Unwritten Laws of Real Estate: 7 Things Agents Do Without Being Taught

Real estate agents have to go to licensing school and pass a test before they can help anyone buy or sell a house. But those classes don’t really get into the nitty gritty of being an agent in the field. They teach rules and regulations, and of course how many square feet are in an acre (it’s 43,560 if you’re wondering)…

Then they usually get some training through the company they join, which is definitely more useful in terms of teaching them the ins and outs of working with clients.

But there are some things agents aren’t taught in either or those settings — yet, somehow, every agent seems to say or do certain things as if it were straight out of a new agent handbook.

Here are 7 unwritten rules that every agent follows, without having been taught:

1) Low-Key Stalking Open House Visitors

If you walk into an open house, there’s a 99.9%* chance the agent will instinctually say, “Feel free to look around, and just let me know if you have any questions.”

This implied freedom open house visitors feel will be short lived, however, because there’s also a 99.9%* chance they will then proceed to follow them around the house, just close enough to seem helpful, but far enough to avoid looking like a stalker.

It’s a delicate art of looking super casual, while trying to keep an eye on strangers roaming through a house you’re in charge of, and not so creepy that they won’t want to become their client.

(*These very specific percentages are 100% made up…)

2) Trying to Remember Which Lights the Owner Left On

No real estate agent leaves a showing without muttering to themselves, “Did I turn off all the lights?” There’s a ritual to it: a quick mental scan of every room, followed by a once-over of the house that may include retracing steps, flicking a switch or two just to be sure, while questioning whether that one hallway light was on or off when you arrived. This process may be repeated up to three times, just to be sure, even if it means being late to the next appointment.

3) Putting Some Lipstick on a Pig sty

When a potential seller opens the door to let an agent in to do a listing presentation, they somehow manage to hone in on something about the house to compliment within the first 30 seconds. The place could be an outdated pig sty, but they’ll still find some way to make it sound like the most amazing place they’ve seen in their career.

4) The FSBO Headshake

When driving by a “For Sale by Owner” sign, all real estate agents mutter, “Good luck with that,” followed by a disgusted shake of the head. This is often accompanied by a sigh or a quick prayer that the seller will soon come to their senses and call a professional… preferably them.

5) Point out Every House They’ve Sold…

Drive through any neighborhood with an agent, and you’ll inevitably hear, “I sold that house.” Often followed by, “And that one,” if you’re riding with a top producer. It’s a point of pride — a little victory lap as they mentally catalog their territory. If nobody is actually in the car with them, they’ll simply turn their head and look at it in silent recognition.

6) …or Even Ones They Didn’t Sell!

Honestly, if you’re in a car with an agent, they’ll probably point out houses you pass by, even if they merely showed the property to a buyer who never ended up buying it. For added credibility, they’ll mention something specific about the home, like the gourmet kitchen, the quirky layout, or that their buyer took a pass because of the funky smell in the basement.

7) Patting Their Pockets, and Jiggling the Locks

As agents leave a house after showing it to a buyer, they must:

Triple-check to make sure the door is locked
Pat their pockets to confirm they have their phone
Make sure they didn’t leave the keypad they use to open lockboxes inside the house
Jiggle the lockbox to make sure the key is secure

Having done all of that, there’s always that nagging feeling that something’s been left open, even though they just checked. In extreme cases, agents may even turn back after pulling out of the driveway, just to give the front door one last tug.