Well, your listing agent sure seems lazy and worthless to me. I'd drop him.

I dropped an agent last fall who had sold me the house. She help opens and had plenty of showings but couldn't get me an offer. She worked for a small locally-owned realty company. I then hired a woman who worked for a large national agency, and she sold the house three weeks after listing it. Before hiring her, I interviewed four other agents too.

Get some agent recommendations from friends and business colleagues and then interview them and find out what they will do to market your home.

I think it's really hard to give any kind of opinion on your agent because of the possibility that your house is simply overpriced. If that's what's keeping it fron selling, and he's been encouraging you to drop the price, then he's done his job (pretty much). If the house is too overpriced to attract interest, there's not much else for him to do.

Unless he was lying about the backup offers when you purchased the house there is no reason for him to feel bad about what you paid for it. He helped you get the house you wanted.

Do you feel like he did a good job with the MLS listing? Can you post a link to it? If not, could you give an idea of what you paid and what the current asking price is?

I'm not saying that your house is overpriced (I have no way of knowing), I'm just saying that if it is, then that's your problem, not the agent.

I offered a buyers agent incentive and it worked in a terrible South Florida market. The agent told me at the closing that the incentive was what caused her to show the home- they had so many to choose from that the ones offering incentives were all she bothered with. Not all too ethical maybe, but it's the real world and times are tough.

Yur current agent sounds like a poopie pie- dump him and find someone with some energy who at least knows how to sound enthusiastic. It'll still be a tough market but at least you will feel like they are trying. You have to surround yourself with positive people to keep from losing your mind.

Your agent needs to be let go,i think he/she forgets they work for YOU...That said, you can't blame him solely for him not selling your home. There is simply a lack of buyers,and that is not his fault..And, most times the listing realtor is not the realtor who arrives with a buyer..Best of luck

I personally wouldn't do the bonus. There was a study done that showed that, in general, houses where a bonus was offered to the buyer's agent spent a longer time on the market and sold for less than houses that didn't have a bonus. It may be market-dependent, but that's what I've read.

I would toss him away... I also wouldn't have used him after the buying experience.

Do some reading here, there are a lot of recent posts (1st few pages) that will give you input on everything from the upgrades you have to what to look for when agent shopping.

Seeing your listing would be nice because then you can get feedback geared more towards your market.

Okay, I'm posting the link this time. We paid $360k. I don't think it is overpriced now, but it is not underpriced either which is what our realtor wants us to do for a quick sale. I would just feel better about that if I knew all other possibilities had been looked at. The first photos he took were terrible, which could partly be our fault because there was just too much clutter in the house. The ones on the listing now are the second set he took. Now that the house is empty, the photos could probably be updated again.
I know we can't blame him for everything, and I don't want to seem like the stubborn buyer who insists their house is worth more and won't accept that the market has changed, etc. It's just that I have seen what comparable houses in our area have sold for over the last few months, and I don't see why our house can't be one of those instead of taking the easy way of underpricing it.

Here is a link that might be useful: listing

What are you asking for the house?

We are asking $356k.

is this the link?

Here is a link that might be useful: link

No, ours is the "Better Than New Craftsman" in that area, with 4 bed. 2.5 baths.

Found it on realtor.com

Here is a link that might be useful: Realtor.com listing

thats weird, because that was the one i cut and pasted..try this again

Here is a link that might be useful: link

If the link defaults, the MLS number is 2704858.

I don't think these pics are much better. I don't like the arial view of the LR. The other LR photo makes the room look small taken from the hallway. The bathroom pic is showing sink and partial tub, not the room. The angle of the masterbedroom shot makes the room look extremely small. Only one photo each of the backyard and mountain view is necessary so you can have more interior photos.

YOu mentioned another home in your area has hardwood. That is a big difference and would be a better selling feature.

How does the home that just sold compare to yours?

I think if you want to sell, you need to reduce the price. Your realtor has tried to tell you that. It appears you're not listening to him.

Here is a link that might be useful: Actual link

No we are listening to him, but I think it should be a two way street and he could listen to us too. Take the pics for example. We had to nag him just to get those mediocre ones posted and trust me they are much better than the first ones.
The home that just sold had the hardwood floors, smaller yard with no trees, the backyard not landscaped, never lived in, 3 car instead of 2 car garage. It didn't have the A/C, window coverings, and other little extras that we have in ours. The house is the same floor plan and size as ours, just a slightly smaller lot. The buyers looked at our house too, but their agent said they wanted to go with the larger garage.

We've had our share of stress with realtors, but the realtor who sold our home sounds a lot like yours. What he stressed was that if it was important that we sell the house sooner rather than later, then we had to price it just below similar homes on the market. There was a glut of homes with features like ours on the MLS. We could see that it made sense, so we priced at 10K below the glut and we sold in like 10 days for that price, no haggling! Finding the right price point to attract attention seems to work way better than open houses... I think open houses only work on staged tv shows...All the ones I've popped in on have been empty as all get out.

For what it's worth many people have told us that in this market improvements like molding, kitchen, bath, and flooring are pretty much 'bait' for buyers. You can't really count them into your price and expect to see the money back. We were sad to hear that because we've put so much into the home we just sold, but I think it's because of our efforts that the house sold at all-- most places here stay on the market for at least 6 months these days!

I hope some others involved in the real estate business write in and give their thoughts on the value of home improvements in this slower market!

Best of luck with your sale, and if you've seen my other posts lately you'll know that though your realtor's advice may be harsher than you want it to be, I certainly do attest to this: if you don't feel comfortable with a realtor, move on before it's too late and you regret handing him that commision!

Best regards,
Jane

Yes, we've heard the same thing about the improvements, and that at most they are just extra selling points not anything we can get the money back for.

I know this may sound crazy but we are most likely going to get a different agent and then drop the price anyway. We (well mostly my husband, I just want the house sold and done with) hate the thought of this realtor making money off us again after the way he has treated us.

Thanks for the advice!

It's just that I have seen what comparable houses in our area have sold for over the last few months, and I don't see why our house can't be one of those instead of taking the easy way of underpricing it.

Buyers are the ones that decide what your house is worth and they are speaking loud and clear that they prefer the new construction over your house. If the house was worth the money, then people would be making offers rather than purchasing the new construction that sold for your asking price a few doors down. I agree with the other posters that your agent has been telling you its the price. You're just not ready to hear it.

Im not going to give my opinion on what you should do with your agent, it seems you have already made that decision, however, if you pick an agent just because "hes from one of the bigger companies", you may be disappointed. Bigger companies may put you on a rotating schedule for advertising. You may only see your house advertised once per month. In my area, we are one of the smallest companies, (only 20 agents) however, we are the biggest producing company in our area. Agent for agent we sell 5x more homes than the "biggest company" in the area. That just means "the Biggest Company" has more dead weight. Do your homework! Don't pick the "company", pick the agent. Ask what that agent is going to do for you, where you will be advertising, how often, ask about a marketing plan, ask how many houses that agent sells per year, are they full time, are they part time, how long have they been in the business. The "biggest company" has very little to do with whom your agent is. The biggest company could send out the agent who got their license yesterday and knows nothing about how to sell your house.

I think you are fed up with this agent and past the point of having a productive relationship with him. So you should switch.

But the pictures really are OK, it's the second set he had taken and posted, he came up with the flyers (after being nagged)...he's not *that* bad, based on what you have posted here. Your agent is not going to help you paint or switch out fixtures.

What are you getting in your relo agreement? Are they guaranteeing you a minimum price? Paying the agent's fee?

I think the carpeting may be hurting you. Yeah, the house is almost new, but the lifespan of carpeting in heavy use areas is pretty short. Also your range doesn't match your fridge. I know that's a minor thing, but it would bug me.

He's not *that* bad, just because he eventually does what we ask but with a negative attitude, without showing much initiative of his own? Is that the best we can expect?
You're right about the fridge standing out in a bad way, it is actually not there anymore- none of the furniture is. We have bought another house in our new state- the relo company helps us out some but does not guarantee a minimum price. They pay the agent's fee, but the listing agent actually loses some of their commission back to the company for the referral- maybe that is a reason for the minimal effort.

Usually the listing broker pays a pretty hefty chunk of the commission - about 35%.

I think the pictures look ok - I would like to see some more open room shots.

I think you are being unreasonable in your expectations of your agent. I can understand why you feel upset - you bought at the top of the market and are trying to sell at a difficult time and feel that your agent is a handy person to blame for your predicament.

You are expecting someone who will come in and paint and do chores for you? That is called a handyman.

You say his comments are condescending. Didn't sound condescending to me - sounded like he was trying to give you an example that you would understand.

Having said that, having picked him as your 'fall guy' I think it is best to move to another agent so that you can let go of your negativity somewhat.
It may be that he finds you as negative to work around as you find him - especially if his advice falls on consistantly deaf ears.

Of course it really sucks for him that the second you go with someone new you plan on lowering the price, but that does seem to be par for the course in these kinds of situations.

The relo company does take a large chunk of commission - terriks is right on the normal percentage.

If the furniture is out of your home, you may want to consider staging it. Yes, I've heard all the people saying how they see past staging, etc, etc. The simple fact is that vacant homes sell slower. Much slower. There may be the occassional buyer who claims to prefer it that way, but they are few and far between. Most simply can't judge the spaces and need to see furniture in the space to get a real feel for it.

I do wish you luck with your home sale - just be careful not to blame others for your own decisions.

Of course it really sucks for him that the second you go with someone new you plan on lowering the price, but that does seem to be par for the course in these kinds of situations

I've noticed that too. I've often wondered what agents think of this. Do you just shrug your shoulders and move on or does it really stick in your craw?

Depends on the situation. It can be a real slap in the face if you've worked really hard and pulled out all the stops to get a place sold, only to see the listing go at the price you've been saying all along to another agent and sell in a week.

Most annoying is that the seller is then congratulating themselves on how they made the right choice, when what they've actually done is to let someone spend months and lots of money working for them for no compensation at all.

On the other hand - you win some, you lose some. I've had the benefit of selling homes quickly that another agent hasn't been able to move.

It's one of the reasons that a two month listing simply isn't enough. No agent is going to pour their heart and soul into selling a listing knowing that in 8 weeks it could be gone to the competition. I've had sellers insist on short listing contracts and unless the house is priced to sell straight away, I won't even consider taking the listing.

I'm lucky (touch wood) I've only ever had 3 listings expire, and two of those were thanks to shorter listing agreements and deals that fell through.
Both of the sellers knew that the deal dying had nothing to do with me - I FIGHT to keep transactions together, but sadly a bad taste is still there and most sellers can't help but associate their realtor with it and want to start over fresh. Those are the really tough ones, but I can't say I blame the seller really, they just want to shake off a bad experience and start over.

Depends on the situation. It can be a real slap in the face if you've worked really hard and pulled out all the stops to get a place sold, only to see the listing go at the price you've been saying all along to another agent and sell in a week.

The problem with the OP & their realtor is they probably never should have listed with the agent to begin with, they used him for the wrong reasons, hoping he would sell it since they overpaid. The realtor.com listing is minimal plus the listing link on the agents site doesn't "stay".. how does someone keep a link like that when shopping for a house?

If there is no relationship, get out of the contract. Sit down and talk to the agent, tell them why you want out. If they say give me two weeks with a price drop, either give it to them or not. If you choose not to, tell them why...

It's one of the reasons that a two month listing simply isn't enough. No agent is going to pour their heart and soul into selling a listing knowing that in 8 weeks it could be gone to the competition. I've had sellers insist on short listing contracts and unless the house is priced to sell straight away, I won't even consider taking the listing.

I'm lucky (touch wood) I've only ever had 3 listings expire, and two of those were thanks to shorter listing agreements and deals that fell through.
Both of the sellers knew that the deal dying had nothing to do with me - I FIGHT to keep transactions together, but sadly a bad taste is still there and most sellers can't help but associate their realtor with it and want to start over fresh. Those are the really tough ones, but I can't say I blame the seller really, they just want to shake off a bad experience and start over.

We signed a 3 month. Even though the house hasn't sold yet (think we have 30 more days) we know it is not our agents fault and are still very happy with her. We are 99% sure we will list with her when the contract is over.

It's hard to find the "right fit" especially if you're in a small town like me where a lot of the agents are doing it part time. From what I see none are aggressive.

I agree that they should never have listed with him in the first place if they already had an agenda.

Good luck with selling your home - I still think three months is on the short side, but it sounds like you have a good working relationship with your agent. Good luck with your sale!