Watching For Signs of Real Estate Agent Trickery

Are you looking for a real estate agent to help you find a home or to help you with selling your home? If so, you may feel a bit confused by all of the real estate agent advertisements that you look through. After all, the real estate market is one that is filled with fierce competition, which means every agent does everything possible to make him or herself seem like the best choice. Unfortunately, effective marketing techniques are a specialty of real estate agents, which means it can be difficult to judge which agents actually have the experience and knowledge you are looking for. By knowing a few tricks of the trade, however, you will be better prepared to make the right choice.

Making it Look Like You’re Busier Than You Really Are

Real estate agents are well aware that potential clients are interested in working with agents who have a great deal of experience. As such, they may attempt to make themselves look more experienced by listing numerous properties in their advertisements. It is important to understand, however, that these listings are not necessarily listed to the agent you are considering hiring. If you look at the fine print at the bottom of the page and you see the words “office listings,” it means the listings shown are listed with the real estate office, but not necessarily specifically listed to the agent. When meeting with the agent, ask to see the listings that are specific to that agent in order to get a better idea of his or her level of experience.

Claiming to be an Expert

It is easy for a real estate agent to claim to be a specialist or an expert with properties in a particular area, but you should ask for the credentials to back up this claim. Look through that agent’s listings and ask the agent how many deals he or she has closed in the neighborhood where he or she claims to be a specialist. The more questions you ask, the better you will be able to gauge whether or not the agent is truly the expert he or she claims to be.

Leaving Out Information

Some real estate agents leave out important information on their advertisements because they are hoping you won’t notice. For example, if the agent doesn’t list his or her years of experience, it might be because the agent doesn’t have a whole lot of experience to brag about. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t work with the agent. At the same time, if experience is important to you, make sure to ask.

The same is true of an advertisement that contains a customer testimonial with no name attached to it. Don’t just assume the testimonials are true. Rather, ask the agent to provide you with the contact information of a few references and make sure to contact them in order to learn more about the experiences they had with the agent you are considering hiring.

In addition to paying attention to these telltale signs of trickery, it is also important to listen to your instincts. If the agent seems to be vague in the information that he or she provides or if you simply don’t feel comfortable with that particular agent, move on to someone else. There are plenty of agents to select from, so be sure to hire the one that suits your needs the best!

Ryan Lynch is part of the Austin real estate team. Their brokerage specializes in Northwest Austin real estate and neighborhoods such as Jester Estates in Northwest Hills.