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Ok, I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I want to make sure I include all of the pertinent details so that I can get some good, honest, professional advice on my situation:
My husband I and purchased our first home 2 years ago and must sell it now because he has been transferred to a new duty station (he's an active-duty Marine). I am a professional, small business owner and so I have a very strong work ethic and understanding of customer service, marketing, contract negotiations, etc.
We interviewed a number of agents, but finally decided to go with an agent from the most prestigious, well-known agency here in Brunswick, GA. The fact that he claimed to have 12 years experience AND was a former Marine (currently still in the Reserves) was a major factor in our decision. We felt that he would have the advantage of the established marketing/brand awareness of the company, but also would understand the nuances and "sense of urgency" required with a military move.
Anyway... he showed up on-time for our interview and subsequent contract signing. We went over everything in great detail including pricing, marketing strategies, commissions, etc. and I made sure that everything we discussed was in writing in our contract. Once the contract was signed (a Thursday) he promised to return later that evening with the For-Sale sign for our yard.
Before he left, I asked about getting photos taken of our home. He told me I needed to speak directly with the technical contact at the agency for that information. (Unaware that most agents will take the photos for the client, I did as he requested.) Once I had the technical specs, I took the photos myself and provided 9 high-quality digital images to her within the hour.
He did return later that evening with the sign, but told us he was running late and didn't have time to put it up. He left us with the sign (in pieces) and we had to install it ourselves -- not a terribly big deal to us, but it was a bit inconvenient AND we found that some of the holes were not pre-drilled, so we had to get out the power tools to fix it.
The next day (Friday) I called him to find out when we could expect our listing to appear on the MLS and his company's web site. He assured me that we would be on the MLS that day, but a listing on the company site would take a day or two. That didn't seem unreasonable to me (I'm a web designer) so I simply let him know that I had already emailed all photos to his technical contact and had received confirmation of their receipt.
Later that day, we received my husband's final orders and it turned out that he was being transferred earlier than we expected. I called the agent to explain what had happened and requested a follow-up appointment with him for the next day (Saturday) at 11am to begin scheduling open houses, etc.
On Saturday, we sat home all day waiting for him to show. He did not. Multiple calls to him went unanswered. While waiting, I did a search online for our home and found it listed on the MLS, but the description was terribly written and NO photos were included. When I checked the company web site, we were not listed there yet. Finally, at 8pm we received a call from him stating that he was not feeling well and couldn't make it. He promised to come the next day (Sunday) at 1pm.
Once again, we waited for him on Sunday, but 1pm came and went. Eventually, he showed up at 6pm -- no call to say he would be late! Needless to say, I was upset. I confronted him about his missed appointment/lateness and told him that it was unacceptable to us. At that point he literally raised out of his chair and yelled at me, "What the f**K do you expect me to do? I was sick and then today my kids got sick. I can't control that!" I was horrified!!
Once he finished ranting, I calmly told him that he would NEVER speak to me that way again. I also told him that I did not expect him to never be sick, etc. but stated that if he was not going to show up for an appointment, or if he could not be on time, I expected a simple phone call to let me know. At this point, we should have just told him to get out and hired a new agent, but our situation was already so stressful and we don't know much about selling a home so we just let it slide. Big mistake!!
After everything calmed down, we discussed the details of our marketing plan. This included: MLS listing, listing on company web site, newspaper ads, agent open-houses, community open-houses, "Take Me" fliers on the For-Sale sign, a listing in the local "Homes & Land" magazine, and possibly a mailer to the local community.
Agent open-houses are held in our area every Wednesday, so I asked if we could have one during that upcoming week. He told me he was too busy, but would schedule one for the following week. We agreed to do so.
I asked him what marketing would be done over the next 10 days (until the first open house) and he assured me that he would be working on the other aspects of our marketing strategy. When I asked about the lack of photos on the current MLS, he told me that it takes time to get them up, but they would be there eventually. I assumed this was an issue with the MLS system, so didn't think much about it.
I waited a few days, checking the MLS and company site daily for updates. After 5 days with no change, I called him to ask what was going on and to check our marketing progress. He basically avoided the photo issue completely and then went on to tell me he had missed the deadline for the "Homes & Land" magazine so we wouldn't be in the current issue. (Apparently the deadline was Wednesday and it was now Friday. Not sure why he missed it, but he did). He also informed me that for reasons he could not explain, he was NOT going to be able to advertise our home in any newspaper ads. When pressed for details, he told me it was simply "company policy."
Well, it took 10 days (from contract signing) to finally get our photos listed on the MLS and a full 2.5 weeks to even be listed on the company web site. In the meantime, we did have our first agent open-house. He was late (of course) so I ended up showing the house to the first 3 agents who came through. Even so, the feedback was all positive -- house shows great, landscaping is wonderful, pricing is right on, etc. Because he NEVER calls us, we had to call him to find out how it went.
2 more weeks went by with no word from him whatsoever. I finally called to see what was going on and requested that he plan another open-house (either agent, community, or both). He didn't want to do a community open-house because, as he put it, "Those are usually on weekends and I like to spend weekends with my family." After a bit of arguing, he finally agreed to host another agent open-house the next week.
Once again, he was late to this open-house (30 minutes). Even so, from all accounts, this open-house went great as well. I got that feedback from friends who knew agents who came through -- my agent doesn't seem to know how to use the phone to call me.
6 weeks after signing our contract, we had ZERO potential buyers come through. I was told by several people that they had requested information on our home via email, but had not received a response. When I went to our listings online, I noticed that the "contact me" link went to a different email address than what was listed on our agent's business card. When I asked him about this, he was confused. 2 days later he called back to say he'd accidentally listed his old email address but had updated it now. Unfortunately, he could not access the old account, so any/all email requests will forever remain unknown.
I also found that calling his cell phone results in voicemail at all times and call-backs take 1-2 days. Calling the main office number gets me a receptionist who transfers my calls to his voicemail. I can't say for sure, but I know if I was a potential buyer, or a buyer's agent, I wouldn't have the patience to wait for him and would probably just eventually scratch the house off my wish-list.
We did finally get listed in the "Homes & Land" magazine (approximately 7 weeks after signing the contract). He still had not held a single community open-house. Each request by me was met with the same argument, "It takes time away from my family." After 8 weeks of that BS, I reminded him that I have a family too and my husband MUST move to another state, with or without me (I have to stay here until the house sells). I got so fed-up that I told him to just drop off some directional signs & balloons and I'd run an ad and host a community open-house myself. I believe my exact words were, "I'm not an agent, but at least I'm willing to put in the time. Plus, let's face it -- I couldn't do a worse job than you've done."
I guess that got through to him because he called the next day to say he'd host the open house for me. Then, he asked me to place (and pay for) the newspaper ad. (Apparently the "company policy" prohibiting newspaper ads was suddenly changed?!?!?) Anyway, I reminded him that newspaper ads were specifically included in our contract and didn't feel it was fair that I should have to do it. He went off on me about how expensive all his "marketing" has been and how it's really cutting into his commission. With the exception of the MLS listing and one issue of "Homes & Land" he hadn't done any marketing for 8 weeks, so I told him I had no idea what he was talking about. He finally relented and agreed to place the ad.
Sunday rolls around, the open house is from 2-5pm. He shows up at 2:15 with 2 balloons for the For-Sale sign. He did not put up (or even bring) any directional signs. Our home is in a subdivision 3-4 turns off a main road. Easy to get to, but certainly NOT a neighborhood you'd just find accidentally. Drive-by traffic is very limited. As it turns out, he also did NOT place the newspaper ad. Needless to say, the whole day was a total bust. 1 person stopped by but they weren't even remotely qualified for our price range.
Fast-forward to today... My husband had to move 2 weeks ago. I'm still here. We haven't had another agent open-house since week 4. We did have a 2nd community open-house this past weekend (ad in the paper too -- I was amazed!) but my agent "forgot" that he had plans already, so he was only able to stay for the first 45 minutes. After that, he handed off our house and keys to some other agent from his company. I've never met the woman, nor did he even bring me a business card of hers so that I could contact her.
I left my cell phone number for her in case there were any questions. Luckily, she seems to have more sense than him and called me immediately to confirm she was there to handle things. She also called several times with questions from potential buyers. I think I talked to her more in 2 hours than I have with my agent ever!
Our contract with him is up in 13 days. Personally, I think he's done an incredibly bad job, is totally unprofessional and I don't wish to renew. However, I would like to stick with the agency, as the other agents I've met seem much more proactive and qualified.
Here's my ultimate question -- Am I over-reacting? Expecting too much from an agent? Is this situation even remotely "normal" or am I right in thinking that he's completely wasted our time and possibly cost us potential showings? I'm just so frustrated!
"but finally decided to go with an agent from the most prestigious, well-known agency here in Brunswick, GA"
1. Call the broker/owner of this shop, discuss everything that has happened. I'd also print this post you made, and fax it over to him.
2. Call another realtor and discuss your situation, it's never too late to cut your losses. I would also ask to talk to this new realors broker as well, as he/she will be the most informed when it comes to cancelling a contract.
3. Cancel with that donkey, and be sure to post how "great" he is on any military forums that you may have access to. While he may still be entitiled to a commission or a % of a commission if one of the buyers he brought to the table ends up buying the house, it's highly unlikely that would happen. I'm not sure about the real estate laws there, however here in CA the agent has to provide a written list of all clients he's "obtained". If any of those clients buy the house, they would get the commission. Now, it doesn't sound like he even has your address or phone number written down, so I highly doubt he's noted any possible buyers names or contact info down. Your only concern is if he happens to find the password to his old e-mail account written down in his "I forget everything, and am very disrespectful document storage box", although it's quite likely he's forgotton where he stashed it.
Unfortunately you did make a mistake by keeping him at the first two days where he didn't show, then verbally cussed you out. The good news is, you can fix the mistake now by getting an agent to push your house. Be sure and use the past experience to your benefit as a motivation for the new agent.
From your mention of how people liked the house on the initial few showings, hopefully it will sell quickly.
Good luck with your sale...
(Oh an btw, I do have my real estate license, but it pertains to finance so while I'm technically a real estate agent, I am not a realtor, and I do not sell or purchase houses for a living. The reason I mention this, is because everything I've mentioned comes from my gaining the info from books. Although I'm pretty sure everything I've said is sound, I'm not positive it is all correct.)
I think that you should drop this guy He is looking out for himself insstead of you and sadly enough 80% of agents are the same way. If you have met any real estate agents that you feel can do a better job go with them. Because you are just wasting your time with this guy. I know several agents who are just like him and I know other agents who go above and beyond to sell their clients homes with in a month. It seems his priorities aren't in this business.
It's long past apparent that this agent is not a fit for your needs.
Without getting into a lot of analysis of the professional shortcomings of this agent, the bottom line is you contracted for professional services and representation which has not been delivered and has cost you a lot of wasted time and energy, not to mention expense.
Visit immediately with the agent's managing broker and find out if they have another agent in the office who can properly service your listing.
Absent a warm fuzzy feeling about their ability to fulfil their contracted and represented performance, cancel with them immediately and seek another realty firm.
Perhaps you've already interviewed another firm in the beginning that might have also been suitable? Call them up and get your house into the market with someone you trust better than your current situation.
Thanks for the quick replies. It's nice to know that others think he's a total "donkey" I'm going to follow your advice, contact the managing broker directly and go over all these details. Luckily, I'm over-organized and have kept track of all dates/times/broken promises/showings/late arrivals, etc.
Although there is NO way I will renew my contract with Mr. Donkey, I'm afraid I'm going to lose more time and potential buyers by having to start all over again. If I cancel my contract, does that remove my MLS listing immediately? What if I stay with the same agency? Will they keep it active, but just change the agent info?
My husband is headed back to Iraq in a few months and we're both fearful that I will not be able to move to be with him before that happens. I know it sounds stupid, but we're newlyweds and it's been hard to live apart for the past 2 weeks. Even the thought of not seeing each other for the next 12+ months is devastating. (A 7-month separation due to deployment is not great, but we've prepared ourselves for that. Losing the months prior to deployment due to the ineptitude and laziness of a real estate agent is just maddening!)
Starting over at this point may be a better way to get a "fresh" start in the marketplace than hanging in there with the existing poor relationship.
A new listing in the MLS will move to the top of the "new" listings and perhaps bring renewed attention to your property.
If there's an agent out there working with a client who may have heard about you home in the past, this may bring it back up again. Do something different about the listing ... better description, new pictures ... anything to create new interest in your place.
First comment, the second the agent used profanity would have been the second to contact his broker! But you gave him a chance to redeem himself and he blew it. Definitely time to move on. Meeting with the managing broker is a very good idea. If he/she responds well, very likely you could be assigned to the best agent in the office.
A couple of quick points that may help shape expectations (although each state and office policy will differ):
1) To get a listing in MLS is a fairly quick process--perfecting it takes a few days. In our office, our admin staff handles the actual entry to verify that no 'illegal' info or photos are input. This can result in delay of 1-2 days if the listing agreement is signed on a Friday or weekend. Photos may take longer if the admin desk is very busy, but after 7 days our MLS charges a fee for each day the photos are not posted.
2)Deadlines for publications like Homes & Land are several weeks ahead of print and distribution dates. I keep a list of the submission deadlines and review that with clients when taking a listing. It is not uncommon to have a delay of several weeks to get a listing into that particular magazine, since it has a 6 week run. But your agent should have been aware of that.
3)Company policy against newspaper ads?? I would be curious to hear the broker's reaction to that!
If you interview another agent, ask him/her to provide you with a list of the magazine submission/publication dates, the newspaper ad deadlines, the Open House submission deadlines for your MLS/newspaper, and whether or not any agent caravans will be scheduled for your home, and if so, what dates.
Even though you may lose time by changing, it's really just an illusion of losing time. You just need to cut your losses, and try something that works.
If someone continues to push on the door with the sign that blatantly says pull... well it's probably best to find someone who actually can read, and knows how to pull open a door. Sure it will take time for them to get on location...but when it's all said and done the door of opportunity will open for you.
OMG get RID of him. RE Agents are a dime a dozen...if you are lucky enough to find a professional upfront good one they are worth their weight in gold.
You have been given some great advice by some agents in this thread I would act upon it...
Epic...you are NOT over-reacting and I am appalled that some agents behave that way. I have found that agents who don't keep their clients in the loop are the agents who have clients who babysit them. Instead of suffering in silence or having to settle for venting on a message board, why don't you contact the agents broker and let him/her know what's happened? I don't know how things are in GA, but in my office the last thing we want is a sit down with the broker about how poorly we've managed a listing.
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I'm going to follow your advice, contact the managing broker directly and go over all these details. Luckily, I'm over-organized and have kept track of all dates/times/broken promises/showings/late arrivals, etc. 
