5 of the Biggest Real Estate Agent Faux Pas (and How to Avoid Them)

Lack of Preparation

There’s a pervasive idea amongst the anti-agent crowd that real estate agents don’t actually do much. That houses more or less sell themselves.

Agents who show up unprepared to listing presentations, open houses and walk-throughs do nothing to fight that perception.

Not doing your homework is one of the worst (and most common!) faux pas a real estate agent can make. 

How to avoid it:

Even if you just sold a nearly identical house next door, never rest on your laurels when it comes to the homework you do for your clients. 

Make it your mission to wow each and every client with just how prepared you are. Statistics, comparables, ideas, strategies, plan Bs … put in the extra time to do the extra legwork. 

Not only will your clients feel confident in your ability to help them sell (or buy), but they’ll also feel like you are worth every dollar of commission you’re paid.

Poor Communication

A real estate agent acts as a leader and guide for their clients. You’re holding their hand throughout the process, making decisions, sharing information and giving advice.

Poor communication can be the undoing of that relationship. It’s a real estate agent faux pas that can stunt the growth of your business.

What does poor communication with real estate clients look like? Sharing information ineffectively, inadequately, infrequently and/or unprofessionally —  anything that leaves a client feeling confused, in the dark or with a bad taste in their mouth. 

How to avoid it:

There are two things real estate agents need to do in order to be good communicators:

• Have the skills

The “seven Cs of Communication” can be a handy way of understanding what makes for

effective communication. The seven Cs dictate that communication should be:

• Clear (the purpose of your message should be obvious)
• Concise (avoid cluttering your message with extras and filler)
• Concrete (your messaging should be focused)
• Correct (communication needs to be accurate and free of mistakes)
• Coherent (what you’re saying should be logical and easily understood)
• Complete (your audience shouldn’t be missing information)
• Courteous (the way in which you communicate should be polite, friendly and professional)
• Set expectations with clients

Even with skills in place, mismanaged expectations can lead to unhappy clients. At the start of your relationship, let clients know when (timing and frequency) and how (by phone, text, email, or a combination) they can expect to hear from you. Make sure you’re on the same page. 

Breach of Ethics

There are blatant breaches of ethics (advertising another agent’s listing as your own, for example) and sneaky breaches, the ones that agents sometimes try to get away with.

While the former are the kind committed only by the truly bad egg realtors, the latter are a slippery slope. They’re a real estate agent faux pas that agents need to be aware of and actively avoid. 

Here are some examples of those kinds of breaches:

• Listing a property at a low price to generate a bidding war, with no intention of accepting the list price (this is unfair advertising)
• Lying to prospective buyers about offers in order to increase offer figures or revealing the details of offers to prospective buyers
• Representing the buyer and the seller without getting written consent from all parties
• Pressuring clients to work with a preferred mortgage broker
• Pressuring clients to sign a longer-than-required representation agreement

How to avoid it:

Easy. Operate by the following principles:

• Know the rules and play by them
• If something feels sleazy or sneaky, it probably is 
• If you’re wondering whether you can get away with something, you probably shouldn’t be doing it in the first place
• Lying should never be a strategy

Lack of Empathy

Unless you’re working as an investment property real estate agent, real estate is usually pretty personal for your clients.

They’re looking for a place to call home or parting ways with a place that once was home. That usually comes with a lot of emotions, both positive and difficult. 

Your job is to help close the deal. But if you do it without empathy for what your client may be feeling, you’re not necessarily doing your job well.

A lack of empathy can even prevent a deal from happening, or at least prevent it from happening smoothly. Clients who don’t feel heard, cared for or understood may be less willing to or feel less confident in making or accepting an offer. 

How to avoid it:

Remember that real estate is a people business — emotional intelligence can be just as important as market knowledge and track record.

Check in with clients. Take the time to ask them how they’re doing and what they’re feeling. If they’re emotional, slow down and hit pause on business talk. 

Poor Negotiation Skills

The best real estate agents are part therapist (see above) and part butt-kicking negotiators. 

Your ability to represent your client’s wishes and get them as close to what they want as possible is what seals your reputation as a go-to agent.

Not every agent is a good negotiator, though. All the preparation, communication, expertise and empathy in the world won’t add up to solid negotiation skills. 

It’s a big real estate faux pas and red flag. If clients can’t trust you to get the deal done well, why are they with you at all?

How to avoid it:

Practice makes perfect. And it’s not just about the experience that comes with time in the industry. It’s about putting in the work to become an effective, strategic negotiator.

Search out resources and training to help you understand the theories of negotiation and develop your skills. 

There are online classes about negotiation theory (such as this one from MasterClass and this one from Harvard Business School) and a plethora of books — Never Split the Difference, Negotiation Genius and Getting to Yes, for starters.