TOP Signs Your Real Estate Agent SUCKS

So the housing market smells worse than an egg sandwich left in your car window on a blistering hot day and you want to make a move to a smaller place while you can still afford the gas to get there?

The first thing you have to do is find a good agent who doesn't just use his hand to scratch his wooden head or who thinks that frequently giving good advice is 'not in his job-listing' or who works for you only when his day-job is at low-tide. What you need to know is that agents are like people--in fact they ARE people, and as such are not infallible and most importantly they are not all the same.

Your needs come first and in the present ' state of the financial union' you need to make an extra effort to ensure that your broker is not himself broken--in other words make sure he is NOT a card-carrying member of the looser's club as outlined in the following pointers:

If your broker always answers the phone in between hitting drives at the local golf course or even worse, when you can hear sounds 'waiter! bring me another beer' in the background, you can be sure he isn't that into selling your house.

Some agents will only check their voicemail at certain times of day--this is another tip off. You need someone who is available, if not 24/7, then certainly close to that figure so don't settle for anything less.  

According to Elizabeth Blakeslee of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage "If an agent doesn't suggest fixing drippy faucets or reducing clutter — that sort of thing — then they are just going to put the property in the Multiple Listing Service and throw up a sign and hope."

Now I don't know about you but I think that agents should be like husbands...they should tell you what they are thinking even if it's not a brilliant brainstorm because that gives you something to work with. If your broker is the shy and silent type you have clunker and need to replace him immediately.

After all, real estate agents are gregarious by nature, which is why they go into the field in the first place, so make sure your agent is 'outstanding in his field' and is outspoken in his ideas as well.

Does your agent want to cut in his affiliate or demand that you employ a particular lender for your monetary transactions?  If so, he is not the guy you want to sell your property. You need full flexiblity and freedom in choosing any affilations without pressure.  

If you agree with M. Sannes of Keller Williams-Big Bear Real Estate, the partimer is not your best bet when it comes to picking a broker for your real estate transaction. If he is not fully comitted to you, in the way a full-time licensed agent is, he will be generally less motivated to get you the best price, the best buyer and best deal. Part time sometimes mean 'learning at the wheel' and you deserve better.

The bigger the audience the larger the applause--a saying for showbiz that can be applied to selling your house. If your agent wants to list your house where only buyers that are affiliated with his brokerage can view it he or she may be trying to funnel sales to his best advantage and not necessarily to yours. You need him to spread the listing over as large an area as possible where your home can be showcased in the most effective way.

Finally, it goes without saying that you do not want a shyster-agent with a record of malpractise in the state for which he or she is licensed.

You DO want to find out ahead of time if they have been cited or their record is less-than-sterling. Barbara Cook from Keller Williams Realty says that you should not feel shy about checking out the agent to make certain they are actually legally licensed to sell your house. It is a long and sad story of fraud that has been perpetrated by scam artists in the house-selling business and you should have no intention of being their next "mark". So be wise, and be a tiny bit cynical too--check them out!