Ask Phyllis: a blog series of frequently asked real estate questions.
Dear Phyllis,
Over the past two days, I watched a steady stream of visitors arrive at my neighbor’s house. Based on their clipboards, briefcases, or personalized license plates, I’m sure they were all Realtors.
Sure enough, a “For Sale” sign appeared several weeks later. Interestingly, the sign did not belong to a local agent—it came from someone outside the area. When I asked my neighbor about it, she explained that she had interviewed numerous Realtors. Ultimately, she chose a San Diego agent who was representing her in the purchase of her new home. She admitted that her agent had offered to reduce the commission, but she was unsure about pricing or what needed to be done to prepare the home for sale. So, she gathered several ideas from the local agents that she had never really intended to hire. Is this a common practice?
Sincerely, Curious on the Block
Dear Curious,
The real red flag is hiring an out-of-area agent just to save on commission. This out-of-area agent lacks deep knowledge of the neighborhood and the local Realtors. As a result, the seller risks much more. The home could be priced wrong, marketed poorly, or miss the right buyers entirely.
To answer your question — yes, this is, unfortunately, a tactic some sellers use. Many interview several agents, which is smart and expected. During these meetings, agents share their marketing plans, pricing advice, suggested improvements, and local insight — all in hopes of winning the listing. In this case, your neighbor was leveraging the time, experience, and intellectual property of professionals without any intention of fairly compensating them. In other words, that’s not just opportunistic — it’s also disrespectful to the people who take their work seriously and provide real value up front.
Ultimately, choosing a Realtor should be based on trust, expertise, and alignment. Otherwise, it’s not just bad form — it can have real consequences for the seller.
