Fire-able offense?

Question

If you had your home listed at a certain price and discussed with your realtor a price reduction, then followed up with an email to her confirming the new price you wanted it listed at...and then a month later pulled up the listing and saw that it was still listed at the old price...would you fire the realtor?

This is what just happened to me yesterday; I guess I need to do a little better follow-up when I request a change to a listing.

Joel Owens · Answer

Brian,

In your listing agreement you signed it should say acceptable forms of communication that are selected e-mail,written,fax,certified mail,etc.

If e-mail wasn't selected then contractually that is not given proper notice for  a price change.

Did she confirm BACK to you when you sent the e-mail about the price drop?? For a price drop you usually have to get a sellers signature for that.

I wouldn't have done it by e-mail.When sending they could never receive it or it bounced from the companies server. When sending an e-mail I always ask to confirm that they received it.If I do not get the e-mail conformation back I call them to confirm.

I find many times companies are having e-mail issues,phone issues,website issues,fax issues,etc.

Joel Owens · Answer

Just be cordial with your current agent and exit nicely.You never know they might come across a buyer in their network later on that wants your property.

I find it pays to be nice even when not warranted in many instances.Of course there are always times it's not possible.

Don't focus on your mistakes.You can still sell it today with the right plan put into action and a broker/agent more aligned with your goals.

J Scott · Answer

Brian -

You did the right thing.  My only suggestion is that it shouldn't have taken you a month to confirm whether the price drop had taken effect.  You should have noticed that 24 hours after your request (it literally takes 3 minutes to make that change by your agent).

The fact that it sat at the wrong price for a month is your fault, but yes, that certainly is a fireable offense.

Ziv Magen · Answer

I think this demonstrates the only reason one should work with realtors, is do they bring anything unique to the table? If you're just using her to upload your listings and manage them on MLS for you (and sounds like that's all she's doing, and not too well), there are cheaper ways to do it. Unfortunately, it often feels like too many realtors out there forgot what it means to be a realtor - on your toes, in depth in your local market, making, updating and perfecting sellers and buyers lists, etc etc. A great and lazy bunch of them seem to think they can put a few ads online and on paper, get their names and reputations out and about at the sellers expense, and then just sit there and wait for the phone to ring and the commissions to come in.

Sounds like she's doing you a favor. Ditch her.

Ibrahim Hughes · Answer

Anytime I come across a problem (something I learned in helping to run a youth organization for the past 6 years) it's time to implement a procedure to ensure it doesn't happen again. Just saying 'I got to follow up better with my agent next time" might not cut it. Put a written policy in place that makes sense so that the next time you can confirm that the price was dropped (and any other changes you requested). Written policies or procedures are also good for employees that you may have working for you and in charge of marketing your properties. Can't rely on yourself, let alone an employee, to remember every important thing when it comes to a rehab project.  I like the idea of having the next Realtor emailing you a copy of the listing reflecting all requested changes.

This is why I decided to get licensed. I'm too much of a control freak and this was the best way I could think of to exert maximum control over the marketing and sales of a rehab.

Ned Carey · Answer

Good point Joel Owens,  I had an agent get his seller client to sign a second contract when I already had the property under contract. Later that same agent found a buyer when I turned around and wholesaled the deal.

Ned Carey · Answer

Unless I had some other good reason to stay with that real estate agent I would dump her. She clearly isn't paying attention to your listing.

Ryan Moses · Answer

A month is too long for the Realtor not to have made the price change.
Unless there is a very valid reason for that i would look for another Realtor

Vernon Hires · Answer

I say you made the right decision. This was a key detail that the agent should have updated immediately Just remember for future reference to get everything in writing. It is always better to have something on the record.

Michael B. · Answer

Here are my thoughts:

In listing agents I've used I want 3 things:  Highly organized, an appropriate marketing plan for the house, and good advice on various matters that come up.

If she's not giving you those things then it's time to move on. But make sure you want to make the move and aren't just doing it because of 1 incident. It would be a tragedy to get rid of a good agent because she screwed up on one count. Is the next one you get going to be any better? Probably not.

The goal here is to get your place sold at a good price. Don't let what you perceive as a personal slight get in the way of that. If she's performed poorly up to this point then let her know it's time to go another direction. If she's performed well but screwed up once then it's probably time to talk to her and let her know it won't happen again -- and have her explain the things she's going to do in the next few weeks to get that house sold.

Trust me, moving the house quickly will heal all wounds between you.

Fire-able offense?

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