Fire my Realtor?

Is it time to fire your Realtor because your home has not sold? As the only exclusive buyers agent (EBA) in Spokane, I often get asked this question from worn out home sellers because I can offer them unbiased insight without the fear that I will try to solicit the listing. Yes, this market is slower, and there may be fewer buyers out there, but homes are still selling every day. There are multitudes of reasons that a home does not sell in any market, but the first three are controlled by the seller, not the Realtor. Once those three items have been clearly identified and addressed, then you can start to wonder if it is time to change Realtors.

All of the following three criteria require proper counseling from the listing agent, it is their professional responsibility to do such, but if you do not listen it is your fault and you are ultimately responsible for all three.

Price. If you are trying to sell a $250,000 home but have it listed at $300,000, that is your choice, not the Realtors. The frequency that I will see a home listed 20-30% over value with one Realtor, then re-listed with a 20-30% price reduction with another Realtor and sells is all too often. The first Realtor should not have taken the listing, but they always do, hoping that they will be there when the seller reduces the price. The 2nd Realtor in this scenario is the better Realtor in that they got the seller to list at a more realistic price, but if the 1st Realtor had the opportunity at the lower price, the sale would most likely have occurred as well. Bottom line, contrary to what some believe, the seller sets the price, the Realtor just counsels such. On another note, all Realtors would appear much more professional if they chose not to take listings when sellers do not listen to their suggestions on price, but they don't.

Condition. If the front door needs painted, the weeds are not pulled, the leaves are not raked, the snow on the walkway is not shoveled, the heat is not on, or the dishes are in the sink, then the seller is not maximizing the condition of which the home can be shown. Once again, your professional Realtor will tell you to address these things, but it is up to the seller to make sure they are all addressed.

Availability to be seen. The home needs to be available to be seen on a moments notice 24 hours a day. This is extreme, but in reality no one is trying to show your home at 10 in the evening or 6:30 in the morning, and in most instances Realtors are trained to give a seller as much notice as possible for the typical showing times. If you have ever said that 'today is not a good day' when someone calls to show the home, or that you prefer it not to be shown after 5 pm, or require 24 hour notice, or appointment only, or 'no lockbox', you are interfering with your Realtors ability to sell your home for the most amount of money.

If your Realtor has failed to adequately counsel you on the three issues above, then it is time to fire them. But if they counseled you well on price, told you how to optimize the condition the home would be shown in, and helped you understand how to keep the home always available to show but you chose not to listen on even one of these points, they deserve the right to try to sell the home if they choose to do so once you start to address the three points of discussion. If they did or did not counsel you well on the points above, and time has passed and you feel that you are priced appropriately, you show the home in optimal condition, and it is easy to show by all accounts, then maybe it is just time to change Realtors for the sake of change, I have never objected to that.

If you are buying a home in the Spokane area over the next 90 days between $100,000 and $400,000 and have excellent credit, you need a Realtor on your side. Call Mike Crowley at 509-951-9710 or e-mail to mike@spokanehomebuyers.com.

Spokane Home Buyers, Buyers Only since 1997!