5 Real Estate Agent Red Flags to Avoid

When choosing an agent to help you in your buying or selling journey, finding the right fit makes all the difference. What can be seamless and stress-free with a friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful agent can be the complete opposite with an agent who isn’t the right match for you, your family, or your home. Over the years, we’ve gathered plenty of tips on what to look for in a buyer’s or seller’s agent, but we’ve never listed what to avoid – until now. Read on for five red flags you should keep in mind when searching for your real estate agent.

Lacking Local Knowledge

Whether you’re moving from the town over or the state over, your real estate agent should give you a 360º view of the areas you’re looking to call home. They should know what schools are nearby, which homes sold last week and last year, the best hiking trails in the area, where to go for the best cup of coffee, and who serves the best slice of pizza. Agents are there to help you choose which communities are the right fit for you – which means they have to know them like the back of their hand. On the seller-side, you want an agent that is connected to find you the right buyers, knows the historical market landscape, and the best ways to market the property at the local level.  

Always Late

You’re hiring a real estate agent to save time – not waste it! Your time is valuable, and there are many better things you could be doing than sitting around and checking your watch five, ten, fifteen minutes past when you were set to meet a potential agent. The way an agent manages time is reflected in all aspects of their performance – so if they can’t even make it to meetings on time or return a text message promptly, it doesn’t bode well for turning in important paperwork or closing deals on schedule, either.

Poor Communication

The home buying and selling process is an incredibly important and personal undertaking that requires transparent and prompt communication. Open, timely communication with your agent is essential to staying up-to-date and making informed choices (especially time-sensitive ones) during your real estate journey. If you can’t get ahold of your agent to ask a simple question, what happens when you want to make an offer on a house in a bidding war? You need to know that you can rely on them to communicate with you promptly and honestly.

Suggesting Unrealistic Prices

The home selling process can be confusing and complicated; it’s essential for your agent to be entirely upfront and honest about expectations. Of course, you don’t want your seller’s agent listing your home for less than it’s worth – but if they list too high, potential buyers might be scared away, and you’ll have a long wait ahead of you. Finding the perfect listing price is an agent’s job. They should be transparent about how they found it and what you can expect from the selling process with that price. Ask for them to elaborate on why they chose that price, what comparable homes they used, and how they plan to market that price. If they’re wishy-washy in their response then maybe it’s best to interview the next agent.

Part-Time Agents

You want your agent to be fully committed to your real estate journey, easy to get in touch with, and incredibly experienced and knowledgeable about what the process entails. Part-time agents often don’t have the time, energy, or experience to put their clients first and provide a truly exceptional experience from start to finish. At Vermont Real Estate Company, we eat, sleep, and breathe Vermont real estate – and it shows in our work.

There are a lot of things to keep in mind when searching for your agent. Avoid these red flags and make your real estate journey a breeze with our team of friendly and knowledgeable agents!

Connect with us to start your search or sale today.