If your home has been listed for a while, you will naturally be asking yourself why, when the current market for houses is so buoyant.
Unfortunately, not all realtors make an all out attempt to get a home sold. Here are some sure signs that it’s time for you to face up to reality and hire someone else:
A part time agent – Not everyone engaged in real estate treats it as a full time occupation. Like any professional activity, a “24/7” attitude is essential if the right results are to be achieved. If you suspect that you have a part time agent because, for example, your calls and emails are ignored or not answered in a timely fashion, ask a direct question about daily activity levels. It’s your house sale that’s at stake!
Where’s the marketing plan? – When you hired the realtor, he/she should have demonstrated a structured, multi-faceted marketing plan to sell your home. If not then it’s more than likely your home is not gaining the right levels of visibility to attract interest.
Unqualified “buyers” – Your realtor may have shown your home to number of potential buyers, but who are these people? Viewers should at least be pre-qualified to demonstrate that they have the means to buy your home. If this check is not made, your realtor could be showing your home to anyone who fancies an afternoon out to look at the homes of their dreams, creating an impression of focused activity. Ask your realtor about the buyer vetting process and draw your own conclusions from the answer.
Discount selling – Low percentage commission may seem initially attractive, but you always get what you pay for. Houses listed with discount brokers are statistically more likely to end up unsold. Just about anyone can put a house on a multiple listing service and stick a sign in a yard. Sadly that’s all the service they may provide to you. Agent commissions should be a fair reflection of the effort taken to sell the home. If you have agreed to pay a small commission and your home remains unsold, the alarm bells should already be ringing. What initially seems like a great saving can end up costing you a fortune…
Broken promises – Sadly it’s sometimes the case that the realtor who promised you great marketing and communication hasn’t kept his/her side of the bargain. Bottom line: time to look for someone else!
Unrealistic pricing – You’re noticing “Sold” signs for similar homes all around you, but your home was listed first and is more than competitive in terms of condition and features. Try to establish what these homes sold for – your realtor should have access to this information. If your asking price is significantly higher then you may be acting as a measure of value for buyers of homes accurately priced to match what the market will currently accept. It may even be that you tried to get the realtor to price high, but as your professional consultant, it’s his/her duty to guide you as to what constitutes a sensible price, based on experience and local knowledge. If there hasn’t been a pro-active conversation with your realtor about the price of your long term unsold home, you should again draw your own conclusions.
Recent track record – Ask your realtor to see proof of how many homes he/she has sold in the past 90 days or so. If a strong track record can be properly demonstrated, it may be that you and your realtor will do better after a frank conversation to carefully review why your home remains unsold. If there has been little or no sales activity, then it’s likely that not enough effort has been expended on your behalf. Again, time to walk.
At The Cheryl Huber Team, we are dedicated to representing our clients 24 hours a day/7 days a week and can demonstrate a track record to prove it. Contact us today and take the first step in making a change to finally get your home sold!