8 Things People Dislike About Agents and How You Can Change Their Minds

Let’s face it: Real estate agents have a bad rap. Perhaps disdain for them comes from a person’s nightmarish experience with an agent; or maybe it comes from their frustration at having to rely on someone else’s expertise for such an expensive venture.
Whatever the reason, many people perceive real estate agents as opportunistic shysters in it for an easy buck. The good news is that it’s entirely within your power to help change their perception.

Here are 8 things consumers dislike about real estate agents with corresponding tips for turning their frowns upside down.

1. Not responding quickly respond to calls, texts or emails

For whatever reasons, many agents don’t reply to inquiries and messages right away; some don’t respond at all. Contacts and clients have lots of questions when they embark on the home buying process, so responding as quickly as possible, even if you tell them you have to call them back, demonstrates that you appreciate their choice in you.

Pro tip

If you’re indisposed at the moment, politely excuse yourself from the current conversation and send a quick text message. Or, use an auto-responder; there are several apps you can install on your phone. Test them out before you choose one, then create a few messages that acknowledge callers and tells them you’ll get back to them soon.

2. Having to pay a commission fee

If an agent can’t demonstrate upfront the value they bring to the process, contacts might wonder why they should pay that agent a commission. Doing your homework — like asking potential clients to complete your questionnaire about their home and their thoughts about selling it — then putting together customized home reports and CMAs for your listing presentation can go miles toward proving your worth.

Pro tip

Be prepared to prove your expertise. Have your facts on hand: past sales, client reviews, how fast your listings sell, and your list-to-sale-price ratio. Past sales and how fast you sell demonstrates your real estate skill; reviews offer third-party confirmation of your customer service; and a good list-to-sale-price ratio means you can accurately price a home and don’t recommend reductions indiscriminately.

3. Agents who don’t seem tech savvy

To keep up with today’s consumer, real estate agents must be able to leverage technology that’s found in every facet of their personal and professional lives. That means more than just having a smartphone in your pocket; it means using tools — digital signatures, portal profiles, your own updated website, apps and social media — for streamlined communications, operations, marketing and sales. While you don’t need to adopt all the latest and greatest apps and software that becomes available, keeping tabs on the ones most relevant to helping your workflow shows clients that you’re up-to-date on technology.

Pro tip

Successful agents are tech savvy, mobile and adaptable, so their methods of staying productive should be, too. Download the Zillow Real Estate app to automate actions like responding to inquiries and forwarding leads to your team, and to help you with other tasks including updating your agent profile and staying in touch with clients.

4. Agents who don’t use or understand real estate portals

Love them or hate them, portals like Zillow and Trulia are tools that many buyers and sellers often use as a starting point for information — and something they will probably ask you about. Buyers might have already browsed the site before you meet, and sellers might be anxious to ask you about their Zestimate® home value. You must be prepared to expertly discuss how these portals work and how you plan to use them in the home buying or selling process.

Pro tip

Conduct a home search on Zillow or Trulia to experience what consumers do when they browse these websites. Instead of pooh-poohing their decision to use a portal, validate their initiative and provide context for your plan to use Zillow and Trulia in the process.

5. Feeling like you’re being “sold to” or pressured to close

The commission-based nature of real estate — making money from buying or selling a home — isn’t lost on clients. An aggressive, sales-heavy approach can leave them wondering if their agent cares more about the bottom line than helping buyers and sellers fulfil their home dreams. Explaining to clients how the process works gives them insight into why you employ the tactics you do.

Pro tip

Let your results — not your sales pitch — do the heavy lifting with consumers and make sure your assertive approach is targeted at your marketing efforts, not your clients. Advise them upfront of what to expect: Clarify the timeline between signing with you to closing activities, outline the consequences of their action or inaction for each milestone along the way, provide them with options when facing decisions, and have a response for worst-case scenarios. Explain how, in hot markets, their decision to make or accept an offer might literally come down to minutes.

6. A perceived lack of transparency

Most consumers don’t have the extensive knowledge or expertise that real estate agents have when it comes to buying or selling a home. They can naturally feel leery about trusting an outsider with what is likely the biggest purchase of their lives. Being open and honest when they have questions helps build the foundation for a long-term relationship that pays off for both of you.

Pro tip

People can’t argue with data; be transparent with information that backs up your statements. For example, if a client pushes back on your recommendation that they purchase a (better) more expensive home because you’ll “make more money on it,” do the math with them right then and there. When you show them what you actually take home after subtracting the broker’s fee, Uncle Sam’s cut and your marketing costs, they should realize that you’re not padding your offshore accounts — or jeopardizing your relationship with them over a few hundred dollars. If they feel you’re withholding a listing because they saw it on a portal, but you know that it sold, call up your MLS and show them the notice.

Most important, don’t lie to people. It never pays off and beyond the legal ramifications for playing fast and loose with the truth for the sake of closing a sale, it destroys the chances for any future business or referrals from that client.

7. Feeling disrespected and ignored

Many consumers can feel their agent doesn’t listen to their needs, whether that’s buyers being presented with homes that aren’t anywhere near what they’re looking for, or sellers who don’t understand that they have options. Just as an agent’s time is money, a lead or client’s time is just as important. When you’re punctual and prepared, it goes a long way toward reinforcing your dedication to being the agent of their dreams; even respecting their home during a showing — treating the space and its contents as if they were yours for safekeeping — shows that you value their property as well.

Pro tip

You can acknowledge your clients’ anxieties — even if it includes a painful history with another agent — and make them feel respected when you become a better listener, learn to empathize and give them ownership in the process. Show them you heard what they just said by responding with, “As I understand you…” or “Okay, what I’m hearing is...” Appreciate them even if they’re wrong; thank them when they step up to the plate. As the professional, you’re there to guide them on the path to a successful, mutually beneficial sale, but asking for your client’s opinion and feedback along the way can make it a smoother path — one they might happily ask you to accompany them on more than once.

8. A lack of openness or empathy

Real estate is all about building and maintaining relationships; personality counts for everything and sometimes, for whatever reason, people simply don’t click. If being a “people person” doesn’t come naturally, it will take patience and practice to learn how to relate to people and make a genuine connection with them.

Pro tip

Yes, you’re the professional whom your clients are relying on, but they have something to teach you, too. Leave your ego at the door and try roleplaying client interactions so that you can understand how others see you and adjust your approach as needed.

Buyers and sellers want to know they’ll be taken care of during the very personal process of buying or selling a home. You can overcome much of their angst about real estate agents by listening to their fears and concerns, sharing your game plan for addressing them and following it up with outstanding customer service. Create a rapport with people early on and you not only improve the overall reputation of the real estate industry, but you can create authentic relationships that benefit you both for years to come.