1- I can get you more money for the house!
There is an old trick called buying the listing. This is when an agent promises the owner that they can sell their house at an inflated price. The house then lags on the market and the agent recommends major price drops. The worst thing you can do as a home seller is to overprice your home from the beginning. To have an agent promise you an inflated price is unacceptable. Some agents are unethical and others do this out of ignorance. Sometimes when we need to sell a house fast we become vulnerable to bold promises.
2-Showing up late or unprepared
Showing up late, dressed poorly, unprofessionally. If you own a $200,000 house you will be paying your Realtor $12,000 at a 6% commission. Do you think this is enough incentive for an agent to show up on time, dressed professionally, and not wearing a tank top and flip flops? I love to dress casual but I don’t expect anyone to pay me $12,000 to do it. Expect the prospective Realtor to be prepared with relevant market data with regard to sales of comparable properties in your area. This information should be readily available and presented in a neat and organized manner.
3-Part-timers
Real estate is a full time job and cannot be effectively shared with anything else. Do business with someone who does real estate full time. I have a Realtor that I refer all my business to and they do real estate full time. There are many real estate professionals, myself included, who do a mixture of real estate sales, property management, and consulting. Practicing different facets of the real estate business is fine but it must be full time real estate. Would you hire a doctor who only practiced medicine part time?
4-An agent that only shows in house listings
Agents are required to show prospective buyers all their listings not just ones listed in house. Anyone who tells you that one of their advantages is that they will show your only your house to their buyers is blowing smoke. Be wary of an agent who promises this kind of unscrupulous activity!
5-Just over it up! No one will notice
If I encountered an agent who suggested covering up or hiding damage I would run the other way. Anyone who lies for you for will lie to you. In Raleigh NC all sellers are required to fill out a property disclosure form. The agent is prohibited from filling this out for you but they should offer guidance on how to fill out the form properly. They should also suggest necessary repairs that should be made prior to putting the house on the market.
7-Everything is just fine
Not offering any advice on staging or improving the homes condition for sale. Some agents just want to put the home in the MLS and wait for the buyer’s agent to do all the work. This is not the kind of service that is deserving of your hard earned money. Selling real estate is a profession and should be treated as such.
8-No online presence
In today’s day an age an online presence is required to establish credibility, also most buyers do their research for home online first. Your agent must be familiar with internet and social media marketing. This is no longer a new frontier on which to obtain an advantage it is a requirement to communicate with the millennial generation of home buyers. The easiest way to find out about your agents online prowess is to search for them. They should not be difficult to find. Check and see if they have reviews on sites like Facebook, and Yelp.
In the article you advised working with an agent who has a good online presence. A good way to check that is to look up their own website, and see how they present themselves on the internet. I’ll be sure to do this before I hire any real estate agent, to make sure I am working with someone who is internet savvy. Thanks for the great article.