The Lies Real Estate Agents Tell Us: that we choose to believe

If you interact with human beings you are likely lied to. Sometimes it’s a politician, sometimes it’s a co-worker. Some lies are worse than others. But most lies have something in common, they tell us something we "want" to hear.  

Here is a list of brazen lies that some real estate agents tell buyers and sellers that we, the general public choose to believe. 

1. “I have non-public access to off-market deals.” While there can be the rare opportunity an agent is aware of (wholesale deals for example) there is no special access only a few are privy to. I realize we all wish there was some sort of secret access that we could be a part of, but it's not with real estate listings.  Sorry.

2. "I can kept your listing off market, a pocket listing, so that it does not accrue days on market."  Well, in WA state this practice is illegal. Period. End of discussion.

3.   “I had buyers send a letter to the seller and included a picture of my client's family and explained their situation…and seller was so warmed by it they accepted our offer.”  This behavior is considered unethical and HIGHLY discriminatory. Favoring a young family over a single woman (or anyone for that matter), for example, is a violation of HUD's anti-discrimination laws. Most agents refuse to partake and quite frankly, where it happens, it doesn’t do a whole lot. But it sure sounds good, doesn’t it!? And we believe it because we want to feel special, because we are special!  Right??   

4. "I market your home in unique and different ways and therefore, make a better agent than everyone else."  The term marketing is just a fancy way of explaining the form and manner in which a product or service is exposed to the market. These days, any would-be homebuyer can go to any number of websites and immediately ascertain what is available and at what price.  There are no secret buyers out there lurking in the shadows who can only be seduced by a hand-written letter, or enticed by a specific print ad. FACT: once you list a property on the MLS, it will quickly go to Zillow, Redfin, Trulia, and 1000s of other sites automatically. Still though, there are agents who claim this "ability" to be unique to themselves.  

5. "Marketing plays a huge role in selling a home."  Marketing has an effect, no question. Professionally-taken pictures, enticing verbiage and accurate listing data are all very important. But the extent to which it impacts a home’s selling price or time on market is nearly insignificant compared to the actual price of the home for the neighborhood.  But real estate agents will have you believe that their magic touch will make the difference. It won’t. Price will.

6. "I have superior negotiating skills."  Whenever someone says they are a great negotiator, they are quite the opposite. Great negotiators don’t let on that they are great, and very often you will not be able to notice they are negotiating until after the fact.  

7. "Your particular house is better than the rest" or "You deserve a higher price" or "You can sell for higher."  This ego-stroking ploy is often used when agents are trying to get a listing. They tell the sellers indirectly, “you and your house is special, unique, better than the rest. Therefore, because you are better, you can get more money.” Don’t be fooled by this snake-oil salesman tactic. As much as we want to tell ourselves we are statistically different and better than our neighbor, we really aren't.

8. "Your offer was one of many, but I was able to get it done!"  This is the biggest pile of doggie-doo-doo I’ve ever heard. Here’s an actual conversation I had with a nurse a few months ago: 

BUYER:  “I bought a home a few years ago with Agent X,” 

ME:  “I know him. He’s a decent human being,” 

BUYER:  “yeah he was able to get us a sweet deal” 

ME:  “really, how so?” 

BUYER:  “we made an offer on a property that received 3 other offers, but he was able to get it even though our offer wasn’t the highest” 

ME:  “I see. Do you know what the other offers were?” 

BUYER:  “no, we never saw the other offers, but our agent told us we were lower.” 

ME:  “So there’s no real proof or evidence of any offers. You trusted your agent was telling the truth.” 

BUYER:  “well of course, he was able to get us the home. He can’t lie about that stuff.”

See the mental gymnastics the buyer is performing?  Impressive.  

Ultimately, it’s all about choice. The choice is to believe or not.  Unfortunately, as human beings we want certain things to be true, and tend to believe things that are more positive than negative. We do not want to believe that 1 in 3 of us will get cancer, or that 45% of marriages fail. Instead, we want to believe that we are different and the rules don't apply to us.  This is a form of entitlement that will result in some horrible realizations at some point.  

Recognizing that you have a choice to believe someone will help you avoid the snake-oil readily found in this wonderful, exciting and ever-changing industry.