Buying or renting a new property is a very stressful process. Hiring a real estate agent to help through the entire transaction is one way to offset that stress. In this case, you should find an agent you trust and can make that ever-important personal and professional connection.  Sellers and buyers often enter the market with Myths about real estate agents in Bahrain; how they work, how the process works, and what the agency relationship is all about. Here are some misconceptions about working with real estate agents in Bahrain and why they are completely false.

You can save money by not hiring a real estate agent

You can save money by not hiring a real estate agent - Real Estate Agents in Bahrain

It seems like you’d save a lot of money by not hiring an agent to help buy or sell your home when looking at commission costs. This may seem true, but there are a lot of ways that hiring an agent can actually save you time and money. The agent makes sure that your house is priced appropriately. Without access to extensive data and knowledge from your agent, you could list your house way under or way over the true value, which would waste a lot of time and money. Agents also help make sure that all of your paperwork is filled out properly. Even better, they can help you avoid and get out of bad deals. Without an agent, you could end up in a less-than-favorable situation and not even realize it.

All real estate agents in Bahrain are the same

All real estate agents in Bahrain are the same

When you’re looking for an agent, don’t just pick the first one you find on the internet. Real estate agents in Bahrain all have the same rules to follow, but they all have their own styles of getting the job done. It can be hard to tell an outgoing and ambitious agent from a lazy one based on their pictures or general info. Take your time to meet with a few different agents to see if you connect well and can see yourself working well with them. A good agent will make you their priority and will work hard to make you happy, so it’s very important to find someone you can trust. Some agents aren’t forthright and might be more interested in making a sale. Many others care more about building a long-term relationship with you because their business is based on referrals.

The agent with signs all over the country is the one I should hire

The agent with signs all over the country is the one I should hire

It is possible that this agent might have such a powerful marketing presence and customer base that he or she can deliver the results you want. But maybe his signs are all over town because he gained listings by offering inflated listing prices and now cannot sell any of them. You also could risk being just one of many clients who get lost in that agent’s client base, whereas by listing with a new agent, they would devote their entire time to selling your home and delivering superb service to you because you are their only listing.

Real estate agents earn big salaries and make easy money

Real estate agents earn big salaries and make easy money - Real Estate Agents in Bahrain

A number of obscure brokerage firms offer small salaries paired with reduced commissions or bonuses. But the vast majority of real estate agents in Bahrain work strictly on commission. The commission is only paid after a transaction settles, so a fairly large percentage of transactions fall apart because of inspection issues, mortgage qualification or appraisal problems, attorney disapproval or buyer/seller remorse. It is not unusual for the real estate agent to have spent hundreds of hours on that sale only to have the entire transaction blow up, in which case they do not receive a cent for their time and expense expended.

Agents will say anything to make the deal

Agents will say anything to make the deal

Although it is true that some agents will lie to you, it’s unfair to paint all agents with such a broad brush. Top producing agents, who enjoy a solid reputation in the community and practice real estate honestly and truthfully, are very careful to uphold a client’s trust. Making misrepresentations or false statements is against the Bahraini law. Agents who break fiduciary relationships or fail to disclose material facts are subject to prosecution and a loss of their license to sell real estate.

Real estate agents are always late for their appointments

Real estate agents are always late for their appointments

There is no excuse for habitual tardiness among professionals. Every person deserves respect, and respect is earned by providing what is promised, and being on time. If your agent has a self-deluded impression of their own importance, find another. Clients who listen to agents’ excuses allow tardiness to happen. Don’t let a few bad apples give the entire industry a perception it doesn’t deserve.

The agent’s car and phone expenses are all paid-for

The agent’s car and phone expenses are all paid-for

So this one is not true either. All the trips the agent makes to show homes; the trips that the agent sometimes makes to clean the property beforehand; the phone charges, the trips to take photos, the meetings with owners, the meetings with clients who don’t buy or decide to go with another agent just because; the wear and tear on their car. None of these expenses get recouped. About half the agents in any large brokerage close less than four deals a year. Nobody can live on that. There’s overhead and expenses for the agent, errors and omissions insurance, and office supplies. It adds up.

Real estate agents in Bahrain barely do any work

Real estate agents in Bahrain barely do any work - Real Estate Agents in Bahrain

Selling a house is no easy work at all. A real estate agent is part sales professional, part lawyer, part marketing professional, part interior designer, part financial advisor, and part therapist (too). Each agent runs their own real estate business, which means that it is their responsibility to cover all aspects of that business. You might want to consider an agent who has lived and worked in the same town for years. They know the streets like the back of their hand. They have deep relationships with other local agents. They have the inside track on upcoming deals and past transactions that can’t be explained by looking at data online.

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