Don't Be 'That Creepy Real Estate Agent' | The Rental Standard

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There are lots of stereotypes real estate agents can be categorized under, but creepy is one you don?t to be associated with. When does an agent stop being friendly and helpful and start being, well, weird and annoying? You might mean well, but coming on too strong might just scare renters away (okay, I?m starting to sound like a relationship columnist here).

If you find yourself edging into the ?creepy? zone, take a step back and remind yourself about the best practices in real estate and focus on what?s right for the renter ? not just closing the lease.

Being pushy. Finding a new place to live involves making some big decisions. Make your clients aware that they need to act fast in current landlord?s market, but don?t pressure them or make them feel obligated to sign a lease. If they don?t feel comfortable working with you, they?re more likely to go to another agent. Be responsive, educate your clients on the market, and show them listings they might like, but don?t be pushy.

Calling too much. Don?t end up as a ?do not pick up? contact! It?s fine to follow up on prospective leads and past clients, but it?s the 21^st century and you do have other options. Try e-mail reminders or mailing flyers to switch it up and keep your phone calls to a minimum.

Intruding on personal space. Attending a showing with a client might involve spending time with them alone on a property. Be courteous, give them their personal space, and be careful not to box them into a corner or breathe down their necks. Similar to how you need to watch out for your own safety at a showing, renters are doing the same.

Showing renters a far-from-ideal apartment. Yeah, we?ve all had that listing that we?d like to get off the market because it?s been sitting there a tad too long. Unfortunately, pushing units on a prospective renter that clearly don?t fit what they?re looking for won?t solve your problem. Maximize your time ? and theirs ? by stopping this bait-and-switch tactic and focusing on listings your clients would be more likely to rent.

Revealing stalker tendencies. This goes both ways. In the age of social media, it?s not hard to find and share information about yourselves. It?s smart to do research about a client or look up a potential renter to do an advance background check, but letting on that you know too much (via Googling or Facebook stalking) will instantly label you as creepy.

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