[brnt]

> A real estate agent told me

Whatever you wanted to hear to make them the most amount of money in the(ir) least amount of time.

They are the sellers agent.

You should not trust them a millimetre further than that.

(I bought my current house based on a spreadsheet analysis. Doorknobs are easy to replace, foundations, walls, electric, a lot harder.)

[arcanemachiner]

You seem to be assuming that the real estate agent was in the process of selling them a house.

[WalterBright]

A good friend of mine is a real estate agent. I have never retained him. He's a fountain of good advice, though. He's the most successful agent in my community.

BTW, a so-so agent will lie to you. The ones on the top, however, are that way because they get repeat business.

P.S. Read books on salesmanship. It will inure you against slimy sales pitches.