I Hate My Realtor

I was sitting with a friend the other day and she and I were talking about the pros and cons of working with various real estate agents. A friend of hers had chosen a well respected local agent to list her home and was struggling with her opinion that this agent wasn't doing enough to get her house sold. After sitting on the market for 5 months, the Seller mentioned that the agent had finally decided to do an open house. When I asked some more questions, I found out that the home was still filled with clutter (including a number of personal photos) and that despite a number of showings, no offer had come in.

OK, then, so what's the problem?First of all, some houses just take a long time to sell. Perhaps they have a unique design or floorplan. Or maybe they're not in the most desirable neighborhood or located on a busy road. What I can tell you about these types of homes is that they do eventually sell . . . if the price is right. But let's say that the home just doesn't show well. Perhaps it's poorly decorated. Or filled with clutter. Or it needs new paint. Or there's an odor from the kitty litter box that just won't go away. Or there are weeds in the yard, oil stains on the driveway and dirty dishes in the sink. The closets may be overflowing and the kitchen counters are cram packed with the latest gadgets.I won't begin to try to say that's it's an easy job for an agent to give honest feedback about a home, particularly to a friend. But it's our job and any agent who avoids having these tough conversations is not only the type of friend you don't need when you're trying to sell your home. This type of agent isn't doing their job.

If your home has been on the market for some time and it hasn't sold, I know it's easy to blame your Realtor. I've often heard said, "My Realtor hasn't done her job. No open houses and she hasn't brought by one single buyer who's made an offer. I need someone else to sell this house". Now I'm not saying that all agents are created equal. But if your Realtor is properly marketing your home by creating inviting descriptions, posting great photos on MLS, showing the home to anyone who inquires about it in a timely manner, following up with agents who have shown your home, then chances are she's doing a good job and you need to sit down with her, have a frank discussion about why the house hasn't sold and consider taking her advice.