The real estate profession exists to help guide clients through the often-complicated process of buying, selling, or renting a home.

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Clients are encouraged to ask their real estate agent virtually anything to help them better understand the process. However, some questions are better left unasked.

“Real estate professionals are there to help you and will often go out of their way to assist if they can.

“While no questions relating to the transaction itself are off-limits, there are other questions that can put real estate professionals in an awkward position, especially ones where the agent may not be in the best position to answer them,” said Adrian Goslett, regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa.

To help buyers, sellers, and tenants avoid these kinds of real estate related faux pas, RE/MAX of Southern Africa explains why some questions are better left unposted.

Such as asking how much did the friend or family buy/sell for?
“Technically speaking, a real estate professional should have access to this information. However, real estate professionals are not at liberty to disclose this information unless it directly pertains to the deal at hand.”

“Another question is, ‘can I just look at the house even though I am not in a position to buy?’ This question can leave an agent in a tight spot.

“While the client could potentially turn into a buyer sometime down the line, the real estate professional needs to prioritise the interests of their seller.

“To avoid wasting their seller’s time, some real estate professionals may even request that the buyers be pre-qualified for home finance before they may view the home in person.

“Although not a guarantee for home finance, pre-qualification at least allows the seller to know that the buyer can afford to make an offer on the property if they are interested after the viewing appointment.

“We then consider the question, ‘I am planning to sell my home on my own. I just want to know how to go about it?’ For obvious reasons, this is not the most appropriate question to ask a real estate professional.

“While they know and may well be willing to share a few tips with you, answering this question would be a direct conflict of interest for them.

“Apart from that, selling a home is far more complicated than one might think. It takes a real estate agent a minimum of two years to qualify, 12-months of interning, and many more years to build up a database of potential clients.

“Learning how to sell a home does not happen overnight, which is why most are happy to pay an expert (a real estate professional) to handle the whole process for them.”

In conclusion, Goslett said that all good real estate professionals are happy to help answer any questions their clients may have, but there is a limit to what questions are appropriate.

“As long as the questions pertain to the deal at hand or a potential future transaction, all good real estate professionals will go above and beyond to help their clients.

“Those who are uncertain about any aspect of buying, selling, or renting a home are encouraged to raise them with a local real estate expert who should be more than happy to assist,” Goslett said.