could one agent be better than another?

[cully]

You might also look to see that it's listed correctly on your local mls site and realtor.com.

If you can see a virtual tour or online pix of the listing you mention that sold with less sq. footage and you don't like the decor or something...that could tell you that others like something you don't. Not that that's generally an issue but since you're trying to sell you may want to redirect.

[jdhall1]

Not all agents work, communicate, negoitate and market properties that same way. In some cases when the home is priced fine but still not sold, a different marketing plan and apporach can make difference. This year, I took over a listing that was off and on the market for the last 6 years with 4 other agents in town. It was priced well the last time, but it still didn't sell after 6 months.

I restaged the about 1/2 of the house, installed air freshners (since it was vacant), weeded the yard, took all new much better professional quality photos, new copy, had the home featured in several different online venues other companys don't offer, and I was able to get the home deposited in less 2 months being on the market.

[beera]

Originally Posted by luluwas

my current listing is about to expire in a couple of weeks. i definitely will not be re listing with the same company. i have started interviewing other agents, several in fact. they are all surprised as to why my house hasn't sold, priced right, good size, lots of showings no offers. not even suggesting to lower the price and they all seem confident they can sell and market the house better than it has been. none of the agents that i am interviewing brought clients to my house in the past 5 months, and not sure why?
so what went wrong here? is one agent or company (well known) really going to make the difference? another home in my area that was priced higher and had less square footage and amenities just got sold, not sure if the agent has anything to do with it or if a buyer just really wanted that one. not sure if the buyers looked at mine too or wasn't shown mine at all. i am not looking to make an excuse as to why my house isn't sold, nor place blame, and i am told it is not overpriced. so can your agent be the issue?

I assume you don't live there or you would know if your agent had been showing the house?

If the agent hasn't shown the house I'd ask him if there has even been any interest in the house.

No not all agents are the same. But you haven't really established what your agent has or has not done. If he's been showing but you haven't received offers, it's time to get feedback on your property.

I think it wouldn't hurt to change agents if you feel your current is doing nothing.

[oldtrader]

Facts about the real estate business.

1: Many agents specialize in listing homes, and others specialize in selling homes. If you list with a Realtor, your home is for sale not only with your agent, but the entire multiple listing service. The odds are very strong, that your home will be sold by an agent other than the one that lists the property. If your home does not get sold during the listing and others do, means that other homes appealed to buyers more than your home does.

2: The big question: How many homes are for sale in your area that are in any way comparable to your home, and how many of these homes have sold during the time of your listing? If numerous homes are for sale and few sales, that alone can be the reason your home has not sold. Not enough potential buyers, for the available for sale stock. Then only the most appealing homes are going to sell.

3: Curb appeal sells homes. Homes are sold, because of the pictures in the Multiple Listing website and books. Homes are sold, when a prospective buyer is driven up to the home. An agent above tells how he even goes out to his listing and pulls weeds, etc., to make sure the home is appealing. The first 1 minute of the home visit when the buyer comes up to the home, will make or break the sale. Not only do buyers look at your home, but also at the ones on either side of it. If either of the other homes have weed patches and grass a foot high, turns buyers off your home as it makes your neighborhood look run down. It is important that when a buyer comes to look at your home, that the outside looks very inviting. If it does not, no matter how nice it is inside they have already rejected your home. It is important, that the outside look they first get when going to look at your home they feel it is a home they would be proud and happy to come home to. If not, why should they want to buy it and have to come home to a place their company when going to see them, would be impressed about how nice a home you have.

4: Is the inside clean, and gleaming. Carpet cleaned. Windows washed. No mess, but everything in order and not too much stuff in the rooms to make them look crowded. Again it is showtime, and this is what sells homes.

I learned a trick 40 years ago that helped sell homes. I was a commercial/investment broker from December 1971 till I retired. I did not personally sell homes as personal residences (though I sold as many as 13 in a day to investors), but had to get rid of a lot of homes owned by investors. I found that to give the home a look of quality they needed a Chandelier. Most dining fixtures are cheap ones in most homes. I found I could buy a cheap Chandelier at Sears, Target, Low's etc., on sale. I would install it, and make sure it was always on when someone saw the home with or without furniture. Women would see all that glass shining in the Chandelier and the whole home said quality to them. I found hard to sell homes, suddenly became hot items by that one change. I always charged the seller for the Chandelier at closing. In all the years I was in the business I never had a home listing expire.

The curb appeal, and something that says quality inside when the potential buyer sees the home is what sells it. If other homes have more appeal than yours, they will sell before yours does. Make sure your home, is the best looking if you want to sell it with the best curb appeal, and the best look inside.

[luluwas]

1st, yes i did tour the home that sold and i was not impressed, not because every seller thinks their house is better than their comps but because they had 2 less rooms than mine, 1 less garage than mine, and their basement was not finished to the extent or quality of mine, lacking many features amenities and size.
before i listed i decluttered, power washed, updated landscaping, cleaned carpets, steamed floors, touched up (neutral) paint.
i am on mls i have pictures and tours online which i get a lot of traffic. i follow on trulia and realtor.com i know my comps sold and active. i live in a great family neighborhood, and i have been told by everyone who ever up until today who steps inside my house how beautiful it is and how anyone would love to live here. as i mentioned 3 agents in this area said there is nothing wrong, and are also confused as to why it hasn't sold. so i believe my agent is not aggressive, is not used to a higher priced market, (hasn't personally brought any buyers thru) and is as someone said, acting as a listing agent. i'm not sure why one post asked if i lived here or not, i do, and i stage it perfectly for every showing. there are 3 comments i get, 1 is a condo rental complex under construction on the main road. this new complex is on the main route and you pass it to get to my house (which is better IMO than the traffic passing thru my block to get to it) 2nd i am not a huge development but a secluded enclave cud-de-sac of about 15 homes all big beautiful and well maintained with kids of all ages. and lastly, just not the right home for their clients.
this is where an aggressive high powered agent would come in handy, accentuate the positive, follow up with agents that actually show the home on more timely basis and point out why i am a better house, etc. you know "sell" my house.

anyway it's a moot point because i have been asking around and i am finding that connections, and references go a long way.
i didn't interview this agent when i hired him i just listed because he was a former neighbor and i thought i should give him a shot. what did i have to lose, he is an agent in my area, he works with a big company so the exposure would be the same as any agency (or so i thought) and it was a hot market at the time. well i learned a valuable and stressful lesson. and i am just hoping that it is about the connections that an agent has or the company they are with.

[Cdarocks]

Originally Posted by luluwas

anyway it's a moot point because i have been asking around and i am finding that connections, and references go a long way.
i didn't interview this agent when i hired him i just listed because he was a former neighbor and i thought i should give him a shot. what did i have to lose, he is an agent in my area, he works with a big company so the exposure would be the same as any agency (or so i thought) and it was a hot market at the time. well i learned a valuable and stressful lesson. and i am just hoping that it is about the connections that an agent has or the company they are with.

You know, I learned the hard way how important it is to interview, listen, and ask questions of several agents before choosing one. The first agent I ever worked with really took advantage of our youth and naivete (I was 23). The second couple I worked were incompetent and the brokerage actually let us out of the contract after my complaints. Both instances involved agents representing large companies. I finally took the advice of someone much wiser than I who put me in contact with a truly great agent. The different in professionalism, expertise and confidence was evident from the first few minutes of conversation. She said the house was priced too low (what!) and she re-listed it and got it sold quickly. My prior bad experiences with real estate were all about my poor choices. No longer!

[Bill Keegan]

Originally Posted by luluwas

anyway it's a moot point because i have been asking around and i am finding that connections, and references go a long way.
i didn't interview this agent when i hired him i just listed because he was a former neighbor and i thought i should give him a shot. what did i have to lose, he is an agent in my area, he works with a big company so the exposure would be the same as any agency (or so i thought) and it was a hot market at the time. well i learned a valuable and stressful lesson. and i am just hoping that it is about the connections that an agent has or the company they are with.

So, what is it you think your new agent is going to do that will get the house sold? And before you answer that, I'd like to point to a statement from your OP;

lots of showings no offers.

Until you get an offer, the primary function of the listing agent is to MARKET the property. The make potential buyers aware of the property and to get them to come see it. To generate showings to qualified buyers. Your OP says that you had "lots of showings," suggesting to me that your agent was adept at this portion of the job. So, what caused those potential buyers to choose to NOT offer to buy your house? Was it something about the property itself? Or was it somehow the fault of the listing agent? What action did he take or fail to take, that a new agent will correct so that those "lots of showings" will translate to an offer or two? How will an agent's "connections" impact whether a looker decides to make an offer?

[oldtrader]

1

[oldtrader]

my current listing is about to expire in a couple of weeks. i definitely will not be re listing with the same company. i have started interviewing other agents, several in fact. they are all surprised as to why my house hasn't sold, priced right, good size, lots of showings no offers. not even suggesting to lower the price and they all seem confident they can sell and market the house better than it has been

Your agent has done the job you hired them to do which is to attract prospective buyers to your home---You have had lots of showings. That is all your agent can do, unless they happen to find a buyer to buy the home personally which is usually not going to happen. Another agent, may or may not be able to attract more or less showings than yours has. If a home has had a lot of showings, then the fault really is there is something that is is keeping it from selling, other than not being seen by lots of people. This is usually the fault of the house for one reason or another that is turning off prospective buyers, or else homes are not selling in your neighborhood.

none of the agents that i am interviewing brought clients to my house in the past 5 months, and not sure why?

In other words, none of those agents, are working to sell homes like yours in your neighborhood. None of them are really interested in selling your home, only getting a listing. If you list with a different agent, find one that specializes in selling homes like yours in your particular neighborhood. You may want to consider the agent, that sold the other home. They are working on selling homes in your neighborhood, and have done it. That is the type of agent you need. And that agent may be able to tell you why your house has not sold, as they are familiar with the neighborhood.

The big question you did not answer, is how many homes have been sold within a one mile square, and during that time period how many homes have been sold. If there are 50 homes for sale as an example, and there have only been 2 sales during the listing period, then your part of town is proving to be very poor to attract sales and may take a long time to sell when the exact match of a buyer comes along. If there have never been more than 10 for sale at a time, and there have been 25 sales, then that is when you need to question why your home has not sold.

this is where an aggressive high powered agent would come in handy, accentuate the positive, follow up with agents that actually show the home on more timely basis and point out why i am a better house, etc. you know "sell" my house.

You have a high powered agent, as they are getting you lots of showings. Following up after the fact as you suggest, is too late to sell your home. Either the potential buyer is interested in your home, or they are not at the first showing. If interested they may come back a time or two before buying, but if they are rejecting your home, they are doing it at the first viewing and your agent putting pressure on the ones showing the home, is going to do nothing to sell your home and will turn them off of showing the home to another prospect.

You say your agent has not suggested lowering the price. This is usually an indication, your home is not overpriced, and it is not price that is keeping it from selling.

As long as you have had lots of showings as you say, quit blaming the agent, and look for what is turning off potential buyers. Look at your home from the curb. How does it compare to the homes that have sold. Is there something wrong with your home that other homes are more appealing than yours. The first minute seeing the home from the curb, can make or break the sale of your home. There may be something that you like, but other people hate about the look of your home. There are often inexpensive things you can do, that give your home more curb appeal. Curb appeal sells homes. Is the trim color unusual, and turns buyers off. I have bought numerous homes 20% under value that were not selling during a hot market. I found something like a poor color of trim, could be changed and a nice profit made. Another trick, is to paint the entrance door red which is attractive to buyers. It sure catches their eyes, and brightens up the front of many homes. Sold a few homes for me and made a nice profit. Are your front lighting fixtures by the garage attractive. Changing them is not expensive, but can give the home better curb appeal. SIMPLY LOOK AT YOUR HOME, AND SEE IF YOU CAN WITH LITTLE COST IMPROVE THE CURB APPEAL OF THE HOME. Lots of showings and no offers even low ball ones, indicate something is wrong with your curb appeal.

Go through the inside. Can hanging a Chandelier in the dining room and having it on, make your home look better. Same for other lighting fixtures, look for problems. Would new switch and plug plates, make the home look better. Low cost way to improve many homes. Have used new door/drawer pulls in the kitchen many times to upgrade and up date kitchens. Look for ways to inexpensively make make your home more appealing to potential buyers. If you have a fireplace, is it going when the home is shown this time of year if in a cold climate. Makes a home feel homey, and a home people would like to live in. Are lights on in all the rooms, when the prospect arrives. This alone will help sell homes as the home is bright and cheery to peoples eyes.

As you go through a home looking for inexpensive ways to make it look better, you may find something that is turning people off.

If a home is getting lots of showings for 5 months and no offers, there has to be something wrong with the home that you are overlooking. Find what it is, and then and only then will the house sell.