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I have a situation that I would like some help with on some land I listed in January.
The agent I listed with has not done 3-4 things he told me he would do. First off, instead of doing a Virtual Tour like he said all he's done is take a few pictures from the road.
He told me my land would be featured in a local magazine that came out 2 weeks ago, it wasn't.
On his companies website there is a very minimal description of the property, like 15 words, not anything that would generate any interest of the land at all, the MLS Listing included. The company site should have a bit more info than the MLS right?
I emailed his company about it and was told he would fix it or failing that to contact the broker that owns the office.
It's been a week and he has changed nothing and has not even called me.
To make matters worse, I actually saw his broker at WalMart and she told me they were updating their site and it might be awhile, give it time,etc., and so on, but she was rude and was more interested in her shopping than my problem.
So now instead of just being unhappy with the agent I am really pissed at the whole office and do not want to keep my listing with these people.
I would just pull the property from the market but I really need to sell it, I have done a better job of advertising it myself than these people have so why should I have to pay them 8%?
Any advice or ideas?
Many Thanks! John
Nothing ticks sellers off more than agents who do not follow through on the "campaign promises" they used to get the listing, and don't communicate.
It's understandable that you want to cancel the listing, but since you signed a contract, the broker would have to agree to release you from the contract. And every broker is different. Sometimes they will require a payment (maybe in the neighborhood of $1000) to release you from the contract. Sometimes they will recognize that there is no point to doing business with someone against their will, and cancel voluntarily.
If you can't get your agent to take your concerns seriously, you can request cancellation, but there's no guarantee your broker will cooperate.
First I would start o put everything in writing and send it with certified mail and give them a deadline to make to changes and ask them to respond to your letter in a reasonable time and put in their that otherwise you cancel your listing with them. Ask around if the broker/realtor doesn't do all this if you are legally correct and otherwise report the broker and realtor. At least you have written prove you tried to solve the issue.Good Luck. Again this is why I dislike these so called professional. Collecting their commision, well that doesn't take 24 hours but doing the work, that takes forever.
I wouldn't stay with a realtor I wasn't happy with. They are working FOR YOU. If they are that irresponsible with how they are handling everything now, I wouldn't expect it to get better. You need someone who will follow through with what they say and to market your property to sell to the best of their ability. I would definitely go with someone else. Why should you have to put up with their bs?
Hi, John,
I'm sorry you are unhappy with the current realtor you are working with. I agree that there is nothing more frustrating that having promises made and then not having them fulfilled. If you are not happy with the agent, and his broker, you should discuss it with them. You may or may not have a problem getting out of the listing agreement. Personally, if someone does NOT want to work with me, I wouldn't want to force them. However, you do have a contract with them.
However, just a couple points, either to have corrected should you stay with this firm or for your info should you re-list with someone else:
I looked at both your online listing and the realtor's website. You do have a lot of info on your FSBO site. Your realtor does have a slide show of 6 pictures once you clicked on the property. He may be calling this a Virtual Tour. Not sure why they had the map be the initial picture. This should be easy to change. As to verbage on the website, since this is a franchise, they may be limited in the amount of space designated for descriptions. Definitely something you should ask about.
As to advertising in the local magazine, keep in mind that the leadtime for submitting ad copy may be several weeks out. I'm in northern NM, and we just submitted ad copy last week for a magazine that won't be out until the end of March. The magazine is a double issue, so we won't have another ad until the end of May. This is not to excuse your realtor - the ad cut off dates are established at the beginning of every year and if your ad was not going to be in a promised issue, they should have told you. Again, just info for future reference.
I can certainly understand how frustrating this must be for you.
I have one thing for you though, I think it is unfair for you to expect the broker to take the time to address your problems fully while she's shopping at Wal-Mart. That is her personal time. If your boss called you while you were at home on your time off, and expected you to deal with something work-related right away, you wouldn't be very happy would you?
Even though we often work nights and weekends, and any hours our clients need us, we do also deserve some time to ourselves and for our families.
Last edited by Michelle Morris; 03-04-2008 at 10:25 AM..
Reason: Spelling and grammar
Land is difficult for pictures. Usually, your posting pics of a bunch of trees. Doesn't exactly give a feel for the property. Lot size/dimensions, topo maps, FLPL if applicable, and highlighting any permits in hand give potential buyers more information. Proximity to wetlands too, if applicable. I don't understand why anyone would agree to do a Virtual Tour on a lot unless it is of the neighborhood or local points of interest. There's really nothing to "tour".
It's all about what a potential buyer is allowed to build on the lot, the landscape (topography) and what's nearby to make that particular location more attractive than another.
IMHO
I have done virtual tours of lots that I wanted to get the panoramic view of the lot, and if there is something worthwhile that shows across the street, area, etc. It really depends on the lot though.
Some agents call slide shows virtual tours, so it is a little confusing to consumers sometimes. Those home magazine books have a 4-6 week lead time, as already mentioned, so he may have missed the deadline for the issue that came out two weeks ago.
I also agree that approaching the broker at Wal-mart to talk with her about your problem was not appropriate. The fact that you are angry with her for not being nice while she wasn't working doesn't seem fair to me.
So, you do need to contact the broker AT WORK, and talk with her about the promises that were made. I am hoping that you have all of your agreed upon marketing plans in writing with time frames.
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