Taking Baby With Me to Meet Real Estate Agent

8 Min Read | Nov 17, 2021

Are you looking to buy a house? Your buddy says his Aunt Nancy is a existent manor agent, and so you sign a contract with her. Then you don't hear anything from Nancy—for two weeks. Finally, she calls with the "perfect" house: a ranch-style domicile. But you told her yous desire acolonial. Oh, and information technology's $100,000 over your budget!

Or are youselling your business firm? A friend from work told you lot her cousin Vernon but got his real estate license, so you lot make up one's mind to give ol' Vern a try. Fast-forwards a few months. Vernon has held a couple of open houses and posted your business firm on his website, simply nobody is coming to see it. You look on Zillow and Trulia, and it's non on either site.

In both cases, yous hired a badreal estate agent. Because some existent estate agents are only plainly bad at their chore, it'southward of import to know what the signs are. We'll suspension them downwards by both buyers agents and sellers agents. That style y'all'll know what to watch for and how to exit of either bad situation.

Signs You Have a Bad Buyers Agent

Ownership a house is one of the biggest purchases y'all can brand—then brand certain y'all've got an amanuensis you lot tin can count on. Here are v signs yous have a bad buyers agent:

one. Communication Bug

I of the most common complaints domicile buyers accept virtually their real estate agents is that they can't arrive bear upon with them. The buyers telephone call. They text. They email. And what do they hear back?Crickets.This is specially troubling in a hot housing market, where information technology's then important to motility quickly when you discover a home you lot like. Poor communicationwillcause y'all to miss out on opportunities to buy the business firm you lot actually want. Don't settle for an amanuensis who ignores you lot.

two. Power Struggles

We'll admit that information technology takes a certain level of swagger to walk a home buyer through (what's probably) the about expensive purchase they'll ever brand. But that doesnot mean your real estate agent can forget who'south the boss.You. Are. The. Boss. An agent who pressures you lot to buy a dwelling house yous aren't sure near or one that'southward out of your budget is more interested in their committee than helping you.

3. Lack of Leadership

The flip side of this coin is an agent who'due south but aaye-human and doesn't offer any guidance. You want an amanuensis who'll give yous honest communication based on their research and experience—fifty-fifty when they know you may not like what they have to say. A wishy-washy agent may non have the experience they need to negotiate a skilful deal on your new abode—or they just may non be cutting out for the job.

four. Abundance of Attitude

As we mentioned, you want your agent to have confidence in their abilities. But that doesn't requite them a license to be a jerk. No matter how many questions you have or how bones they may be, your agent should be patient plenty to respond each 1 without throwing a ton of jargon at yous. And youmust be able to trust your agent to acquit professionally on your behalf. It'due south simple: Y'all don't accept to put up with an big-headed, condescending or just evidentlyrudeagent.

5. You lot're Getting Nowhere

It's been months. You aren't any closer to buying a home than when y'all started. That's abig problem. Now, if you're being overly disquisitional of the homes your amanuensis is showing you, then this could beyour error. But if your agent isn't showing youany homes any or, even worse, keeps showing you homes that you've already said aren't right for you, they're wasting your fourth dimension.

Observe a trusted real manor agent we recommend in your area.

If y'all're reading through this list of warning signs and nodding along, or if niggling lightbulbs are going off in your head, it's probably fourth dimension to hire someone new.

Signs Y'all Have a Bad Sellers Agent

A quality sellers agent (sometimes called a listing amanuensis) is so important when you're selling a house. Here are five signs that your listing amanuensis isn't meeting the marker:

i. Less Than Two Years of Full-Time Experience

This is ahugebargain-breaker for a sellers agent. An inexperienced amanuensis doesn't have the manufacture contacts or (sometimes) the know-how to handle the home-selling process. Misfiled paperwork or a missed deadline tin easily botch your dwelling auction. You demand an experiencednegotiator—both for the sale price and any repairs that may come upwardly later the abode inspection. And you cannot fake feel.

two. Your Agent Ignores Yous

You shouldn't be waiting around to hear from your real estate agent. There are then many ways for your agent to stay in contact with yous. If you observe yourself always asking your amanuensis for updates—or if you lot get no answers—that'due south amassive ruby flag. Your amanuensis should make it a priority to keep yous in the loop, even if nothing new has happened.

three. Poor Marketing

Your amanuensis'due south task is to concenter as many potential customers as possible to view your home—and that means a lot more than putting a sign in your one thousand and posting a photo on their website. In the industry, that's known as "Post and Pray." It'due south when you post a sign in front of a home and pray someone buys information technology. Nosotros're big believers in the power of prayer, only we also believe in marketing and hard work.

Ask to see your agent's marketing programme for your home. Make sure you lot empathize why they choose some venues instead of others. They may have a good reason, but that's something they need to explain to yous.

4. Misplaced Priorities

The math is pretty piece of cake when it comes to an amanuensis'southward commission: The more expensive the house is, the bigger the commission will be. But that fact shouldnevercome into play in the mode an agent represents his clients. Is your agent treating yous as a "lesser" client just considering of the price point of your home? Hither'due south what to watch for: lack of communication, showing up belatedly for appointments, little patience for answering questions, and even pressure level to decrease your asking price without givingwhateverevidence to support that decision.

5. Nothing's Happening

Here's the bottom line: Real estate is a results-based concern. If it'due south been weeks with no showings, no calls and no interest, information technology's time for a "come to Jesus" meeting with your agent. In this meeting, your agent hadameliorate accept some new ideas for attracting buyers, and they'dbetter be able to explain how those ideas will help you sell your dwelling house. If theydon't,or if theysay they will but the problem persists, stop wasting your time with the wrong agent.

What to Do if You Accept a Bad Existent Manor Amanuensis

If you've tried speaking with your agent and they're onlynotcoming around—or if your agent ignores you entirely—so information technology's fourth dimension to let them go. Only you have to exist careful and read your contract. Commonly, they'll have yous sign an sectional buyer's or seller's agreement that has a divers expiration appointment.

The start thing to do is speak with the agent's broker and enquire them to let you out of the deal. Brokers don't want to be known equally "terrible"in their communities.

If that doesn't piece of work, it may be fourth dimension to become a lawyer involved. Only if that's too expensive or impractical, or if aught else works, you may just have to wait out the contract. If your agent haswhatsoeverintegrity at all, it shouldn't come to this.

In the meantime, you tin can start interviewing a replacement, looking for these qualities in an amanuensis.

How to Avoid Hiring a Bad Agent in the First Identify

Now that we know the warning signs of abadexistent estate agent, let'southward talk about how to avoid this whole mess from the beginning.

The awesome thing is that we've fabricated itactuallylike shooting fish in a barrel for yous. All you need to do is get in impact with one of our RamseyTrusted Endorsed Local Providers or ELPs. These are real estate agents in your area who our team personally finds, vets and coaches to brand certain the amanuensis yous hire is the best of the best. Nosotros wouldn't endorse them otherwise.

Each agent closes more houses than xc% of the agents in their market. They likewise must have the middle of a teacher, make sure y'all understand exactly what's happening every step of the manner, and honor your financial goals first.

Notice a RamseyTrusted agent near you lot today!

Or are you interested in becoming a trusted agent? Learn more hither.

Ramsey Solutions

About the writer

Ramsey Solutions

Ramsey Solutions has been committed to helping people regain command of their money, build wealth, abound their leadership skills, and raise their lives through personal evolution since 1992. Millions of people have used our financial advice through 22 books (including 12 national bestsellers) published by Ramsey Press, too as two syndicated radio shows and x podcasts, which take over 17 million weekly listeners.