What Not to Say to Your Real Estate Agent When Buying

This question usually gets answered with a list of things not to say in front of the seller. That list matters and it is below. But there is a second list that almost nobody writes about: things you should not say to your own agent, because they put the agent in a position where the law or professional ethics stops them from helping you. Both lists come down to knowing who is in the room and what rules they work under.

Part one: What not to say around the seller or the seller’s agent

Your own buyer’s agent owes you confidentiality under Mississippi law. The seller’s agent owes the seller disclosure, meaning anything you say to them “the Seller’s Agent would be required to tell” the seller. (MREC Working With a Real Estate Broker form) At showings, open houses, and in any direct contact with the listing side, assume everything is repeated.

Realtor.com asked agents for the things buyers should never say. On enthusiasm: “These are the kind of things that can help the sellers snag more money out of the buyers, because they really know how much this house means to them. All discussions about the house and any negotiating strategies are best left in private.” On money: “A prospective home buyer should never address with a seller or seller’s agent anything concerning their financing or ability to pay a full-price offer.” On renovation plans: “The seller can easily reject their offer or come back asking for more money upon hearing that someone wants to totally remake the place where they made lifelong memories.” (Realtor.com)

The simplest rule: say nice things about the house, say nothing about yourself, and save every opinion for the car.

Part two: What not to say to your own agent

These are not secrets to keep. They are requests your agent cannot act on, and knowing why will make you a better client.

“Don’t show me anything in that part of town,” when the reason is who lives there

The Fair Housing Act prohibits steering, which is “directing buyers towards or away from a neighborhood because of the client’s race, national origin, religion, or other protected characteristics.” (NAR) An agent who screens neighborhoods for you on that basis is breaking federal law. Tell your agent what you want in a neighborhood: commute, lot size, price, school zone, walkability. Those are things an agent can search for.

“Is this a good neighborhood?” or “Is this a safe area?”

For years agents were trained to refuse this question outright. The rules shifted in 2026: on April 24, HUD issued a letter “stating that it is not a violation of the Fair Housing Act to share information with prospective homebuyers about neighborhood crime rates and school quality, if such information is shared consistently and without discriminatory intent.” (NAR) NAR’s guidance to agents is to “share the same kind of neighborhood information with all clients, regardless of their background,” while “remaining objective and factual, and avoiding subjective commentary, personal opinions, or hearsay.” (NAR) It also warns that “courts have held that racially-coded comments about crime and schools can be evidence of discriminatory intent.” (NAR)

So a good agent will now give you the school zone, point you to the state report card and published crime data, and give you the same information they give every client. What they still will not do is tell you a neighborhood is “good” or “bad” in their opinion, or answer any question about who lives there. If your agent does volunteer that kind of opinion, that is a red flag, not a favor.

The stakes are not abstract. Fair housing organizations and government agencies received 32,321 housing discrimination complaints in 2024 (National Fair Housing Alliance, 2025 Fair Housing Trends Report), and I wrote a book on the history of discrimination in American real estate because the industry’s record here is not good. I take this part of the job seriously.

“Just write it up; I don’t need to read it.”

The purchase agreement is “one of the most important documents in the transaction.” (The Mississippi Bar) Your agent will explain it, but your agent “cannot give you legal or financial advice” (MREC form), and the signature is yours. Read it. If you want a lawyer to read it too, say so; a good agent will encourage it.

“Can you tell me what the other offers are?”

In a multiple-offer situation, your agent can ask the listing agent, but the listing agent’s duty of confidentiality to the seller usually means no answer or a limited one. An agent who claims to know the exact competing offer is either guessing or has a source they should not have.

“Let’s lowball every house until one sticks.”

Realtor.com’s panel put it plainly: “Don’t ask your agent to submit multiple lowball offers. Take your agent’s advice when it comes to pricing.” (Realtor.com) Mississippi agents are obligated to present every offer, so your agent will write what you ask for. But listing agents remember buyers who waste their sellers’ time, and your agent’s credibility with them is part of what you are paying for.

“Can you skip the disclosure form? We’re friends.”

The “Working With a Real Estate Broker” form is required “at the FIRST meeting a real estate licensee has with a prospective client.” (MREC) An agent who skips it to save you thirty seconds is starting the relationship with a rule violation. The form is for your protection; let them do it.

Part three: What you should say to your agent

For balance, the things your agent needs and clients often withhold:

• Your real ceiling and your comfortable monthly payment, which are confidential under your agent’s duty of loyalty.
• Your true timeline and the reason for it.
• Every dealbreaker, including the ones that feel petty.
• When you are unhappy with how the search is going. Agents cannot fix what they do not hear about, and 89% of buyers were very satisfied with their agent’s responsiveness, which suggests that most agents do respond when told. (NAR 2025 Generational Trends Report)

Frequently asked questions