Many might suggest you go to
the Broker and complain and this could be a solution if you are ready to walk
out the door. If you complain to the Realtor's boss and get that person in
trouble, you are heading for major problems. The Realtor in most cases will
feel resentful and hurt and will not be the agent you want today or tomorrow.
When do you go to see the
Broker:
When you are ready to give an
ultimatum, that you want to cancel your contract. As a former Realtor and
Broker, I can tell you that by going to my boss, you are putting my job in
jeopardy. With so many agents looking for a job and work, the Broker will not
tolerate problems. The Broker does not want headaches and possible lawsuits.
Even if the agent promises you and the Broker the "Moon," you will
not get your house sold for a satisfactory price.
What are the best steps to
take:
1. Lie, yes lie. Never
confront your agent head on about your anger for her or him. Tell them that you
are wondering how you can help in the sale of your home. Never scream and
holler and whimper either. Remember honey gets more than sour lemons.
2. Sit down with your Realtor
and very calmly state that you are wondering exactly what they are doing to
sell your home. Wait and listen to what they are saying. Ask them in which
newspapers your house is being advertised, so you can have a picture for your
keepsakes.
3. Suggest that there might
be things that you as an owner could do to help her. Is she is arrogant and
"put-offish" then mark down one reason to fire her.
4. Ask about her schedule for
open houses and when she suggest you should be gone. If she says, she does not
have time for open house, then ask if maybe her Broker could hold the open
house? If she refuses, mark down two reasons to fire her.
After these four steps, you
will have some ideal if your Realtor is the type of person you can reason with.
There are some Realtors who just plain should not be in the business. They
became a Realtor because they heard it was where the money is or they became a
Realtor because Uncle Bob told them to. If your Realtor is not a
"people" person or they show no inclination at all towards
alleviating the problem, then it is time to go to step number five.
Step number five:
By this time, you are angry
and you are mad and you are ready to explode. You want some answers and you
want them now. You need to sell your home and you need it sold yesterday, so
what can you do? How you handle step number five will depend on if you get out
of your contract or not. Most companies have a policy to release any seller
from the listing is a problem arises. This is an undisclosed policy.
Now it is time to address the
problems of your home not selling with your Realtor, "Calmly." It may
be that it is not your Realtor's fault, but the market's fault. It may be that
you are being too hasty with coming to step number five. So now you have to get
some answers. If your agent was not cooperative in steps one through four, why
would she be cooperative on step number five, think.
Give an ultimatum to the
agent that you want to be released out of your contract if she fails to produce
a valid offer within thirty days. This will show her you mean business, but
still give her an out, respectfully. If the agent says, that there is not way
"in God's Green Heaven," then proceed to withdraw the offer and fire
her on the spot.
State that you want released
out of your contract and that you will talk to her Broker about this situation
"Tomorrow." This will either scare her or create anger. There is no
way she wants you going to her boss. If she is any kind of agent at all, she
will reassure you that she can sell your home and show you the proof.
The thing about ultimatums,
you must be willing to go forward with what you threaten or the next time she
will not believe you. Once you make an ultimatum, you just might make an enemy,
so be prepared. But it is better to make an enemy than to have a house on a
market for 3 years.
A smart seller never list his
home for more than three months and therefore eliminates confrontations with
the Broker. It is not logical to even think of firing a broker during a three
month period, unless they did something awful. Before listing your home get
specifics from the Broker or agent about what they intend to do to sell your
home.
If there are 40 homes for
sale in your neighborhood, how did you pick this agent to begin with. Ask many
questions, get a title company comparables, not something off the Internet, and
interview several agents. After talking to five agents, you will get a pretty
good ideal of what your home will sell for. If one agent offers you $30,000
more for your home than the rest, do not consider that agent.
In a foreclosure market, an
overpriced home will never sell. Even if your spent $50,000 on a new kitchen,
you can only sell your home for what the house will appraise for. So when
considering to fire your agent, ask yourself if you are indeed being
unreasonable? If your agent is unfit then definitely "FIRE HER."
No comments:
Post a Comment