ask phyllis real estate question
Phyllis,
In November, I signed a contract with a local real estate agent. Other than one open house and a few ads, he has done nothing special to sell my home. I really need to get my home sold and am very frustrated. I want to fire my Realtor because he isn’t 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? If so, your agent may be doing his best.
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 the real estate market slows at year-end, we are still in a seller’s market where many homes are selling quickly and close to the asking price (some well-priced homes continue to sell in multiple offers over the asking price.) If your home is not being 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 ask 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. Before 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 manager might help.
