Is this your first time selling your property, and you hired a real estate agent to help you sell it quickly, but unfortunately, things got dragged for a while, and you don’t know what happened? Well, you might have hired someone who wasn’t truthful with you right from the start.
The real estate market is constantly fluctuating. When your agent promises something that sounds too good to be true, it may be because it is too good to be true. Unfortunately, a lot of people around the country still fall into this trap — to completely give their trust right away to someone who “wears a suit and tie”, and in the end, be on the losing end.
If you’re not yet sure whether the problem is because of a dishonest agent or not, here are some ways to evaluate them. Perhaps, this would help you decide if you still want to keep them or not.
Always Do A Background Check
Ideally, even if your family or friends highly recommended your agent, it would be best to check your agent’s background. Doing a background check isn’t illegal. In fact, in some states, real estate agents are required by their respective DOJs to have their real estate licenses checked by the agency’s scanner.
In Georgia, all real estate agents are required to submit a report from the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) before they can complete their real estate license application. Previous offenders can be granted a license, but the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) will have to conduct a special deliberation for it. You can check with either the GCIC or GREC for your agent’s legal history. And for their professional experiences, you can check with their respective brokers.
While all these can give you some peace of mind, they don’t always guarantee what your agent is doing in the present time. So below are other ways on how to know your agent is lying or not.
Validate Everything That the Agents Says
Even if your agent says they’ve done this a thousand times and they’ve faced similar problems with previous clients, stay alert and critical. Pay attention to every word your agents says and, if you can, validate it by doing your research. You may not be a real estate agent, and you may not be well versed with the technicalities of the industry, but you’ll find thousands of materials online about your concern.
Know what’s happening in the local and national real estate market and keep up to date with the latest real estate news, so you get a picture of what your agent is talking about. You can also join community forums and see what other people say. Chances are, you might find another loophole or alternative to what your agent said/suggested.
Compare Their Answers to Other Real Estate Agents
There’s no harm in getting a second opinion. If you and your agent are under an exclusivity contract, asking another agent will not be a breach of contract, as long as you don’t allow the other agent to sell your home. If you don’t have a family or friend who’s working in real estate, again, you can turn to the online community for help. Many agents, brokers, and realtors are actively online to engage with potential clients, and you can always pop them a quick question.
Some agents, brokers, and realtors have active social media pages or groups where they offer free consultations to the public. You can look them up and send them a direct message.
You can also check the Ask A Realtor app by the National Association of Realtors. It’s an app designed to answer thousands of real estate questions by voice, and you can access it through Alexa and Google Assistant devices.
Your Agent’s Overconfidence Is Off
While it’s cliche that confidence is key, overconfidence is another story. You need an agent who’s confident but authentic and honest with you; an agent who can tell you when things aren’t good, and; an agent who can be outright with their limitations.
You’d want an agent who’s modest and willing to go the extra mile to get you what you want; you’d like an agent who does less talking and more hard work; you’d want an agent who listens genuinely and responds appropriately.
So, do you think your agent is too overconfident?
Always Ask Follow-up Questions
Honest people always get their stories straight. You can catch a liar when what they’re saying doesn’t add up. So you can test your agent by asking a lot of questions as specific as you can. But of course, this entails paying great attention to every detail. Be careful, though, of asking too many personal questions; you still want to remain professional because agents can back out of a contract too.
If you feel that your real estate agent hasn’t been honest with you and you have no idea how to sell your Snellville house fast anymore, get in touch with us at Spire Home Buyers. We help home sellers find a suitable solution to their problems, and you don’t have to go through another lengthy process again because our solutions are fast and hassle-free!
Contact us at (678) 318-1801, and let’s get your concerns sorted today!