Top 5 Deceptive Real Estate Recruiting Tactics to Look Out For!

deceptive real estate recruting tactics real estate agent tips real estate agents tips real estate broker tips real estate brokers tips shady real estate recruiting tactics Dec 30, 2022

The Real Estate market is a tough one to navigate, and not just in terms of sales. When it comes to the labor market - finding the right fit for you can be challenging, and deceptive recruiting tactics certainly aren’t helping.

Figuring out where you want to hang your license is no easy task. Finding a place where you feel comfortable, that lines up with your personal and professional values, and that meaningfully promises growth and potential can be a daunting task. What makes it trickier is that, sometimes, recruiters will use sneaky tactics that can get you excited about the position, even when there isn’t much to show for it. Here are the top 5 deceptive tactics to look out for, so when you make a decision, you’re making it for the right reasons.

Stroking your ego

When it comes to recruitment, you’re the one that needs to be impressed. It’s always great for the recruiter to be impressed by your track record, of course, but this doesn’t put anything on the table for you. More specifically, you need to be careful and make sure compliments are sincere, and not just stroking your ego to avoid offering other benefits.

Recognition is super important in the workplace, don’t get me wrong. It promotes a positive workplace environment and better morale, and if there’s no recognition being made once you’re on the team, that can be a red flag. Before signing, however, you’re looking to have the best possible agreement with the firm, meaning great pay, great benefits, etc. At this point, recognition is good, but it can’t be everything they have to offer. Otherwise, they’re just buttering you up.

Fear of missing out

Another tactic to look out for is promoting exclusivity. More specifically, some firms might try to push the “fear of missing out” if you don’t work with them. The thing is, there are virtually no benefits that would be exclusive to one firm or another. If the recruiter is pushing a fear of missing out, you might want to figure out how that exclusivity works out in the first place.

This isn’t to say that some businesses can’t have benefits that are more important to you than others—they certainly can. But isn’t that for you to decide? Unless a firm has some exclusive cutting-edge technology (spoiler alert, they don’t) that will automatically put you ahead of the curve, be weary of this tactic.

Social proof

Here’s a double-edged sword: social proof. Surely, having other agents or brokers reach out and say good things about the firm recruiting you is a good sign, right? Well, sort of. It’s certainly better to have it than to not have it, but pay close attention at who’s reaching out.

Especially if you’re an underrepresented minority, this is your chance to take a peek into the company’s representation practices. Maybe the agents reaching out all have great things to say, but if they’re all straight white men, what does that really say? Has the company not hired any other minorities, or are they just not comfortable making these recruitment calls? If representation is something that’s important to you, or any other company values that you can get an idea of, this is your chance.

Fake promises

This is a huge red flag to keep an eye out for. A lot of words are going to fly around before you sign. One thing you have to be sure of: get them on paper. The only thing binding either of you to commit to an agreement is the contract you sign, and if promises are being made without putting them into the contract, those promises may very well be fake.

Unfortunately, this sneaky practice is all too common. If you ever push to make sure a promise is going to be included in writing and are met with a “don’t worry about it,” you might want to think twice about signing with that firm.

Technology

Finally, and coming back to the exclusivity trick, technology has become a common tactic as well. Truthfully, it’s nice for your firm to be on the cutting edge of tech, and to give their agents access to the resources they need. However, most firms do not have exclusive access to tech. This is a good perk to have, but if the firm is promising tech that will have magic results compared to everyone else, it’s probably just misleading.