In New Zealand agents earn more if they turn over properties quickly. The agents financial motivation is to get a deal done quickly and most don't care much if

In New Zealand agents earn more if they turn over properties quickly. The agents financial motivation is to get a deal done quickly and most don't care much if they are screwing over the vendor (although repeat customer and reputation matter somewhat). Commission is a percentage of sale price so most people incorrectly think the agents incentive is to sell for a higher price. Agents earn more by doing less hours and selling more properties more quickly: so the agent convinces the vendor to take the first offer and bring date forward. I learnt that watching a realtor called Andrew Swift screw over a little old lady (she had dementia so Andrew had an easy job whitewashing the children with power of attorney). We don't have buyers agents in New Zealand and the commissions are nowhere near 6%, so the dynamics are somewhat different. Lots of agents will undermine their vendor - you see it often when talking with the agent. You can find good agents with integrity, but they are not common.