OK here the deal is. Advertising does not sell homes, but more exposure will always help a home to be sold. Remember that it is not question what seller wants or has to get, it is the buyer’s perception of value which determine if your house will sell or does not sell.

If the other agent tells you that has buyers why just she/he does not bring them? The system works like that if a buyer calls for some add it is agent job to rail them in and show them all the properties in the price range, so if this agent has buyers interested to buy a property in this price range, it is not a problem just to bring them. And it is not ethical of the anthers agent side to prospecting you when you are still under contract with other broker.

If you’re listing agent just agreed with the price just to get the listing and pushing you down just fire the broker or ask him for another agent. If you would like to hire somebody else, first you need to fire your current broker.

Get your agent to show you the sales in your area in the past 60-90 days. Also the pending sales this will show you what prices people are interested in.

Also keep in mind we have A Lot Less buyers to buy in today's market because the lenders keep making it tougher to buy homes. The minimum credit scores to qualify keep rising.

Is your house in perfect shape? In a good are in your neighborhood? Are you offering the selling agent a full commission? Does it have good curb appeal? Keep in mind the buyers who are qualified have a lot of choices. The question you should ask yourself is "What do I have to do to make my house the one they pick of out the 30+they will look at?"

And finally-Forget about what price you need to get, ask your agent to tell you the truth and not what you want to hear! If she won't hire an appraiser to do a listing appraisal for you. It may cost you a couple of hundred bucks but it's important to know what your house is worth in today's market.

Once you answer these questions then make a decision as to whether or not this is the right time to sell!

Hope that helps!

"Is your house in perfect shape? In a good are in your neighborhood? Are you offering the selling agent a full commission?"

Tony,

Should it matter about what commission being offered? I think it is that menatlity that gives Brokers and Agents a bad reputation. I know we don't live in a perfect world, but I would hope that if someone is practicing RE in this market that they are looking at their clients as longterm relationships. So, I hope agents would show them all the properties that are available, and not just the ones that are offering cooperating brokers full commission.

Just a thought.

Justin

Why is being motivated by a paycheck bad for real estate agents?

Is it seen as greedy when other people go to their jobs with expectations of making a certain amount of money at the end of the week? Is it seen as greedy if the cashier at Wal Mart refuses to work for less pay? Is it seen as greedy if a secretary wants to take a higher paying job?

Yes, we all like to say that we're "serving" people but we're not philanthropists. We are in this business to pay bills and put food on our table, to put our kids through college, to put gas in the car just like everyone else.

Only unlike everyone else, we don't get paid every week or every two weeks, and many of us give up 1/2 to 1/4 of our paycheck to another party (broker) and then we have to pay for all of our marketing and other business expenses on top of that....mls dues, realtor dues, lock boxes, signs, software that is required, continuing education....how the heck are we supposed to pay for all of our expenses (which do NOT go down, they only go UP) if we're supposed to cut our pay every time someone whines about it?

My opinion is this: if you don't want to pay the commission, then do it yourself. If you want a realtor to do it for you, then expect to pay the commission. Just like anything else.

Sure, any monkey can paint their own house. But lots of people see the value in hiring a professional painter to do the job for them.

Is the painter seen as greedy if he won't lower his fee just because the owner doesn't want to pay it? Is the contractor seen as greedy because he turns a job down that will not be as profitable as another?

You have to impress with something different with your home.. so try to ad something like interesting painting or something in your back yard... something like this.

Justin if you have been in the market for awhile you know the reality.

I have posted on this many times.Out of all agents about 85 percent are new and enter the market each year. Most don't make it past the first year. Most have a limited number of buyers and sellers to work with so they are going to try to get the most money out of each transaction with the lowest expense.

If there are 10 homes in a subdivision that meets there buyers criteria and 3 pay 4 percent,3 pay 3 percent, and 4 pay 2 to 2.5 percent which ones do you think the agent will show???

The reality is most of the market is made up of new agents and most of those new agents can't land listings so they are mainly buyers agents. Some agents also rebate back part of there commission if it's legal in there state and they have to have a certain co-op spread to make it work for them.

Look everybody dreams of what everything SHOULD be when it's more important to focus on what IS. Some brokers/agents are not realtors so they are not bound by association or code of ethics rules period.

Well, you learnt something: a new clause in your next contract.

"Listing broker and sellers understand and agree that seller can cancel this contract at anytime, for any reason. If so, listing broker and seller understand and agree that there is no financial penalty of any kind for such cancelation"

I've been screwed so many times by Real Estate agents that I passed the license for myself...Sad...

The only way to be sure that your agent hasn't done anything other than the MLS is to ask. Have your agent send you copies of the ads that are placed and where. Have other homes in your area gone under contract? What was different about theirs vs. yours?

I tend to think this market is more about marketing than any other. You need to outshine AND outmarket your competition AND be priced right. It's also about being proactive as owners and not relying on our agents 100%...it needs to be a team effort! Ask your agent what you can do to help!