Is it time to fire your Realtor®?
Ask Phyllis: a blog series of frequently asked real estate questions. Email us here
Dear Phyllis,
In March I signed a contract with a local real estate agent. Other than a few ads he has done nothing special to sell my home. I really need to get my home sold and am very frustrated. How do I go about firing my Realtor because I don’t think he’s doing a good job.
Ready to move on
Dear Ready,
I am curious as to why you believe your agent is “not doing a good job”? Has your Realtor hired a professional photographer? Has your agent, advised you on repairs, staging and pricing? Have you taken your agent’s advice about suggested repairs and pricing? Until you open escrow, the only thing your Realtor controls is the marketing. Aspects such as price, condition, ease of showing are generally in the home seller’s hands.
Although our market has become more difficult during COVID, many homes continue to sell quickly and close to asking price (some well priced homes continue to sell in multiple offers over asking price.) If your online presence is good, and your home is not getting shown, it typically indicates that it is overpriced. Another indication that your home is priced too high is getting showings but no offers. Your agent should be asking for feedback from the showing agents and then discussing the feedback with you to determine how to make effective adjustments.
You and your real estate agent are a team and should be working in partnership. If you are unhappy with your current Realtor, most likely the office manager will allow you to select a different agent within the same company for the remaining term of your contract. Depending on how much prep work your Realtor has done, the issue may not be your choice of agent. Prior to firing your agent, I encourage you to take a look at what you could be doing that would help your agent do his job, perhaps a meeting with him and or his office manger might help.
Related Posts: Should my Realtor be more aggressive?
How to Determine if Your Realtor is Doing a Good job
When is it Okay to Switch Realtors?
