It’s true of any commercial offering: sometimes a perfectly saleable item doesn’t move off the shelves as rapidly as predicted. Real estate is no exception—not every home in Houston is sold as quickly as its owner and the property’s Realtor® wish. When that happens, and the term of the original listing expires, an important decision must be made: should the listing be renewed, or should another Houston Realtor be enlisted to try a different approach?
If you have been dissatisfied with the amount of effort your current Houston Realtor has demonstrated up to now, the decision will be easier than otherwise—especially if you have already communicated your impression and been less than overwhelmed by the response. You are right to expect that your Houston Realtor will have posted attractive, accurate listing material for the MLS, has included your property in the advertising program that goes out to the community, and has been diligent and professional in showings and (if it was agreed upon) open house presentations. You should have been able to contact her or him within a reasonable amount of time when communications were called for, been satisfied by the punctuality of appointments when scheduled.
If performance in any of these basics has been unsatisfactory, it’s entirely reasonable to entertain a change in representation. On the other hand, if your Realtor has not disappointed in any dimension, you are left in a problematical situation—one which has no clear-cut solution. Whether or not your inclination is to stick with the team in place, to make the right decision you need more information. The best guidance is—get it!
- Before you decide whether or not to extend the relationship, ask your agent to review the days on market (DOM) for similar nearby Houston properties. An analysis will show whether yours is the only slow-moving property, or whether it has simply hit a lull in neighborhood activity.
- Ask yourself whether you have paid attention to the suggestions offered by your current Realtor. If you have chosen to bypass any of them, this could be an appropriate point at which to reappraise.
- If the real estate market changes while your home is for sale on the market or simply that you did not want to make price reductions quick enough, you may want to be fair to your Realtor and renew your listing agreement and give your Realtor more time. Have a conversation with your Realtor about your concerns. Your Realtor is a professional and will want to address your concerns by providing you with facts & information of why your home is not moving and still sitting on the market.
- Remember, there will be times when the market changes while your home is for sale on the market or the right buyer has not come along and more time will be needed.
- If you have had many showings with few offers forthcoming, it’s a pretty good sign that your asking price is higher than prospective buyers believe is justified. If that’s the case, changing Realtors alone isn’t likely to have the desired effect. You’ll need to fix whatever problems visitors are seeing…or else lower the price.
If a hard-headed analysis tells you that switching Houston Realtors is warranted, don’t worry too much about the reaction you will get. Most Realtors are very professional; they know that clients do occasionally change representation for a number of reasons, and that hard feelings are simply not warranted. Be ready to interview several agents and to compare what they offer. Pay extra attention to how they propose to stimulate activity—you are well-positioned to appraise their ideas!
For Team Sadler clients, in addition to an energetic marketing approach, we put a premium on keeping the highest quality communications flowing at all times. Give us a call whenever you have a Houston real estate query!
