Deciding what real estate agent to hire to help you with the purchase or sale of a home is extremely important.

The best agents in the business provide buyers and sellers with stellar service, exclusive market opportunities, custom strategies, and hyper-local knowledge.

However, there are some real estate professionals out there that do not live up to client expectations.

Watch Out For These Five Real Estate Agent Red Flags

Knowing which red flags to watch out for can help you make sure that you’ve hired the right professional for the job.

Keep these five signs that you may have chosen the wrong agent in mind when hiring a representative to assist you with a home purchase or sale.

#1. Not Returning Phone Calls

Are you having trouble getting in touch with your agent?

Lack of strong communication skills is one of the biggest signs that you’ve hired the wrong agent. While top agents in your market prioritize client outreach, there are some agents that put their clients on the back burner.

Some agents maintain strong communication until they’ve been hired. Once they’ve secured the client, they don’t respond as often — or, in the worst case, at all.

When an agent is not returning your calls, emails, and texts, you’re not getting the service you deserve. Lapses in communication can negatively impact your deal, resulting in missed opportunities and lagging deals.

You want an agent that keeps you informed of all updates to your deal and is always available to answer your questions.

#2. The Agent Calls To Ask Questions You’ve Already Answered

Buyers and sellers want to work with an agent that’s dedicated to their transaction. That means keeping all of the information relating to your deal top of mind, or having access to the information whenever you may need it.

If you’re working with an agent that is constantly asking you the same questions over and over again, it might be a sign that you’ve hired the wrong agent.

The best agents work hard to minimize the amount of effort required on part of the client.

Meaning, if you’ve shared information one time, they’ve taken note of it. Top agents jot down information about their clients in their databases so they’re prepared to represent the deal at any time.

If you feel like you’re doing too much of the work and your agent isn’t keeping track of your conversations, perhaps you should seek another real estate agent.

#3. Over-Promising and Under-Delivering

When you work with the best real estate agent for you, you’ll feel like they are over-delivering at every step. Perfect agents provide above-and-beyond quality service from first contact to closing.

But, the wrong agent for you might be someone who doesn’t deliver on their promises. Some agents will always tell you, “I’ll deliver this tomorrow,” but then take days — and repeat follow-ups — to finally complete the task.

Not only does this push back the timeline, but it also makes clients feel like they’re not being prioritized or taken seriously by the real estate agent.

Buyers and sellers should hire an agent that is realistic about service expectations, truthful about their process, and dependable.

#4. Ignores Red Flags Just to Push To Closing

To facilitate a safe and secure transaction, buyers and sellers need an agent that genuinely cares about their wellbeing.

Unfortunately, there are some agents out there that care more about getting their commission at closing than the long-term success of their client. Agents like this typically exhibit bad signs and questionable behavior, such as ignoring property defects or trying to cover up information.

Working with an agent that’s not honest can put buyers and sellers at risk for future issues. Instead, you need a real estate agent that is working hard to secure your interests and protect your position.

#5. Recommending Service Providers That Aren’t Legitimate

Some agents may try to recommend service providers to their clients relevant to the deal, such as contractors, inspectors, and appraisers.

If your agent is trustworthy, this can be a great way to find other reputable and secure service providers. However, untrustworthy agents may try to recommend service providers that are not legally licensed — perhaps a family member or friend doing a side job.

While this may introduce benefits to the agent or offer you services at a low cost, it is never worth the risk. The right agent would not exploit you for business. Instead, they would find you the best servicer that’s guaranteed to do the job right.

Find Your Best Agent

You deserve to work with only the very best agent. Get in touch with the top agents working in your market through RealEstateAgents.com.

Click here to learn more about how RealEstateAgents.com rates and recommends agents.