Larry
You hire a Realtor to do a job--sell your house.
When you hired them, to what did you agree?
Did they analyze your situation, property, and market, and then present a marketing plan that you believe would accomplish what needs to be done (sell in your timeframe, net you the amount you need to net, etc.)?

The biggest problems I read about on Trulia are when the expectations of the parties are not clear from the start. Once the property does not sell in the first few weeks, then the sellers begin to wonder "what's going on?".

Here is a very brief snapshot of the selling process:
1. The Listing Agent's job is to: help the owner prepare the house for market (decluttering, staging, etc.), determine the features of the property that buyers will perceive offer the most value, then help the owner price the house to attract maximum buyer exposure.
2. If the above is done competently, the maximum exposure is the first two or three weeks on the market. WE expect 10-12 showings or one offer in the first two weeks, otherwise a price adjustment is in order. We know that the longer a property sits on the market, the greater the gap between the asking price and the sale price.
3. Key to helping the seller make the right choices is feedback. Feedback comes in two forms - agent feedback from showings, and market feedback in terms of how the homes with which you are competing are responding.

For example, the average buyer look at 10-20 homes before they buy. Most Realtors will show the seller those homes, and in my case I take the sellers to look at the homes with which they will compete. If one of these homes sells before our home, then we know that the buyers liked that home more. So as the listing is on the market, giving the seller updates on what homes are getting accepted offers, which ones are lowering their prices, which homes actually go into pending status, and which ones are taken off the market. all help the seller understand how buyers see the value of their home.

We know that 90% of the time the buyer that purchases your home will be represented by a REaltor other than the listing agent. So if there are no showings by agents, then they are not all on vacation. They are showing other homes that their buyers think offer the most value. Overpriced properties will only be shown to demonstrate to buyers why another home is a good deal.

So ask your Realtor for a market update. At the end of the update ask them how they intend to get your home sold. If you are not getting showing activity, then most of the time pricing is the main issue.

Good luck.

Larry
You hire a Realtor to do a job--sell your house.
When you hired them, to what did you agree?
Did they analyze your situation, property, and market, and then present a marketing plan that you believe would accomplish what needs to be done (sell in your timeframe, net you the amount you need to net, etc.)?

The biggest problems I read about on Trulia are when the expectations of the parties are not clear from the start. Once the property does not sell in the first few weeks, then the sellers begin to wonder "what's going on?".

Here is a very brief snapshot of the selling process:
1. The Listing Agent's job is to: help the owner prepare the house for market (decluttering, staging, etc.), determine the features of the property that buyers will perceive offer the most value, then help the owner price the house to attract maximum buyer exposure.
2. If the above is done competently, the maximum exposure is the first two or three weeks on the market. WE expect 10-12 showings or one offer in the first two weeks, otherwise a price adjustment is in order. We know that the longer a property sits on the market, the greater the gap between the asking price and the sale price.
3. Key to helping the seller make the right choices is feedback. Feedback comes in two forms - agent feedback from showings, and market feedback in terms of how the homes with which you are competing are responding.

For example, the average buyer look at 10-20 homes before they buy. Most Realtors will show the seller those homes, and in my case I take the sellers to look at the homes with which they will compete. If one of these homes sells before our home, then we know that the buyers liked that home more. So as the listing is on the market, giving the seller updates on what homes are getting accepted offers, which ones are lowering their prices, which homes actually go into pending status, and which ones are taken off the market. all help the seller understand how buyers see the value of their home.

We know that 90% of the time the buyer that purchases your home will be represented by a REaltor other than the listing agent. So if there are no showings by agents, then they are not all on vacation. They are showing other homes that their buyers think offer the most value. Overpriced properties will only be shown to demonstrate to buyers why another home is a good deal.

So ask your Realtor for a market update. At the end of the update ask them how they intend to get your home sold. If you are not getting showing activity, then most of the time pricing is the main issue.

Good luck.

I'm not a realtor; I am a Home Stager who recently sold my own home with a great realtor. He had beautiful classy flyers, sent it not only to MLS, but also so many syndicated websites that show listings on the internet. A big internet presence is important, such as Realtor. com, Trulia, etc.

Open houses have pros and cons - they don't typically bring a buyer, but interested parties often use them to come back and check it out again.

Communication with your agent is key. I am somewhat disappointed that your agent hasn't communicated to you exactly what he has done, but it is certainly your right, since he works for you, to respectfully request exactly where and how your house is being marketed.
How are the pictures? Is there a virtual tour? In my opinion, pictures are second only to price in importance.
What about broker's open and caravans? Exposure to the general public is important of course, but so is getting the attention of the agents who will eventually bring the buyers.
Has your agent kept on top of the comparables to make sure the house continues to be priced correctly?
There's so much more that goes into having a listing than what you think. Give your agent a chance to prove that to you. If he can't show you anything more than what you have stated, and is not willing to do more than that, then I would talk to his broker.
I would give him the benefit of the doubt because many people have no idea how much realtors do. I didn't until I started doing it.
Good luck wih everything!

Larry,

There is a TON more that they can be doing other than the MLS and a sign but to make sure that they are just doing what you say have you asked them to give you an update on all the things they are doing?


Sean Dawes