Not all real estate agents are part-time and only do a few deals a year. For many, it's their only paycheck and "hustle" is a daily word in their vocabulary. Below are 10 things NOT to say to a real estate agent with detailed reasoning.
1. “I want to buy a home, but I don’t want to commit to one agent.” Loyalty is a two-way street. If you want an agent’s help, understand that he or she will spend a considerable amount of time, money, and effort scheduling home viewings, showing you homes, and previewing listings on your behalf. The tradeoff for this hard work is to sign a buyer’s agency agreement, allowing them to formally represent you as a client (versus merely a customer). There are major differences between the two.
2. “Don’t show my home unless I’m available.” If you want to maximize your home’s exposure, you are going to have to be flexible. I understand - your home is your private sanctuary and the thought of having random people just walking around can make you cringe. You naturally want to be present to keep an eye on things, but try to control that urge. Buyers get uncomfortable with sellers standing over them while they view a home. You want them to feel comfortable looking in closets and in the cabinets. You want them to vision your home as theirs.
3. “But Zillow said…”. Don't listen to Zillow. Relying on web-based home sites to determine your home’s value is, at best, a crapshoot. Zillow itself even encourages buyers, sellers and homeowners to conduct other research such as “getting a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent” and “getting an appraisal from a professional appraiser.” Sure, Zillow’s Zestimates® are quick, easy, and free… but so is dating advice from your best friend who been divorced three times. The point? Just let a local real estate professional who will actually see your home’s unique features in person determine its fair market value.
4. “I’ll get pre-approved for a mortgage later.” This puts you at a huge disadvantage right out of the starting gate. First, an agent worth his or her salt won’t agree to invest countless hours showing homes to someone who isn’t approved for a loan. Secondly, it’s an unfair burden on the seller to bring potential buyers into their home if the buyer doesn't even know if they can afford it. Therefore, listing agents and sellers will often require a pre-approval letter alongside your offer. This letter strengthens your offer by instilling confidence in all parties that you’re financially capable of purchasing the home.
5. “I don’t want to bother my Realtor®. Can you just show me the house?” Not just no, but heck no. To be clear, you’re more than welcome to view it, but there’s a protocol in play here. Contrary to what you think, asking your agent to see a home is not “bothering” them. It’s their job. It’s how they get paid. It’s what they love doing. If there are extenuating circumstances preventing your agent from showing you a home, let him or her call the listing agent directly, or ask another agent in their brokerage to assist. Don’t worry, you’ll get to view the home one way or another. But if you’re already represented, then going straight to the listing agent is considered is a faux pas in this industry, and a slap in the face to your agent.
6. “Can you reduce your commission” When you eat at a fancy restaurant, do you ask the waiter to reduce the price of the prime rib? What you see for a commission percentage is not what your agent will make at the completion of the sale. That percentage is split per the seller agreement and the agent is actually paid by their broker.
7. “Oh, you sell real estate? You must make good money.” Not necessarily. According to NAR (National Association of REALTORS®), the median gross income of REALTORS® in New York State was about $56,000 in 2023. That’s before expenses like MLS and other membership fees, marketing, photography, fuel, insurance and income taxes at the end of the year . Also, keep in mind that commissions are split between the brokerages representing the buyer and seller. In other words, of that X% you paid your agent to sell your home, he or she saw only a fraction of that.
8. “I’m planning to sell my home by owner. I just want to know how to do it.” We all know that time is money, but so is knowledge. It’s not always free, and it certainly can’t be passed from one brain to another — especially not how to sell a home. So if you ask this question to an agent, don’t be offended if you don’t get the answer you were seeking. It’s not that agents want you to fail… it’s just that advising you how to sell a home isn’t as easy as you think. Yes, it will be up to you as the homeowner to clean, declutter and stage it appropriately, but will be doing marketing and most importantly, do you have knowledge of the proper paperwork to protect yourself during the sale?
9. “I’ll only sell my home to a buyer who is (insert race, gender, religion, etc. here)”. This is a major no-no, and one that’s liable to get you sued. Federal equal housing laws were passed in 1968 in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, and they prohibit renters and home sellers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of race, sex, religion and other factors. So in a nutshell: focus on getting your home sold, and forget about to whom.
10. “I’d love to get paid to look at pretty houses all day, every day.” So would agents. “Looking at pretty houses” is only one of many, many things real estate agents do for their clients.
For any real estate transaction, interview a few agents and pick the one that suits your needs and personality. Find one that has experience and is able to answer your questions. Buying and selling a home most likely will be your greatest investment.