Let me start off by saying that I’m generally not anti-agent and I was a REALTOR for a decade. However, I’ve been asked to write an article for a major newspaper.
The gist of the article is to list things that agents do or say that should cause a consumer to fire that agent and get a new one. I would think that if your agent told you that you didn’t need an inspection, you probably need a new agent.
Can you think of anything else? I’m drawing a blank. I have a 3-week deadline.
Not recommending all Offers should be taken to a lawyer before signing
Ill try to get the ball rolling with a few examples.
Agent ignores your phone calls and emails or simply doesn’t stay in contact. Seems to take forever to reply. Buying a house and spending your hard earned savings is very emotional. So be there for my silly questions when i ask them cause they’re not silly to me.
Agent has to many things going on to give the personal touch your looking for when spending a butt load of money. Agent is overloaded and seems impersonal. Or worst they have another job and only do this real estate thing part time.
You catch your agent in even the smallest of lies. If they’ll lie about something small they’ll lie about something big. Like oh it has a newer roof. (thats a big one)
If your agents own listings seem to far fetched and outrageously over exaggerated. Even if your not looking at one of your agents listings. I would rather deal with an agent that says this house is a POS and will take a bank full of money to make it livable, then to have one says oh it just needs a little TLC. Just be honest most people aren’t complete idiots.
If every house you look at the agent says " the sellers have another offer on the table you’ll need to act quickly." Its playing on your emotions and is nothing more then them trying to pressure you. So they get that big fat commission check. Yes you need to act quickly and run to another agent.
When every time you phone them and leave a message their assistant is the one to get back to you. They never seem to have the time to talk to you personally.
How about if your real estate agent only has one inspector that they recommend and tells you the other inspectors that your friends and relatives highly recommend to you are all no good…
Refers uncertified inspectors. It is part of their ethics Realtors seem to ignore.
Does not explain the real estate contract. Tells you only a few days before, you need to get an inspector.
Also the best way to check out an agent before hiring is to ask other agents about him or her. If they have no comment that is not good because an agent will get in trouble if they ever say anything bad about another agent (whether it is the truth or not). At least that is how it is in Missouri. All Realtors, who has been in business for awhile, know which Realtors are crooks. Some offices I know, have special policies to deal with other offices because they got tired of getting screwed over by the same real estate offices. Sad but true.
Excellent idea…I’ve been looking for an ancillary service that could supplement my income. With the leader of the largest inspector trade association writing an “article for a major newspaper” to denigrate, belittle and besmirch Realtors across the land then I’ve invented and will be selling the new, handy home inspector tool depicted below. It’s cheap at $9.95 ea and can be used to…you know…poke all those pesky Realtors and RE agents in the eye every time you run across one. I’ll have these ready to ship before Christmas and they make great stocking stuffers. Do you think it needs a little leather wrist strap?
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRmUxoxgzO3ZXkdSuDIeI8HcxQsbn5BPlVthyOSqE_jeCbW1jrl
Put me down for two Micheal, one for both eyes. 
Everyday he sickens me a little more…
Maybe Nick will say he is the founder of A$HI.
You probably need a new real estate agent if she has to reschedule an appointment to show your house because she had to work overtime at her full time job as a cashier at Wal-Mart.
We want to make it read like a bad agent/good agent chart.
How about agents who talk their clients out of getting an inspection on new construction using the argument that the house is new and so doesn’t need to be inspected? New homes need to be inspected just as much as existing homes do.
Broader is the salesman who explains to the client that the house is being sold “as is”…the seller will not fix anything or negotiate repairs…so an inspection isn’t necessary. This is what prompted my “7 Ways to Use a Home Inspection Report” since many see it only as a bargaining tool.
I just did an interview this morning with Bloomberg on that very matter Jim. They are doing a story on how the housing boom caused consumers to waive the inspection and now they wish they had got an inspection. I got the reporter to interview Will Decker too.
How about a Realtor that is representing both the buyer AND the seller… Happens a little too much.
Years ago when I was in the market, I had a Realtor show me a bunch of homes. He said “I really think this is the one for you”. I saw very quickly that it had almost nothing I wanted, and needed a remodel. (and he knew that) I learned later that this was at the end of its listing contract, and shortly afterwards it was re-listed with another Realtor. He was trying to unload it rather than sell it. He is not my favorite Realtor today 
Yeah, that’s an excellent one. You can’t wear two hats.
I will take a case since I would leave the sticks in their eyes.
If somebody does not step up and educate the consumer the difference between a good agent and bad agent, more consumers will just get screwed over. Sad but true.
How would you even warn a consumer effectively about this? Realtors are allowed to represent both parties.
Consumers need to do a little research of their own to determine what the fair market value of a parcel is; whether they are selling or purchasing. You might want to get a new agent when they want to list your property significantly under it’s value. Replace your agent if you ever get the feeling that they don’t want to show you a property that you are interested in. Replace them if you feel they are pushing you toward a property that you don’t really like. It is a shame that Home Inspectors are rarely consulted about Realtor performance.
Consumers have to sign agreements with agents so they can represent them “properly”. Signing these “arrangements” lock in the agent with the buyer for a length of time, and exclusively. It takes an act of the office broker or attorney to break these agreements. A subject for another thread.
Realize the real estate industry is for real estate agents. They will keep us from treading on their “turf” whenever possible. There are very good agents out there. Perhaps we should promote them on our web sites when they are encountered.