Warning Signs of a Bad Real Estate Agent

10 Signs of a Bad Real Estate Agent

When you hire a real estate agent, you’ll have some expectations, but things don’t always work out the way you want. If your real estate agent is bad at their job, it could cost you a lot. Not only could it waste your time and cause you frustrations, but it will hurt your finances too.

Whether you have already hired an agent or are concerned about choosing the wrong one, we look at the red flags of a bad real estate agent. And if you find you have hired the wrong real estate agent, we look at what you can do to turn things around.

Left Out of the Loop – Communication Style

When selling your home, staying updated by your agent could be very important. But if they don’t keep you informed you could become frustrated and even miss out on a potential sale of your home.

While a delayed response from your real estate agent can cause problems, even if they do respond promptly, there can still be issues. Perhaps they have an abrasive style or seem rushed and not paying attention to your requirements. These issues can make you doubt your choice, reduce your trust, and put you off dealing with them. 

Good communication skills are an important part of selling a home, and not every agent is going to be good at this. Some agents might shy away from telling you bad news, but this won’t help you sell your home.

You also want an agent who is willing to communicate the way you prefer. Perhaps a phone call with updates is better, but the agent emails you instead. If they aren’t willing to adjust to your requirements, you might have made a better choice elsewhere.

Lacking Guidance

Some seller’s agents have a tendency to act as a messenger, simply relaying information back and forth between the buyer’s agent and their client. But if they leave all the decisions up to you without offering guidance, they may not have enough experience.

If a real estate agent lacks experience or confidence to offer advice, it seems unlikely they will stand up for your best interests through the real estate transaction. 

Part-Time Real Estate Agents

If the real estate agent isn’t full-time they may not provide the service you need. If their time is split with another job, will they be available when needed and fully focused?

While a new real estate agent might be working part-time, you don’t want someone gaining experience at your expense. There is a lot of money at stake during a house sale so it’s better to avoid someone who isn’t fully committed or knowledgeable enough to avoid losing you cash.

Bad Timekeeping

If your real estate agent doesn’t arrive for meetings when they should and makes excuses, it could be a good sign of worse to come. The home selling process involves many important things that need to be done at certain times. But if your real estate agent isn’t good at keeping schedules they might not do what they need to when required.

If your real estate agent is unreliable, how can you trust them to protect your interests?

Doesn’t Know the Market

If the real estate agent you hire is unfamiliar with the area, they might struggle to find suitable comparable home sales data. This could lead to unreliable results and your home being priced either too high or too low.

An agent who is unfamiliar with the local market might also take the wrong approach when marketing your home or when helping you find suitable properties to buy. 

Negative Negotiations

Negotiations are very important to ensure your interests are fairly represented. Agents without good negotiation abilities could mean potential buyers walk away when an agreement isn’t reached.

A good real estate agent will understand what you want as a seller and know when to negotiate a better deal. They will be experienced with contracts and understand what is important and what you can do without. Their experience could help you sell a home faster and with the deal you want.

Marketing Mistakes

To get the best price for your home, good marketing strategies will go a long way. If your agent lacks marketing skills you probably won’t get what you should for your home.

By checking the agent’s social media and website, you should get a sense of how much effort they put into marketing homes. If you are unable to find much on social media or if it doesn’t seem very professional, you might not be happy with how they market your home.

Lacking Honesty

You should be able to trust the real estate agent you hire, so you want to avoid someone who misrepresents or outright lies to you.

The National Association of Realtors was born out of the need to increase trust in real estate agents. Some agents are members of the NAR and have to follow their code of ethics. If your real estate agent is a member, and therefore a Realtor, you can complain to their local Realtors association.

You also want an agent who will tell you something you don’t want to hear when they know better. Perhaps you believe your home is worth more than the comparative market analysis suggests, a good real estate agent should prevent you from making such mistakes.

If they are too eager to agree to anything you suggest, how can you trust them to do the right thing to get the best deal?

Applying Pressure

When you hire a real estate agent you are the boss in this situation. However, bad agents can be more interested in getting what they want instead of focusing on your requirements. While they should be guiding you, they might try to pressure you into making a decision that increases their potential commission.

Slow Progress

If your home has been listed for a long time and there haven’t been many or even any showings, perhaps the agent isn’t doing enough. Even if there are showings but no offers this could be down to the agent.

While this could be the result of a slow real estate market, an ineffective real estate agent could instead be the problem. If things are moving slowly, what is the agent doing to speed things up?

What Can You Do If You’ve Hired a Bad Real Estate Agent?

When you’re selling your home and you find that you’ve hired a bad real estate agent, you still have some options. Even though you will have signed a legally binding contract with the agency there are things you can do.

The listing agreement will give the agent the exclusive rights to market your home to buyers, but this only covers a certain period. If you aren’t in a hurry to get your home sold you could wait for the contract to expire and then sign with a new agent. But if you don’t want to wait for months for the listing agreement to expire, you can try these other options:

Request to be released from the contract

It is common for a listing agreement to include a cancellation clause. This should allow you to cancel at any time when you send a request in writing to the agent. You can do this via email, and even if there isn’t a cancellation clause in the contract the agent might agree to release you from it anyway. However, there can be consequences to breaking a contract, and this might mean paying costs. 

Work with a different agent

If the real estate brokerage agrees, they might assign you to a different agent. Your listing agreement will likely be with the brokerage and not the agent, so switching to another agent could be possible. Larger real estate agencies will have a managing broker who can help you should you want to switch agents.

Removing your home from the MLS

If you don’t think you can work with the agent anymore, you can ask them to stop marketing and remove your home from the multiple listing service. With your home no longer in the MLS, the agent might be more likely to release you from the agreement. Otherwise, you will have to wait out the contract before you can sign with another agent. 

These options might be fine when there isn’t a buyer lined up, but if you have signed a contract with one, changing agents could be more difficult. In such a situation, it may be better to carry on without the risk of having to pay a commission to the first agent just because they found the buyer.

What Does a Top Realtor Have to Say About It?

Bill Gassett, a real estate authority and owner of Maximum Real Estate Exposure, provided excellent insights into making better decisions when choosing an exceptional real estate agent. Bill has been a top-producing Realtor for thirty-eight years, so he knows what it takes for sellers to come out on top.

“Over the years, there have been numerous occasions where I was called in for an interview by sellers who needed a better experience with their previous agent. Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t take the time to do a careful interview process. This leads to making poor choices that people regret.

Some of the most common problems people encounter are the need for more communication, overpromising, and underdelivering. These issues become a theme for lousy agents. Other problems stem from agents who care more about landing a listing than doing what is best for their clients. They will tell them what they want to hear to get their business. Overpricing a home is prevalent with these agents. Some don’t care because they will generate leads and other business even though their client suffers.

To have the best experience, I highly recommend interviewing at least three agents. Ask them pointed questions about their business. How long have they been doing real estate? What is their success rate? What are their average days on the market and the list price to sale price ratio? It is foolish to think all agents are the same. 

By doing proper due diligence, you’ll dramatically increase your odds of making an excellent choice.”

How to Find a Top Real Estate Agent in Your Area

To avoid the stress of a difficult relationship with your agent, there are some things you should do and qualities that you should look for before you choose who to hire. 

Check online

A great agent will have a strong online presence, and you should be able to find client reviews. You can learn much about a real estate agent with a simple search.

You can find out how well they market homes online, and what previous clients think of them. Are they just posting photos of their food on social media, or are they trying hard to find buyers for their clients?

Do they have the right experience?

Are they selling homes in your area at a similar price point? Though they might be finding buyers for their clients, if these homes are in a different price range, they may not have the right experience.

If your home is in a rural area and an agent has no experience selling outside of urban locations, that could be another issue. 

Days on market

The time it takes for an agent to find a buyer can show how well they do their job. The days on the market number will show whether the agent is better than other agents in the area.

Use recommendations

If you know someone who sold their home fairly recently, you can always ask them for their recommendation. They may recommend the person they used or have negative things to say about them; either way, it could help narrow down your search.

Interview the agent

Before you sign with an agent you should talk with them to find out how they plan to get your home sold. Asking the right questions and having a discussion should also give you an insight into what it will be like working with them and whether you will get along. 

If you are left with any doubt after talking with the agent, perhaps they are not the right real estate agent for you. To better understand what is available, it’s advisable to speak with multiple agents before choosing.

Find out how well the real estate agent knows the area and how long they’ve been in business. Does the agent involve themselves in preparing the home for showings, and what will their marketing plan be?

But it shouldn’t just be you asking questions, the best agent should show an interest in your home and what you are looking for. If they don’t seem interested, perhaps you won’t be a priority even if you decide to sign a contract with them.

Summing Up 10 Warning Signs of a Bad Agent

Avoiding the wrong agent will reduce your stress during what is often a difficult process. It could also be the difference between finding a buyer quickly and selling for the right sale price, or your home sitting in the listings for months. 

While you might be tempted to choose the first agent that seems suitable, doing some research and checking their history could save you from experiencing unnecessary problems.

About the author: This article “Signs That Your Agent is Bad” was written by Luke Skar of MadisonMortgageGuys.com. As the Social Media Strategist, his role is to provide original content for all of their social media profiles and generate new leads from his website.

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