signs-of-a-bad-realtor

5 Unforgiveable Signs
Of A Bad Realtor

Over HALF A MILLION people have become realtors in the last 10 years. Because of this of course, there are going to be some bad realtors. But how do you know if your agent is bad?

With over 20 years of real estate experience, I have seen it all. I will tell you the 5 unforgivable signs of a bad realtor. PLUS what to do if your agent is a bad one

signs-of-a-bad-real-estate-agent

Signs of a Bad Real Estate Agent

It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to buy a home or sell your house. If you have a bad real estate agent it won’t go well. 

But how do you know it’s the agent and not something else?!? 

There are lot’s of reasons a house doesn’t sell. What are the signs of a bad real estate agent?

Firstly, let me say this.

If you are here thinking your realtor is no good then they probably aren’t. But remember this. They may not be doing it on purpose. Just because they are a bad real estate agent doesn’t mean they are evil. Maybe the agent has something going on in their own household that is getting the way. So please be good to people. 

That said, buying and selling YOUR house is about YOU! 

IT’S ABOUT YOU AND YOU SHOULD FEEL LIKE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION!

It’s your house you are selling. (or maybe your forever home you want to buy) Either way, you should be the center of attention. So no matter what is going on elsewhere you deserve the best. It’s ok to question your real estate agent’s expertise and commitment to you. 

IS MY AGENT A GOOD ONE OR A BAD ONE?

  • How well do they know YOUR suburb or neighborhood?
  • Are they listening to what you need?
  • Do they lack professionalism? 

Today I will help you work out if your agent is substandard. First we will hit the basics every agent must be doing like answering the phone and showing up on time. 

Then I want to go into some high-level stuff. This will be some expert explanations for the discerning seller or buyer who wants to gain that inside edge. 

Finally, I would like touch on what you MUST do if you have a bad agent.

Sound good?

Table of Contents

If you need to sell your house and you want to find a good realtor I tell you how in this easy-to-read guide with practical knowledge. 

top-5-signs-of-bad-real-estate-agent

Top 5 Signs of a Bad Real Estate Agent [No Excuses for These!]

  • Your house is sitting on the market for more than 4 weeks.
  • You can’t get hold of your realtor.
  • Your agent doesn’t remember your name.
  • It’s been 6 months and you are no closer to buying a new home. 

These are a few of the UNFORGIVEABLE signs that you are working with a bad realtor. 

Does any of this sound familiar?

Number 1: Your house has not sold in 4 weeks [Or at least no descent offers!]

Is your house sitting stagnant on the MLS? Are you still waiting for an offer to come in? Unless your agent has a really good explanation then you might have a bad agent.  

In the past, it would normally take a house about 4-6 weeks to get an offer that was accepted. Today that number is much less. If you’re selling a house right now you should ABSOLUTELY get a good offer within 4 weeks. 

If your house has been listed for more than 4 weeks you need to ask your agent why. There could be some reasonable explanations like:

  • You demanded that they list your house really high (too high)
  • It may be a problem with staging.
  • Is there a slow down in home buyers?

A good agent will be able to explain the problem clearly. A bad agent won’t have a clue!

SUMMARY: If your house is sitting on the market for weeks without offers your agent must be able to give you an explanation. The explanation must include sound reasoning and the next steps to get your home sold. 

Number 2: You can't get hold of them

There is nothing worse than missing out on your dream home. Well, actually there is something worse AND that is you missed out because your terrible realtor wouldn’t answer their phone!

A good realtor will always answer their phone. Even after hours. A bad agent will not. An absolute no-brainer that you have a lousy real estate agent is they never answer their phone. 

WHY MUST AGENTS BE AVAILABLE?

The real estate industry is a fast-moving, extremely competitive industry. Today more than ever. If there is a great deal you want to buy, it is vital you get in, see it and submit a bid, pronto!

Can you do this if you can’t reach your realtor? Absolutely not!

If you are having to wait for hours to get a response from a text message, phone call, or email then you have a bad agent.  You can tell an agent is dedicated to you and their profession by how fast they return your calls. If you have to wait more than an hour to hear back then I suggest you think about finding another realtor to work for you. 

SUMMARY: A bad agent will be difficult to get hold of. This will put your deals at risk. You deserve better. 

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Number 3: Real estate is a side gig [OR side hustle. Whatever it is it's clearly not their #1 priority]

Now more than ever people are becoming real estate agents on the side. They all reckon they can make some quick cash. But at who’s an expense?

 If you have a part-time realtor it can be a train wreck because:

  1. Your house will never sell
  2. When it does sell you will feel awful about the price
  3. If you’re trying to buy a hose it will take months or even years in today’s crazy market
  4. OR if you get a house really fast you will feel like you paid too much!

EXCEPTION TO THE RULE:

To make money as an agent is actually really hard. Most of the pay is commission-based. This means you have to sell a house to make money. Can you imagine starting a new job without any income?

NEW AGENTS HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE

We all have to start somewhere. For new agents, this may mean holding down 2 jobs. If your agent is part-time it doesn’t mean you should write them off instantly. Instead, take the time to understand their situation. Ask them questions about your neighborhood like:

  • Are homes selling fast right now?
  • How should I market my home?
  • What would you do to get my home sold for me?

A good agent will be able to give you expert answers. A good real estate agent will also: 

  • Understand your neighborhood.
  • Be able to give you a clear strategy to buy or sell a house for you.
  • A great agent will be excited to talk about selling your house.
  • They will know all the little details and nuances of your housing market. 

ON THE OTHER HAND, A BAD AGENT WILL:

  • Be vague and disinterested
  • Be unable to present a good strategy
  • Not understand what is special about your suburb and the real estate market there. 

Generally speaking, a full-time realtor will have more experience than a part-timer. A full-time agent will have more sales under their belt too. However, truth be told, there are many full-time real estate agents who are bad.

SUMMARY: Be wary of “side-hustle” agents. Ask lots of questions. Ensure they have great answers. 

Number 4: Not familiar with the market

This is terribly important and I will go into greater depth on market expertise later. But I felt I must bring it up now. 

It is vital that your realtor know your neighborhood. They must know:

  • What homes are selling for
  • How fast houses are selling
  • Who is moving into the neighborhood and who is buying houses?
  • When is the best time to sell?
  • Are there any new developments that will energize the suburb?

When an agent doesn’t know the market this is what will happen:

  • As a seller, your house won’t sell
  • If it finally does it will be at a ridiculously low price. 
  • If you are a buyer you will never have an offer accepted
  • If you do you will overpay and have buyers remorse.

BAD AGENTS DON’T TAKE THE TIME TO IMMERSE THEMSELVES.

A realtor is your professional guide and expert in your corner. They are advising you on a huge financial transaction. You are trusting them with a lot of cash! Your agent must be able to tell you everything about your house and the surrounding area.

You know your agent is bad because they won’t know anything about your neighborhood. They will not have spent time analyzing the data. If they haven’t immersed themselves in what you need your deal will go south. 

SUMMARY: Your agent must know everything about your housing market and specifically understand your neighborhood. 

 

bad-realtors-pile-on-the-pressure

Number 5: They pressure you unfairly

This is all about you and what you want! Don’t let your agent force you into anything.

MY STORY:

“The first time I ever bought a house I was a complete novice. I was completely reliant on my realtor. We looked at many houses but none felt right. I asked to see more. My agent didn’t agree and pushed me in the direction of a house they thought was good for me. 

He thought it was a great house for me but I didn’t really agree. I really wasn’t comfortable with the price or the house itself.  But I trusted the real estate agent and ended up buying it. Long story short I regretted it and wished I never closed on the property. In hindsight, my agent didn’t listen to what I needed. They had their own agenda.”

YOUR AGENT SHOULD BE A CONSULTANT WITH EXPERT ADVICE YOU CAN TRUST:

Most of us are reliant on the expert advice of an agent. And we should be able to trust them. The role of a real estate agent is to give you options for buying and selling a house. They must give you research, data, and expert opinion. Then it is up to you to make the final decision. 

When buying or selling a house you should be able to trust the agent’s expertise. However, when push comes to shove they should never be putting pressure on you to make a decision one way or another. If you are not comfortable with how the deal is going down you should walk away. 

A SIGN OF A BAD REAL ESTATE AGENT IS TOO MUCH PRESSURE

If you think your agent is putting too much pressure on you then they are!!!

IT IS THAT SIMPLE!

Their job is to provide information. Their job is not to force you into making a bad decision. REMEMBER this advice when involved in any real estate transaction. It is the advice from a real estate guru:

NO DECISION IS BETTER THAN A BAD DECISION

SUMMARY: A bad realtor will try to pressure you into buying the wrong house or accepting the wrong contract when selling. Ideally, you can always trust the professional helping you but… you can’t!

bad realtors dont understand

Bad Agents Don't Understand What You Need

Do you need to sell your house fast? OR Do you want top dollar? A good agent will hear you and make it happen. 

As a buyer have you communicated where you want to live or how much you want to pay?

If you have told your agent what you need and they aren’t delivering then you have a bad agent. If they are showing you houses in a suburb you are not interested in then that’s another sign they are no good. 

Let’s dive a little deeper. 

Bad agents don't communicate well [or at all]

I’m not just talking about answering their phone because answering a phone is the easy part. Are they listening to you?

Buying a new home or selling your current house is all about you and what you need. Does your agent know this? And are they taking steps to make it happen? 

A bad realtor will have bad communication skills and will not listen to what you want or need. Some obvious signs are:

  • Taking you to houses with the wrong number of bedrooms
  • Showing you properties in neighborhoods you don’t like
  • Telling you to make repairs when you want to sell your house as-is.
If you find yourself in these situations then you have a lousy agent, a bad seed if you will. In my humble opinion it s time to move on. 

Buyers agent: Bringing you houses that dont match your criteria

I love the extensive questionnaires some professionals ask you to fill out. They want all the details so they can provide the best service. Seems like a great idea. 

But you know a real pet peeve of mine? When I fill out the form ad the person that asked me to do it basically ignores it. AND THIS HAPPENS WITH REAL ESTATE AGENTS TOO!

An unforgivable sin on the part of a buyer’s agent is repeatedly presenting houses that don’t match your criteria. You say you want a big yard and they show you an inner-city condo. You want a 2 car garage and they take you to a house with no parking at all!

WTF, RIGHT!?!

If you’re in the market to buy a house or home and your current agent is totally missing the mark they are no good. It’s that simple. They aren’t listening and they are wasting your time. 

SUMMARY: Bad agents don’t listen and end up wasting your time. If you feel like they aren’t listening you need a better agent. 

 

Sellers agent: Your house has been listed for 6 weeks!

This can be the result of many factors including:

Whatever the reason if you are selling your house it shouldn’t take 6 weeks. A good agent will listen to your needs, will price the house correctly, and you should receive a competitive offer within 4 weeks of it being listed. There are exceptions however if you wanted your house sold and it hasn’t in a reasonable time frame you have a bad agent. 

Agent is Bad if They Don't Know Your Market

Indepth for discerning homeowners.

YOU KNOW YOUR AGENT IS BAD IF YOUR HOUSE DOESN’T SELL, AND HERE’S WHY.

Imagine you’re in a hurry to sell. You talk to an agent who is super eager ad says that can get the deal done. You trust they know what they are doing.  You do all the repairs they say. You even spend some money renovating some things. You’re going to sell fast AND get a high price. 6 weeks later and your house is still sitting on the MLS and you haven’t had a single offer. 

If this sounds like your story then there are many signs that you have a bad agent. These include:

  1. Your agent can’t run comps.
  2. They don’t understand what a good return on investment is.
  3. Clearly, they don’t your housing market.

It’s really bad if your agent doesn’t understand your housing market. If they don’t your house will not sell or you will leave money on the table.  If your trying to buy you will keep missing out by offering the wrong amount

Let’s talk about a few of these points ad what it might mean.

Real estate comps

If your real estate agent is bad at comps you will leave money on the table or your house will go stagnant. Both are really bad situations because you need to sell and you want the most cash possible. 

Why Run Comps?

Real estate agents run comps to work out how much your house is worth. Comps how determine the list price. A good agent will find houses that just sold and that are the same. A good agent will combine comps with current market conditions. They will know what your house can sell for. Then they will list it on the MLS for the right price. A bad agent will look like they are doing this but… 

“If they list it right then you should get a full price offer in 1-4 weeks”, according to real estate expert Alex Cappozolo of California. “I call that the Goldilocks zone. If you get a full price offer in less than 4 weeks then the list price was just right!”

A sure sign your real estate agent is bad is they price the house too high or too low. You know it’s too high because you will not get any offers. You know it’s too low because you receive too many offers.  

LOT’S OF OFFERS = BIDDING WAR = GOOD, NO???

When you get lots of offers you may be o the brink of a bidding war. To get the bidding started you need to ask for the “highest and best”. At this point, all interested buyers will tell you the most they will pay for your house. 

This can result in some crazy high bids and a bidding war. The result might be you walk away with lots of cash. But what if your bad agent listed your house too low in the first place?

BIDDING WARS AREN’T ALWAYS BETTER

Let’s be frank. If you are reading this you are probably not in the middle of a bidding war. If you are reading this it is because you haven’t had any offers, i.e. you have a really bad realtor.

But I want to dispel the myth that bidding wars are always the best situation. Because the truth is they are not! Bidding wars should not be the goal. If you have an agent that knows what they are doing the chances you have a bidding war are slim (unless you demand one). 

The chances of a bidding war are slim because they will price your house correctly.  A house that is priced correctly will get 1 to 4 offers in 1 to 4 weeks. All of the offers will be very competitive. A house that is priced correctly will end up with the best offers. That’s a fact. 

If you want to sell your house for the most profit you must work with a real estate expert that understands your needs and has put the time in to learn your market because only then will you truly be satisfied with the sale. 

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Professionalism Or Lack Of [Yip, Your Agent Sucks!]

A real estate agent is a trusted professional, or at least should be. A realtor should exhibit professional behavior at all times. Does this sound like your realtor? Or are the following more familiar?

  • Doesn’t return your calls.
  • Is always late for appointments.
  • Doesn’t even show up!
  • Bad mouths other agents.
  • Makes you feel uncomfortable.

If your agent does any of these things they are not professional and are a bad agent for sure. You need a better solution. Time to switch it up. 

Quit thinking on how to sell my house fast for cash . We make things much easier for you by assembling a team of honest real estate investors. What is a leading house buyer if not to work in this sort of way?

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What to do About a Bad Agent

It’s simple. Get rid of them!

Buying and selling your next home is a huge undertaking. It could be the largest financial transaction of your life! You need to be working with a realtor you trust. You deserve the undivided attention of a real pro.

If you find yourself contracted to a no-good realtor you must first talk to their broker. Maybe you can be assigned a better agent in the office. 

If this is still not working out politely ask to move on. Any respected broker will understand your concerns and void any contracts.

If you need to escalate this business further you have options. If you have a bad agent and you want to know what to do so that you can hire a better one you must read this guide on What To Do If Your Realtor Is Bad which simply highlights how to get rid of them so you can move on. 

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Your Solution to Selling if You Are Doubting Your Agent

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