Good real estate agents may be hard to find, but bad real estate agents are even harder to spot – especially when it’s your first time dealing with one.
Buying or selling a property is a huge financial decision that involves a lot of money and thus requires a lot of patience. Since most buyers and sellers don’t have prior real estate experience, they prefer hiring an agent in hopes they would take care of the paperwork, look for buyers if you are selling or scout for a suitable property if you are in the market to buy.
Unfortunately, more often than not, these agents that people heavily rely on turn out to be quite bad at their jobs. Instead of making things easier for their clients, these real estate agents only make the process frustrating and more time-consuming. In fact, you may even end up losing some money because of their shady real estate tactics.
To put it simply, recognizing bad real estate agents is not easy. However, there are a few warning signs that might help you avoid them.
Top 5 Signs of a Bad Real Estate Agent
Here are the five telltale signs you should look out for when hiring a real estate agent to buy or sell a property.
- Lack Of Proper Communication
- Abundance of Attitude
- Failure To Respect Your Conditions
- Poor Negotiation Skills
- Being Too Desperate or Pushy
Take a look at how you can spot these red flags ahead of time and spare yourself the frustration of working with subpar agents.
Lack of Proper Communication
This is one of the biggest signs of a bad real estate agent.
Does your agent often refuse to pick up your calls, doesn’t reply to your messages on time or simply goes missing for prolonged periods of time? If so, it’s about time you get rid of them and start looking for someone new.
Of course, you shouldn’t expect a real estate agent to be accessible 24/7 since they must have a life of their own as well. However, if they are not able to receive your call for whatever reason, they should get back to you within the next few hours at the very least.
Needless to say, buying or selling a property is a complex procedure that requires several steps, some of which you may not even be aware of. However, if your agent is unable to talk you through the process or worse, proceeds with major decisions without your approval, you need to part ways with them without further ado.
This communication gap may not appear to be a significant issue at first, but it will begin to take a toll on you with the passage of time.
An Abundance of Attitude
This is one of the first things you need to watch out for with real estate agents. If you feel your real estate agent is being condescending to you or the other party, it’s a telltale sign that you’ve hired the wrong person.
Fortunately, this is something you can spot before it’s too late. You may not be able to figure out if your real estate agent has an attitude problem during the very first meeting, but it will become evident the more you deal with them. With each new interaction, you might notice that they are talking back to you, refusing to listen to your concerns or not valuing your time altogether.
This behaviour isn’t just rude, it’s also extremely unprofessional, which obviously isn’t acceptable.
If your real estate agent acts like they are the one in charge, you need to remind them who’s the boss. The moment an agent starts to make you feel uncomfortable, you need to trust your gut instinct and walk away.
Given the fact you have a lot of money on the line, you shouldn’t work with bad real estate agents who don’t respect you or your decisions under any circumstances.
Failure to respect your conditions
Let’s suppose you are a buyer and have told the real estate agent that your new home should be located near a park and should at least have four bedrooms to accommodate your family. However, the properties they keep showing you are either located on the main road with no park in sight or don’t have more than two bedrooms.
Or, you need to sell your house within a particular price range but all the offers your agents inform you about are way below the threshold.
Well, if this is happening too frequently, it’s a sign of a bad real estate agent.
Now, obviously, you can’t expect an agent to fulfil all of your requirements. But, they should at least listen to your suggestions and prioritize them instead of just thinking about their own commission.
If your real estate agent refuses to listen to your input or doesn’t take your feedback into account, it simply means they are incompetent at what they do. Therefore, it’s better to cut your losses and get rid of your real estate agent before it’s too late.
Poor Negotiation Skills
One of the biggest signs of a good real estate agent is that they are great negotiators who would try their best to make sure you get the most out of a deal.
However, if an agent has been unable to finalize a deal even after months of searching, you need to figure out if there’s a valid reason behind this delay or is it simply because your agent has poor negotiation skills.
Considering how buying or selling property is possibly one of the most important decisions you will ever make, it’s crucial to have a good negotiator by your side so you don’t end up paying too much or accepting too little at the end of the transaction.
Negotiation skills also have a lot to do with a person’s attitude. If you believe those deals are falling through because of your real estate agent’s lack of professionalism, it’s time to look for a new agent.
Being Too Desperate or Pushy
Does your real estate agent appear too desperate for a sale? Do they agree to everything you say without a single question? Do they claim your property is worth more than what others have told you or that they can find your dream home for a far lesser amount? Or do they appear to be a bit of a pushover?
Well, if your agent has displayed any of these red flags, they might be too desperate for a sale. This means you should start looking for an alternative because this is one of the recurring tricks real estate agents play.
Meanwhile, you should also be wary of the pressure tactics used by real estate agents. For instance, if your agent is pushing you to sell your property for a lower amount claiming you can’t find a better deal or is pressuring you to buy a house that’s out of your budget, you need to take a step back as this is one of the most common lies real estate agents tell buyers.
Although you should always try and have a conversation with your agent before deciding whether to get rid of them, make sure you don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. After all, you’ve got a lot on the line and one stupid decision made by a bad real estate agent can cause a huge loss. Also, there are several scams in the property industry that you need to beware of.
If you have no prior experience dealing with property, here are a few tips on how to find a good real estate agent that might help you out.
Moreover, if you want an expert to help you make the most out of a deal, make sure to get in touch with authentic and credible real estate companies and agents on Zameen, the top property website in Pakistan.
