Melissa Stolaas

Carolyn,

Sorry to hear you are having a tough time with your agent. Your time is valuable and if nothing else, it may be that your agent doesn't manage their time very well. I don't know what area of Huntsville your home is in, but last minute open house signs don't benefit much at all anywhere. Most likely, she is doing these repeated open houses to appease you, and doesn't have much enthusiasm towards their effectiveness. In the Huntsville area, the most important advertising that you can do is online and through the web. That's where the real results come in. My advise in this situation is to ask her what she's doing to market your house and ask to see the results of that marketing. I use a program that includes a weekly seller's report indicating how many e-tour hits your listing is getting on a daily basis and where those hits are coming from. It's a tough time to sell right now for most home owners, but it certainly can be done. It can be tough for some agents to be upfront about the lack of activity on a listing and therefore find themselves avoiding conversations (not calling you back). It's important to have an experienced agent who is being productive and selling in this market, who can also be upfront and give it to you straight.

If you aren't happy with your agent, you can ask to have your listing withdrawn. Although it isn't required, most agents will oblige. She's probably already feeling your dissatisfaction, which may also be a reason she's avoiding your calls.

Good luck!
Melissa Stolaas
Broker Associate - ABR
EXIT Realty
Huntsville, AL
256-655-7850 - Fri Oct 30 2009, 14:25