October is New Agent Month at Inman. Follow along as we go deeper on the tools, tech and tips you’ll need to survive and thrive in 2024. For curated content crafted just for first-year agents, be sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Basics.
We’ve all been there. Being a new agent can be dynamic and exciting and seem like the world is full of possibilities. Newbies have unfettered optimism as they have yet to experience all the things that seasoned agents have.
From getting ghosted, rejected, working with a buyer who intended to use another agent all along, having deals fall through or blow up at the last minute, the laundry list of inspection issues, handling a property that doesn’t appraise, a buyer getting cold feet, and expecting the unexpected — well, that’s par for the course.
A new agent, however, doesn’t know what they don’t know or what they may experience, including things they may not realize that experienced agents find frustrating. I should qualify ‘experienced agents’ to mean those who have a full-time focus on their business, including ongoing education, training, coaching and best practices, along with staying on top of the latest trends and practice changes. Here are 10 things that new agents do that annoy experienced agents.
1. Poor communication
Whether it is sending a text and failing to identify themselves on the message, such as “Can I show 123 Street today at 2 p.m.?” or using text to negotiate an offer when a phone call to discuss any potential issues is more appropriate and then memorializing all in writing on the proper forms, in an email, etc., experienced agents find these kinds of communications (or lack thereof) frustrating to deal with.
In addition, not calling or texting a listing agent to advise when an offer is being sent, or following up to ensure it was sent or checking on the status of it can be troublesome. Of course, a conversation with the listing agent before writing an offer is always appreciated and can be helpful. But in this day in age, agent-to-agent conversations are rare, even with the practice changes.
2. Lack of training
Agents can never learn enough, and they can never stop learning whether new or seasoned. However, new agents who lack proper training or don’t take the time to learn contracts, forms, timelines and how to properly manage a transaction can create a tremendous amount of stress for experienced agents who have made this a priority. They don’t attend their office meetings or company or association education sessions, keeps them often out of the loop.
This causes the experienced agent to continually create extra loops to communicate with the new agent, to overcompensate for them and to micromanage the transaction. They may have to get the agent’s broker involved if there is a blatant misunderstanding of the way things need to be done or an understanding of the terms of the contract and timelines for contingencies which puts everyone in a precarious professional position.
3. Lack of awareness
While it is ok to be new, that does not excuse ignorance. A new agent should be asking questions of their mentor or knowledgeable, experienced agents whom they admire, as well as their manager and their broker’s head of training/education (if there is one) on processes, procedures, protocols, best practices for interacting with the consumer and other agents on everything from consultations, showing properties, hosting an open house, negotiating a transaction, etc. If they aren’t sure what they should be aware of, they need to find out.
4. Etiquette issues
Real estate has its own set of etiquette which involves everything from how you communicate and interact with other agents and consumers as well as showing homes, providing feedback, communicating and confirming receipt of an offer and how you communicate and interact during a transaction.
Failure to carefully read showing instructions, not leaving a property as you found it after a showing, not double checking to ensure you have locked the door and secured any other doors needed when leaving, forgetting to turn off lights or leaving exterior lights on if they should not be, accidentally locking a seller out of the house and lastly, not returning a key securely to the property’s lockbox are all things that even experienced agents forget to do, but new agents need to take special note when showing homes on all of these details.
It is important to demonstrate respect for the property whether occupied or vacant and communicate that expectation to buyers such as not dragging outside dirt into the home from shoes, allowing buyers to make themselves at home on the furniture, managing any children that are there for showings, do not use bathrooms, turn on water and the list goes on.
These seem like obvious things, but as seasoned listing agents know, these mishaps can be quite common, upset sellers and listing agents alike along with making an industry already under fire look that much careless and unprofessional.
5. Showing feedback
As to whether to provide feedback has long been a divisive issue as some agents feel they should not show the buyer’s hand as to what they think about a property whereas other agents feel it is a professional courtesy to share with the listing agent. No matter what side of the debate you fall on, there should be no debate as to the courtesy owed to the listing agent with some sort of response regarding the showing. Failure to respond to repeated requests, calls, texts and feedback forms is not ok and shows ignorance and indifference.
Someone took the time to get the property ready for a showing whether that was a homeowner, tenant or an agent, and in some cases, the agent was present for the showing. To not provide any sort of response is unacceptable. Even if the buyer didn’t like it, that is OK to relay to an agent, just be able to share insight as to why.
Some buyers have no opinion or remain undecided, again, the agent should relay that and share their professional view of the property. Every showing is a learning experience into the insights of the consumer who we are perpetually trying to figure out in this industry. We know that not every property for sale in a buyer’s price range is fit for a variety of reasons, but we need some information to relay to the seller.
6. Vetting buyers
While vetting a buyer is a learned skill and not every buyer you work with is going to buy, new agents have to learn to discern a prospect or “suspect” vs. a true buyer. Today’s practice changes and required buyer representation agreements help suss out the less serious vs. the serious, but it can be frustrating when a property clearly needs updating and it is mentioned in the MLS remarks as such, and the new agent’s feedback on the property after showing it was, “It was too much work for the buyer.” New agents need to learn how to properly vet and screen properties before setting up showings to ensure the property is a potential fit.
This may mean driving by them and getting familiar with the neighborhoods to anticipate any potential questions and concerns that may arise, and understanding where amenities, stores, coffee shops, commuter trains, bus stops, etc., may be in proximity to the property. It may also mean previewing properties prior to showing, reviewing any disclosures that have been posted with the listing, etc.
It is also important to ensure that the buyer’s financing is a match for the property. For example, if a property is being sold “as is” and a buyer qualifies for FHA or VA financing, the seller will be required to address any wood-destroying organisms found such as termites, along with wood rot repair.
This may be an issue on an “as is” sale and could cause the deal to blow apart. Same with taking a first-time buyer to a fixer-upper that needs not just cosmetics, but a new roof, plumbing, etc., and while the buyer may be “handy” they likely aren’t able to replace a roof or do other structural fixes, not to mention other complications like trying to obtain insurance, etc. Their expectations and reality are not going to match.
7. Admit when you don’t know
Heads up newbies, it is ok to admit that you don’t know something. Don’t act like you do, because it will quickly become evident that you don’t, and it could have adverse effects on the entire transaction for both the buyer and the seller. Better to ask the question vs to assume or give incorrect advice or guidance to a buyer or seller that could jeopardize the transaction and result in a costly mistake that could lead to major problems down the road or a lawsuit.
8. Not managing expectations
A key part to the real estate experience is expectation management. If the consumer is not properly educated on the market for whatever they are trying to do in the beginning, problems can arise, and a turbulent process and outcome could result from that.
This can be difficult for any agent, let alone a new one, which is why it is critically important they team up to work with a professional agent in their office to help set a client up for a successful and realistic experience from the beginning. A new agent who is eager to please may act like nothing is an issue and overpromise and underdeliver, which can create a contagion of issues during a transaction that rolls over to the other party and their agent as well.
9. Carelessness
New agents may get sloppy with transaction documents by not including all required disclosures, addendums, condo and/or homeowners association documents, as well as not checking that all documents are properly signed, initialed, etc. They may not send a complete set of needed documents to the other agent and what is provided is incomplete or lacking information. This results in a lot of extra work correcting, clarifying or even redoing required documentation as part of a transaction.
10. Not owning it
If you are working with a buyer or seller, you need to embrace the property search or the listing and learn all that you can about the areas, price ranges, amenities, nuances, positives, negatives about the various areas, where key things are located that the buyer cares about in relation to the communities they are looking at whether that be parks, shopping, schools, dining, proximity to the airport, recreation and the list goes on.
If you are a new agent taking a listing, make sure you know all there is and then some about the property and neighborhood that the property is located in. You should be able to answer basic information about how much homeowners or condo association fees are, how you get to the community pool from the house, or how far a drive to the beach is. How many homes are in the neighborhood or of this model? What are the average utility bills?
Yes, this involves research, legwork, doing a deep dive with the owner, perhaps talking to the neighbors, or the homeowner’s association (if there is one) to learn more. Drive the streets and learn about the community inside and out. How much turnover is in the neighborhood each year, who is the buyer audience for the property?
Make a list of at least ten questions you would want to know if you were a buyer and make sure you gather information to have answers or at least point buyer’s agents and buyers in the right direction. Can you track down a floor plan or create one, gather a survey, etc.? There is an abundance of so much information available today online, know where to go to help you sleuth effectively to help fake it to you make it.
Being a newbie is kind of like going through a self-initiated pledge period. If you went to college and were ever involved in Greek life, you know what I mean. There were just certain things you were required to do or go through as part of doing your time as a pledge in a fraternity or sorority, and in real estate, certain “milestones” are inevitable, because dealing with people is anything but an exact science.
While no agent is perfect, we should all continually strive for excellence, no matter where we are in our journey as an agent from brand new to very experienced to somewhere in between. In some ways, all of us are “new” given the practice changes and different ways of doing business. Bad habits, laziness, complacency or simply being burnt out can lead to slacking, but it takes all of us who are committed to this business to be at our best in every interaction with the consumer, each other and those who touch the real estate industry from lenders, appraisers, inspectors and other vendors.
New agents should continually remind themselves to be aware, never stop learning, stay curious, ask questions, be respectful and find mentors to emulate, learn from and professionally evolve. They need to audit and take stock — like any agent — what are their strengths, where are they weak, what should they work on and what more can they learn? Because, just when you think you have it all figured out, the goalpost will keep moving on you. That’s real estate.
Cara Ameer is a bi-coastal agent licensed in California and Florida with Coldwell Banker. You can follow her on Facebook or on X, formerly known as Twitter.
