real estate agent Archives - Real Estate News and Commentary

April 14, 2025April 14, 2025

Is Your Agent Equipped?

Is your real estate agent equipped with the tools to conduct your transaction?

Is your agent equipped with the tools to conduct real estate?

Why Some Real Estate Agents Can’t Fully Help Their Clients

Is your agent equipped? The truth is, real estate tools like Sentrilock, MLS access, and other tech platforms and resources are not always included automatically. Agents have to opt in—and pay for them. Some choose to cut costs by skipping these subscriptions, but that choice often limits their effectiveness.

If your real estate agent doesn’t have all the tools, that means lost opportunities, delays, and a frustrating experience for clients who think their agent is fully equipped to conduct their transaction.

Does Your Real Estate Agent Have Full Access to Sentrilock?

One of the lesser-known realities in real estate is that not all agents have access to the tools they need to serve their clients effectively. A prime example? Many agents don’t subscribe to Sentrilock—the system used to access electronic lockboxes that are used to list and show properties.

This might sound like a minor detail, but it’s a big deal.

Without Sentrilock, an agent literally can’t get into many homes to show them to buyers. And for listings, electronic lockboxes have been shown to add a level of safety, preventing unscheduled or even unlicensed access to your home.

Is Your Real Estate Agent Truly Equipped to Handle Your Transaction?

When selecting a real estate agent, it’s essential to consider if they are fully equipped to handle your needs—whether you’re buying or selling. It’s not just about knowing the market; an agent should be armed with the right tools, up-to-date knowledge, and a deep understanding of local ordinances and laws.

A well-equipped agent has access to the latest technology, from MLS systems to lockbox tools like Sentrilock, to ensure they can access and show properties seamlessly. But tools are just part of the equation.

They also need to stay current on the latest contracts, legal requirements, and industry norms, which can change frequently. Real estate laws differ from state to state, and even city to city, so having an agent familiar with local regulations—like zoning laws, permits, and ordinances—can prevent costly mistakes.

An agent who is truly prepared knows how to navigate complex contingencies, manage timelines, and advise clients on the best course of action based on the latest market trends and legal requirements. They won’t just rely on outdated practices—they’ll ensure you’re getting the most accurate, relevant advice every step of the way.

Make sure your agent is fully equipped to handle all the moving parts of your transaction. It could make all the difference in securing the best deal and protecting your investment.

So when choosing an agent, it’s worth asking: Do they have all the tools needed to get the job done?

Title: Is Your Real Estate Agent Equipped to Handle Your Transaction?

Section 1: Essential Tools Every Real Estate Agent Should Have

MLS Access
- Listing updates
- Market analysis and comparables
Lockbox Access (e.g., Sentrilock)
- Easy access to show properties
- Streamlined transaction process
Digital Signing Tools
- Convenient contract execution
- Paperless process

Section 2: Up-to-Date Knowledge and Expertise

Current Contracts
- Familiarity with the latest forms
- Understanding new clauses and addendums
Local Ordinances and Laws
- Zoning laws
- Building permits and code requirements
Market Trends
- Knowledge of current interest rates
- Understanding local market fluctuations

Section 3: Local Familiarity

Neighborhood Insights
- Knowledge of local amenities and schools
- Insights into neighborhood value trends
Local Norms
- Understanding local buyer/seller expectations
- Familiarity with local closing practices

Section 4: Key Negotiation Skills

Buyer’s Needs
- Identifying and securing the right home
- Negotiating contingencies and price
Seller’s Needs
- Pricing strategy and market positioning
- Handling offers and counteroffers

Section 5: Protecting Your Investment

Legal Guidance
- Ensuring compliance with local and state laws
- Risk mitigation (e.g., contingencies, disclosures)
Efficient Timelines
- Handling deadlines and ensuring smooth closings

Conclusion: Make Sure Your Agent Is Fully Equipped!

Do They Have All the Tools?
- Are they up-to-date on current contracts and laws?
- Are they familiar with local norms and ordinances?
- Do they have the right technology to support your needs?

(FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions About Real Estate Agents

Q1: What are the fundamental technological tools and access that a competent real estate agent should possess? A competent real estate agent should have reliable access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for up-to-date listing information and market analysis, including the ability to pull comparables. They also need lockbox access, such as SentriLock, to efficiently show properties. Furthermore, proficiency with digital signing tools is essential for convenient and paperless contract execution.

Q2: Why is it crucial for a real estate agent to have current knowledge of contracts, local ordinances, and market trends? Familiarity with the latest real estate contracts, including new clauses and addendums, is vital for ensuring transactions are legally sound. Agents must also understand local zoning laws, building permit requirements, and other relevant ordinances to guide clients effectively. Staying informed about current interest rates and local market fluctuations enables agents to provide informed advice on pricing and negotiation strategies.

Q3: How does an agent’s local familiarity benefit a buyer or seller in a real estate transaction? An agent with strong local familiarity can provide valuable neighborhood insights, including information about local amenities, schools, and neighborhood value trends. They also understand local buyer and seller expectations and are familiar with local closing practices, which can contribute to a smoother and more successful transaction.

Q4: What key negotiation skills should a real estate agent possess when representing a buyer? When representing a buyer, an agent should be skilled at identifying and understanding the buyer’s needs and then finding suitable properties. Crucially, they must be adept at negotiating price and various contingencies (like inspection or financing) to protect the buyer’s interests and secure the right home under favorable terms.

Q5: What key negotiation skills should a real estate agent possess when representing a seller? For sellers, an agent needs strong skills in developing a sound pricing strategy and effectively positioning the property in the market. They must also be capable of skillfully handling offers and counteroffers to achieve the seller’s goals and secure the best possible price and terms.

Q6: How does a real estate agent protect a client’s investment throughout the transaction process? A knowledgeable agent protects their client’s investment by ensuring compliance with all relevant local and state laws. They also play a crucial role in risk mitigation by incorporating appropriate contingencies into contracts and ensuring necessary disclosures are made. Their understanding of legal guidance helps prevent potential issues down the line.

Q7: What role does an efficient agent play in managing timelines during a real estate transaction? An efficient real estate agent is responsible for diligently managing deadlines associated with various stages of the transaction, from initial offers to inspections, appraisals, and ultimately the closing. Their proactive approach helps ensure a smooth and timely closing process, minimizing potential delays and complications.

Q8: Beyond basic licensing, what are the overarching indicators that a real estate agent is truly well-equipped to handle a transaction effectively? A truly well-equipped agent demonstrates a combination of factors beyond basic licensing. This includes having access to and utilizing essential technological tools, possessing up-to-date knowledge of contracts and laws, demonstrating strong familiarity with the local market and norms, exhibiting proficient negotiation skills tailored to their client’s needs, and proactively working to protect their client’s investment through legal awareness and efficient timeline management.

What’s your home worth?

By Dan Krell
Copyright © 2025

Disclaimer. This article is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. Readers should not rely solely on the information contained herein, as it does not purport to be comprehensive or render specific advice. Readers should consult with an attorney regarding local real estate laws and customs as they vary by state and jurisdiction. Using this article without permission is a violation of copyright laws.

July 16, 2022July 16, 2022

Back to the future for residential real estate

If you consider the roots of brokerage in residential real estate, you can imagine how much the business of selling homes has changed. Unlike today, the first real estate brokers were independent. Their “listings” were exclusive and proprietary. Buyer agents didn’t exist until well over one hundred years later. And at the beginning, there was no broker cooperation on listings and commissions.

Of course, everything changes over time. Brokerage cooperation began with loose networks of brokers who agreed to help sell each other’s listings. Early multiple listing services evolved out of those local networks. And as the real estate industry adopted emerging technologies, the MLS concept evolved into the listing service we know today.

The MLS framework promoted the evolution of real estate brokerage as well. Centralizing and standardizing listed homes made home searching easier for brokers and their respective buyers.

Brokerage cooperation allowed agents and brokers to sell others’ listings to buyers. Up until the early 1990’s, all agents and brokers represented the home seller. However, it’s likely technology and a robust MLS fostered buyer agency and dual agency.

It seems as if it wasn’t until the advent of buyer agency when people began questioning agency and compensation. Prior to buyer agency, the commission was negotiated between the listing broker and the home seller. Selling agents (those who brought the buyer) were a subagent of the seller, so it made sense that the commission would be shared with subagents.

The commission structure of today’s listing agreements seems to be an antiquated carryover, where commissions are “shared” with sub agents and exclusive buyer agents.

As an aside, it’s common, if not required, for a buyer agent to disclose to their clients their compensation amount. If the coop commission is less, they will likely collect it from their client.

Currently, real estate agent and broker compensation is undergoing a meticulous and exacting scrutiny inside and outside of the industry. During the last two decades, there have been legal challenges to the industry’s status quo on residential agent and broker compensation. However, recent legal proceedings have gained traction such that a growing number of real estate brokers are embracing a possible future with “decoupled” commission.

When change is afoot in the housing industry, there is a lot at stake for real estate brokerages. Although the outcome to the current challenges of real estate compensation is uncertain, the result may be that residential real estate brokerage comes full circle, where buyer and seller compensation are respectively exclusive.

By Dan Krell
Copyright © 2022

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November 28, 2020December 13, 2022

Real Estate Agent Personality

Many home buyers and sellers don’t give much thought in choosing their real estate agent. They may decide to work with an agent after meeting once or a phone call. But having the right agent by your side can mean the difference in having an event-free home buying or selling experience, or one that is full of pitfalls and non-communication. Besides professional expertise and experience, is there a real estate agent personality trait that gives you an advantage?

Lee Davenport conducted a groundbreaking study comparing real estate agent personality differences (Home Sales Success and Personality Types: Is There a Connection?; Journal of Real Estate Practice and Education; 2018; Vol 21, No 1; p29-57.) The study investigated the question whether there is a connection between successful real estate agents and their personality type. Success was measured through lead generation (e.g., meeting new clients). Although you might think there is a personality that is better suited for real estate, the study concluded that there wasn’t one specific personality type that correlated to real estate success. However, he suggested that there should be further research to understand why there is no difference in the success among real estate personality types.

Back in 2014, Graham Wood wrote an article for NAR that also questioned if there was a perfect agent personality (Are You Sure Your Agents Have the Right Personality for the Job? nar.realtor; April 11, 2014). Although the article was not a study published in a peer reviewed journal like Lee Davenport’s, it does provide food for thought and an obvious conclusion.

Wood, like Davenport, questioned which personality dimension on the DISC test was better suited for real estate. After testing himself, Wood believed his personality traits were not suited for a people-skills intensive field (such as real estate sales). However, after interviewing several brokers, he learned that there is place in real estate for pretty much any personality type. The DISC (discprofile.com) is a behavioral assessment tool that helps people be more self-aware, and increase productivity.

What should you look for when choosing your agent? First, make sure they are licensed in the area you intend to buy and/or sell. I can tell you that there are agents who try to do business over state lines where they are not licensed. It happens more than you think.

Second, what’s their experience and expertise? In today’s market, most agents don’t confine themselves to specific neighborhoods. The idea of “neighborhood specialists” is antiquated. Information is abundant to agents and consumers, and can easily be applied to any neighborhood. You can learn more about an agent by how they handle adversity. Instead of asking about how many sales they have or neighborhood experience, ask about specific transactions where they overcame obstacles.

Other considerations include getting a referral from a friend or relative. But referrals should be vetted. Just because your friend had a good experience with their agent, doesn’t guarantee success for you. Sometimes agents and clients connect and work well together, and sometimes they don’t. Just in case, make sure you can walk away from your agent by ensuring your buyer or listing agreement provides for termination without a penalty.

Also, it doesn’t hurt asking the agent for a couple of references from recent clients. You can get insight into the agent’s business by calling the references and asking about their experience with the agent.

By Dan Krell
Copyright © 2020

Original located at https://dankrell.com/blog/2020/11/28/real-estate-agent-personality/

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November 23, 2019November 23, 2019

Real Estate Transparency

Ten years ago, I reported on the growing demand of transparency in real estate. As you can imagine, mistrust of real estate agents was at an all-time high after the housing market crash. At that time, home buyers and sellers felt betrayed by an industry that was perceived as keeping their cards close to their chest. However, times were changing and consumers demanded real estate transparency, especially from their agents. Home buyers and sellers not only want their agents to act in good faith, but also want more information and communication during the transaction.

Since then, the National Association of Realtors (nar.realtor) has been trying to mend their reputation. The 2015 DANGER Report was intended to identify issues affecting the industry as well as provide a roadmap to the future. One of the major issues identified was agent competency and ethics. However, it was obvious that ethical Realtor behavior didn’t guarantee competency. And vice-versa. The upshot of the Report was that many of the identified concerns were already known. Ironically, the identified issues and answers only prompted more questions. It was not known if and how the industry would provide real estate transparency.

Fast forward to 2019, when the real estate industry is at a crossroads. Earlier this year a class-action law suit was filed that challenges how agent commissions are paid. Also, earlier this year, the Consumer Federation of America (consumerfed.org) published the first in a series of reports focused on “the lack of real estate agent transparency on representation, compensation, and service.” The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is described as an association of non-profit consumer organizations that was established in 1968 to advance the consumer interest through research, advocacy, and education.

The class-action suit filed in March, if successful, has the potential to force a major change to the industry. Besides having the potential to change how agents are paid, it may force increased real estate transparency in agent compensation. Nevertheless, similar past challenges to the NAR and the real estate industry resulted in minimal (if any) change to how business is conducted.

Serendipitously (or not), Stephen Brobeck’s most recent CFA series report, “Hidden Real Estate Commissions: Consumer Costs and Improved Transparency”was published this month (consumerfed.org). The report confirms consumers’ “lack of understanding” of commissions. It also points out how “concealment of commissions” does harm to consumers. The report indicated that 70 percent of the agents surveyed charge six-percent commission. Commissions are mostly uniform, more so for buyer agent commissions. The report also indicates that there was a general rationale that buyer agents would not show property if the buyer agent compensation was below the average for the area. Of the agents surveyed, 73 percent indicated they won’t negotiate their commission. It also calls attention to administrative fees of several hundred dollars, which is typically charged in addition to commission.

The report concludes that the real estate industry must change its attitude about agent compensation, or risk eroding consumer trust. Home buyers and sellers are savvy, and are increasingly sensitive to the role that commissions play in housing costs. Home seller costs could be reduced if consumers compare commission rates and ask if they are negotiable. Home buyers can also be helped if they are aware how their agent is paid, as well as knowing the offered buyer agent compensation on homes listed in the MLS.

Original article is published at https://dankrell.com/blog/2019/11/23/real-estate-transparency/

By Dan Krell
Copyright© 2019

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April 15, 2019July 22, 2019

Over-aggressive agent harassment

Something has happened in the last few years where unsolicited phone calls and text messages have hit critical mass. It’s bad enough that unscrupulous individuals take advantage of technologies, such as phone number spoofing, to scam consumers. But it’s not a good sign for an industry when “professionals” abuse technology without regard to the law. You’re not alone if you’re feeling harassed by over-aggressive real estate agents who place multiple unsolicited calls and texts daily. There is a way to stop the over-aggressive agent calling and texting harassment.

When over-aggressive real estate agents abuse technology

Like other industries, technology has been integral in evolving the business of real estate in the last twenty years. As a result of proper application, consumers are empowered. However, some technologies are abused by real estate agents. The combination of aggressive sales tactics and technology can sometimes go over the line and become harassment. Recent lawsuits highlight alleged abuse of technology by real estate agents.

A recent class action lawsuit filed in California is taking on real estate agents who “cold call.” Realtor Magazine (Cold Calling in Real Estate Under Fire in New Lawsuit; magazine.realtor; April 8, 2019) reported that the suit originated from a request for the defendant brokerage to stop directing their agents to make unsolicited calls. The suit alleges that calling without consent violates the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and unsolicited auto-dialer calls violate the Federal Trade Commission’s National Do Not Call Registry.

The plaintiff alleges that he received unsolicited calls from multiple agents affiliated with the same brokerage to his cell phone, which is listed with the National Do Not Call Registry. The calls solicited to re-list his home after it did not sell. Although it’s sometimes easy to find a phone number (typically a land line) associated with a property, the plaintiff said his cell phone was not associated with the property listing in any way.

Two other lawsuits filed earlier this month in Florida focus on unsolicited texting. In one, the plaintiff alleges they received thousands of unsolicited text messages, violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, advertising homes for sale. The other alleges the use unsolicited texting to find potential home sellers.

Haru Coryne, for the Real Deal, reported that the suits are really about the abuse of auto-dialer technology that transmits “thousands” of text messages from a spoofed local number (Unsubscribe! Resi brokerages sued over text message spam; therealdeal.com; April 4, 2019). The founder of a popular real estate technology platform acknowledged to Coryne that real estate agents who use these technologies without knowing the law can get into trouble. He further stated, “A typical real estate agent will have five, six, seven programs, probably never took the time to see what the law is. [But] Just because they offer it doesn’t mean you can abuse it. It’s like eating candy and wondering why you’re getting fat. You can’t take technology and abuse it and wonder why you’re getting sued.”

There are many platforms selling these services to real estate agents. New technologies mine data (including emails and phone numbers) and “communicate” with consumers (including internet auto-dialers). There are several popular services that sell contact information (including cell phone and email) for expired listings and Sale by Owner. The data can be used in conjunction with text/email broadcasting, phone number spoofing, and auto-dialers. Many consumers feel harassed by the over-aggressive agent because they are bombarded with auto-dialers, texts, and emails, after opting-out or asking the agent to stop.

Stopping the over-aggressive agent

If you want to stop unsolicited calls and texts from the over-aggressive agent, simply opt-out. If they continue, contact the agent. Contacting the agent should put an end to the unsolicited communication. However, you may have to call the agent’s broker. If, in the slight chance, you continue to be bombarded with unsolicited communication after opting out and contacting the agent’s broker, you may have to consult an attorney.

This can be a watershed moment for the industry to educate consumers about professional Realtors and reign in the “bad actors.” The National Association of Realtors (nar.realtor) and local Realtor associations advocate for the responsible use of technologies and cold calling. With regard to telemarketing, the NAR states, “There’s no fine line or gray area: There are laws you must not break. But you still have a lot of flexibility on the right side of the law.”

By Dan Krell
Copyright © 2019.

Original located at https://dankrell.com/blog/2019/04/15/over-aggressive-agent-harassment/

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