Skip To Content

Some Things We Would Never Say, As Real Estate Professionals

Your real estate agent should have your best interest at heart. But what do you do when your agent isn’t up to par? Here’s  some advice from Trulia on when to call it quits with your real estate professional.

 

 

Here are the seven things your real estate agent should never say to you. If they do? It might be time for a change.

 

  1. “You don’t need a home inspection”

 

As in, don’t have anyone look over the house to make sure it’s OK to live in? Yeah, that’s a major red flag. No matter what type of home you’re buying — a condo, townhome, duplex, single-family — always, always get an inspection. “Every buyer has the right to have a home inspection,” says Rachel Hillman, owner of Hillman Homes in West Newton, MA. “Even if a home is new or the condo has exterior maintenance that is covered in the condo fee, there are benefits to having a home inspection. Buyers will learn how to take care of the property as well as understand the life expectancy of the systems in the house.”

 

  1. “I read the contract for you, just sign on the line”

 

You can probably hear your mother whispering firmly in your ear right now: “Always read a contract before signing.” And she’s right. There’s no telling what things could’ve been snuck into the contract. “As real estate agents, we read a lot of contracts and work closely with attorneys, but we are not attorneys,” explains Hillman. “An agent should never tell a buyer to sign something that they have not read. This is probably the most expensive asset in their portfolio, and they should have attorney representation. Don’t sign a contract unless you have read the contract and had an attorney review it for you.”

 

  1. “I know you only want to spend a certain amount, but let’s look at these homes that are listed over budget”

 

Your real estate agent knows going into the home-search process how much you want (and can afford) to spend. So if they bring you a home that’s above your budget, be wary. “An agent must know and should respect a client’s budget — and be aware that even though the client may be approved for a higher figure, if the preference is for a less expensive property, those are the properties that should be shown,” explains Don Tepper, a real estate agent with Long & Foster in Alexandria, VA.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.