Need ideas on selling a house

[Robert P Stewart]

Hello Mumof3, let me take this point by point.

You're absolutely right - paying alot doesn't guarantee anything, but paying little is the surest way to lose. Picking a good Realtor is difficult. I have friends who live all over the US, and when they want a Realtor they call me. Not because I'm going to represent them, but because I can interview agents for them and help them pick a real worker.

And about real estate companies. There's no such thing as a good company or a bad one. There are only different corporate cultures. Many of the best agents I have ever met have been with CB. Some of the worst excuses for human beings I have ever met have been from CB too. The same can be said of every single company out there, including mine. Its all about the agent, not the brand name.

Next, (I'm giving away ALL the secrets now!) open houses will probably not sell your home. Do you know why we hold open houses? To get more business. Yes, I've sold homes out of open houses - but it is rare. Rare enough that I typically stock my open houses with new agents.

Depending on how long you have left, you have two main options. First, start shopping for a new agent. Second, work with your agent - tell him or her what you expect and get it in writing, even if it is just a written list. Most of my questions to a client revolve around finding out how that person wants to be represented. Are they hands-on? How involved do they want to be? Do they want to help make decisions along the way? Those kind of things.

I'm sorry about your 6 months of turmoil - you can start interviewing agents at any time. Hopefully the next one will work out!

Robert

[MomsTn]

When we had our house on the market, we ended up firing our agent.
Well, I wouldn't really call him an agent... cause he didn't do anything.
We saw him twice: to sign the papers, and one time when he stopped by to stuff brochures in the brochure box. After that, I had to make sure there were brochures in the thing, and had to drive over to the office to get them.

WE had to do all the work... he didn't do anything.
I spent more time talking to his secretary, because he never returned our calls.
Why had we hired him in the first place? Cause we had wanted to save money.
Well, he mainly used the local shopper to list our home, and half the time, he couldn't even get the price right, and yes, a few times had the wrong address listed.
I finally got fed up and fired him, and that was that.

The next Realtor that we signed with, happened to be a friend.
Will NEVER do that again.

Next time we sell a house, I will find a person who is ALL business and very successful. Someone who has a good track record.
No more friends.

Someone that wants to sell your house will get it sold.

Originally Posted by Robert P Stewart

Hello Mumof3, let me take this point by point.


Depending on how long you have left, you have two main options. First, start shopping for a new agent. Second, work with your agent - tell him or her what you expect and get it in writing, even if it is just a written list.
Robert

[Hoosier]

That's good info! Yes we too fired our agent when buying our house here in the Twin Cities. I looked at 30 houses and many of them I refused to even look at because the neighborhood felt very unsafe. "But once you see the inside you'll love it", she'd say. Didn't matter that a rundown apartment building was directly behind the house and a huge mental hospital was up to road! Sure I want my kids growing up there!!

Since working with her and having a few more bad experiences with this well-known real estate agency I have no respect for that company. I did however find Robert's comments helpful that it's not so much the company, as the realtor. But when you've dealt with three idiot realtors and a bad financing person from this huge agency, named after a town in the cities, you really question if they have any decent realtors. The best thing they have going for them is their website!

[Robert P Stewart]

It happens both ways. I've 'fired' clients before too. In fact, it happened a few weeks ago. Its not so much "You're fired!" as "Boy, do I have the agent for YOU!"

When the appearance of the client's name on my cell phone starts pissing me off, it is time for a change. I've got too many great clients to waste my day with anything else.

Robert