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Real Estate Agent Red Flags Posted by Denise Fraguela Real Estate

When buying or selling a house, choosing the right Real Estate agent is essential. And choosing the wrong Real Estate agent can be a disaster. Here are five red flags to watch out for when choosing your Real Estate agent:

  1. The agent is hard to reach, shows up late for appointments, or doesn’t show up at all. The first sign that your Real Estate agent is likely unreliable and doesn’t have your best interest in mind is that he doesn’t return calls or emails, shows up late of showings, misses appointments, and doesn’t make you a priority. While Real Estate agents are indeed busy, failing to keep commitments and being unreliable is a big red flag.
  2. The agent is your relative. This is a touchy subject. However, many home transactions have turned good familial relationships very sour. If you have a relative that is a full-time agent who specializes in your area, it could work out. But if anything does not go as initially planned, resentment can build, or even worse, your transaction can completely fail. Hire a Real Estate agent who is an expert in your area and maintain the peace during the holidays.
  3. The agent is not familiar with your local market. Whether you are buying or selling a home, having an agent who is an expert in the local market is important. Real Estate is a local business, and you need an agent who is familiar with your area.
  4. The agent is not detail-oriented. If you’re a buyer, you need an agent who will be able to keep track of all your information, your preferences, the homes you want to see or the ones you’ve already seen. The agent needs to make sure there are no liens on the home and a good agent knows that things to look for that might cause you grief down the road. If you’re a seller, you want an agent who is going to know all the details about your home and what you want in a buyer, and a good agent will do what she can to make sure the sale goes through. A detail-oriented agent is familiar with all the paperwork and the contracts involved in a transaction and will ensure all bases are covered.
  5. The agent’s current online listings have poor quality photos. The best agents know that most home searches start online and that many first impressions are made with photos on online listings. If the photos are bad quality, are hard to see, or if the home looks messy in the photos, find another agent. If the agent does not take the photos herself, she will at least make sure the ones she posts are good quality and show her listings in the best light possible.