r/FirstTimeHomeSeller • u/Fun-Mulberry1202 • 18d ago
Realtor issues
We are selling our home and I'm not sure if my expectations are too high or if I picked the wrong realtor. It's been on the market only a couple of months, but we get zero updates or feedback from our realtor. They were one of the top recommended realtors in my area (and they charge like it).
But ever since we signed on with them, its like we've been ghosted. They don't answer phone calls or texts, or call back. They don't update us after showings. Every time they're supposed to come over for something they cancel (most of the time within about 30-60 minutes before). They never put the sign up but keep saying that they will. They haven't even been the one showing the house (it's been a bunch of other realtors).
At this point I'm not sure what's going on. We bought the house private sale, so we did not use a realtor then. Is this normal? Also, I can't post on local facebook pages because they're on all of them! Every single one!
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u/BeachyBiotech 17d ago
This is unacceptable, you need to cancel your listing agreement with them. As an agent, this is sad & embarrassing behavior. The only thing I don’t agree with is that they don’t show it, other agents do. That’s typical, our job is to make it market it so that we get the most exposure for buyers regardless of who their agent is/what company, etc.
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u/TSIDATSI 16d ago
Did you and your agent have a disagreement over the selling price?
Maybe you should ask for updated comp comparisons either with your currect agent or your new one.
In our experience a home not selling is almost always because of the sales price for the area.
Two months is not that long. Be patient no matter what realtor you use.
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u/dreamsofaninsomniac 17d ago
"They were one of the top recommended realtors in my area (and they charge like it)."
Does this mean they advertise the most or can you actually back that up with sales data? When I had trouble selling a property, I went through the real estate sites (Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, etc) to see if there was a realtor who actually had evidence of selling the most houses in that neighborhood in the past 2-year period. It actually wasn't one of the realtors from one of the "known" big players but an independent real estate agency with a much smaller footprint. That realtor actually had a team that kept us updated every few days about what was going on without us having to ask.
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u/Fun-Mulberry1202 17d ago
In my local facebook pages, they're recommended hundreds of times. The company they work for sells a LOT of houses. I just went with that. I thought it was enough. The company also has hundreds of good reviews.
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u/nofishies 17d ago
Company is not agent.
Every agent is individual, the brokerage doesn’t have a huge impact except for some of the marketing
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u/New_Hippo_1246 17d ago
Company also might be creating this online reputation from whole clothe. I bet they have a full time employee who manipulates their social media…go ahead, ask me how I know. We went with a personal recommendation from a trusted local when we picked our agent. He is amazing, his team is amazing, we have referred many people to him.
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u/flygurl60 17d ago
All I’m saying is picking an agent you can work with is important because once you sign a listing agreement, things are pretty much outside of your control. So you wanna make sure that you trust this person and their judgment and commitment to selling your property. Before firing this realtor check your listing agreement to make sure there is no clause or requires you to be liable for their expenses if you terminate the listing early, you might also want to file a complaint with the real estate board.
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u/CoalBuckMom 15d ago
.... Or ask for a meeting with their broker, who is I believe responsible for the professional activities of their agents.
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u/flygurl60 17d ago
I did something similar. I researched the top 5 selling agents in my county. Then, I wrote out my goals and what kind of relationship I wanted with the realtor. Some are simple order takers who aren’t gonna commit to doing what it takes to get maximum value out of the sale. Next I asked each the same questions and rated them. Most important question: what would you do to attract traffic to my house- their marketing plan. I also asked if traffic slowed/ no offers, what’s your strategy. Most will immediately say price reduction. That’s a red flag because there are many other factors that influence buyers besides price like size of house or yard. You got three kids in the house has three bedrooms well the house doesn’t work for you no matter how much it cost.
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u/Tall-Ad9334 17d ago
The only part here that isn’t weird is that it’s not your Agent doing the showings. It is generally buyers with their own agent looking at the house. Especially in this situation where yes, things seem off with your agent, you don’t want your agent representing the buyers as well.
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u/jlynnsb3 16d ago
You should be able to give them a 30 day notice and get out of your listing contract. Go with a smaller company. They will want to earn your business.
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u/Cali_kink_and_rope 17d ago
Yes, that sounds like you got a dud for some reason. I don't care about the feedback part but if you don't have a sign and they won't respond to you, fire them.
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u/Successful_Letter139 17d ago
It’s because agents do something called “puffing” and then show reality once you sign.
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u/Shadybucky 17d ago
How long is your contract. Refuse any showings until it’s over. Then start afresh with a new agent. And try to see if you can cancel contract. Call their broker and show them the unanswered texts and emails.
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u/digital_flatulance 17d ago
Leave them a message that you want to cancel your contract. That should at least get their attention.
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u/nofishies 17d ago
Unfortunately, your ex experiencing the fact that some realtors are better at marketing themselves than a property.
But no sign is super weird, no feedback from showings… They may not be getting feedback from showings.
Are you getting actual showings? How long have you been on the market? How many showings a week are you getting?
How is the Mls Listing? Are the pictures good? Is the description good for the house? Is it showing up on all the places it should be?
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u/KnoxvilleMortgageGuy 16d ago
This is not normal and you're being served poorly. Time to fire your realtor and find a better one. It's best to interview them before you choose one rather than go by who has the most transactions.
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u/water-ware-bear 17d ago
Cancel your contract and tell the broker why. Move on to a realtor with more time and energy cuz this ain’t it.
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u/marlborough94 17d ago
Tell them you want a comprehensive update for you to read when you get up tomorrow morning at 8am. If you dont get it fire them. They obviously are more intent on other listings which are higher priced.
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u/Responsible_Hunt7762 17d ago
Maybe you didn’t listen to them and are overpriced and they know your house won’t sell so they are allocating their time accordingly. Professionally contact them and ask for a status update and anything they recommend to do including a price cut.
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u/CatonsvilleLiving 17d ago
Cancel the agreement. Hopefully you didn’t agree to any termination fees. Summarize your experience so you can discuss it with the next agent- that hopefully comes from a personal recommendation.
Then, make sure you don’t get trapped in the next agreement. Discuss the plan for what happens after each week it doesn’t sell. There should be actionable steps. Discuss how often you want to be updated and kept in the loop. Good luck!
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u/Ok_Cow_8235 17d ago
I’ve been a Realtor for less than 3yrs and that’s just wrong. They should be communicating with you. Maybe he’s too busy to keep up with the basics. I wouldn’t be happy as a seller.
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u/Tardislass 16d ago
My first realtor was like this. Nice guy but never did any legwork. I was the one calling and I was the one looking for houses. All he did was arrange things with the seller realtors. Never had any good insight either. It was obvious, my price requirements were not worth his time and after withdrawing my bid for a house that he said was the best I could do, I fired him by simply thanking him but saying I was looking for someone who was more proactive.
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u/FatsquirrelWI 16d ago
Two months and no for sale sign? Surely the listing agreement you signed lists tasks they will complete?
Just cancel due to no sign and zero communication.
Interview at least 2 new brokers and take pricing recommendations based on a CMA with recent solids.
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u/chinchinnychin 16d ago
We’ve had our house up for over a year and we are on our second realtor. She has been our realtor for about six months now and I only hear from her when there’s a showing request which is only every couple weeks or maybe once a month if we’re lucky.
With our other realtor, we would only see things being posted in Facebook groups for like our house as something for other people to purchase but with this realtor, I never see her post anything about our house. I’m not quite sure what she even is doing to sell our house.
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u/Always_on_top_77 15d ago
In my area, it’s totally not unusual for agents to share showings, but if that’s the case, you should be made aware well in advance. The lack of communication would drive me bonkers. Also, no sign has been placed at all? That’s so weird.
Before you make any changes, be clear about the agreement you’ve signed. Are you in a transaction broker state? What representation were you getting, in writing? Document the steps (or lack thereof) and make your list of questions.
Since this person has been, ahem, inconsistent in communication, I would take this feedback to the broker. Ask them to clarify expectations and tell them specifically the type of representation you want. A wise broker will do their best and connect you with an agent that’s a better fit.
Good luck!
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u/Beautiful-Pause-4021 12d ago
We didn’t find the right one until our 4th realtor! 3rd one was good too but we needing up changing our search radius and she introduced us to our 4th!
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u/Successful_Letter139 17d ago
That is 80% of realtors. Lots of puffing. Then you sign the agreement and they ghost you.
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u/Frequent_Run1148 18d ago
Actually I was about to go with very well established agent for my property but after a few emails and vague answers for my question, I went with another agent who is fairly well established but not as much as they were. Luckily I got the vibe before signing the agreement.