Sharon My Realtor Won't Listen

My Realtor Won’t Listen to Me!   

“Sharon, I know my home inside and out. I know all the good features; the potential here is amazing; I also have some great photos – much better than those used for my listing. Also, when the house is being shown, the buyers are not given the proper data. They don’t know half of the information I’ve provided.

Why won’t my listing agent pay attention to me?”

Why indeed?

There are really some great reasons why your realtor may know better than you. Painful to hear, but hear me out.

Here is a test: 

• Does your listing appear on www.realtor.ca with accurate information, multiple good quality photos, inside and out, with a virtual tour?
• Does your realtor have a website that displays your listing prominently?
• Does your realtor communicate with you about the state of the local real estate market, and give you information regarding any showings you have had?
• Do the buyers and their realtors feel the listing is accurate and truly presents the property?
• Do your friends and neighbours think the photography, details of your listing, and maps and directions to the property are accurate and attractive? (Let them be honest!)
• Are there showings?
• Does the sales rep work and play well with others? In other words, encourage all other agents to show your property and present offers?

The answers to the questions above should all be “yes”.

• If no showings and it has been a few weeks (not over a holiday period or terrible weather time) has your realtor had a discussion with you about the lack of showings?

• Are other homes in the area selling but not yours?
• If so, again, has your realtor had a discussion with you about why your house hasn’t sold but others have?
• Do you listen to what is being communicated, or find reasons to disagree?

Sometimes the real estate market is in a downturn. Realtors can’t be blamed for that; but they must at least give that information to house sellers, difficult as that is.

Both You and Your Listing Agent Have a Job to Do

Listing a property is a cooperative venture between a realtor and a seller. That means the realtor markets the property in a professional manner, using information gathered from the house seller and other sources the realtor has developed over time. If the property is presented well and a sales rep is communicating, it may be the house owner who should examine his or her expectations.

Here’s why:

A realtor’s job is to market your property; to present the home to the marketplace in a manner that causes a buyer to notice the listing, consider whether or not it suits his needs, and get excited about viewing and ultimately buying the house.

Listening to the home owner, and including the features the seller loves about the home or the reasons the home attracted the owner to the home originally, is definitely well worthwhile. After all, many of the same details the present owner loves will be the same as those that attract a new purchaser.

But many times the present owner is not in tune with present day attractions, wants or needs.

Just because you love the rustic wood and panelling throughout your home, doesn’t mean modern buyers will. Your professional realtor knows what works and what doesn’t.

Home owners take photos of their properties in a very different way than professional real estate photographers. You may love the close up details, and not the wide angle room views, but that doesn’t mean your photos will attract the buyer.

Your Job Might be to Stay Away and Stay Quiet   

And many a home owner has scuttled their sale with remarks made to the buyer. You can’t know what a particular buyer wants – close to the city and transportation or far away and hard to find. Let the buyer’s realtor tell the story as they know the buyer best.

Sometimes the buyers come to view your house, and can’t get out fast enough. Try not to take this personally. It just isn’t right for that buyer for some reason unknown to you. It is not usually because the wrong information has been communicated, or a wrong photo has been used, or because an ad was not wordy enough. The right buyer will come along if price, condition and location all match up. Patience!

And please don’t be there for the showings. You are so tempted to point out all the things the realtor doesn’t. A quiet realtor who allows the home to speak for itself is invaluable. Don’t stay home and fill in the blanks. The buyers and I are really, really uncomfortable with that. It’s pretty obvious when they are in the kitchen that it is a kitchen. But if there is a hidden feature in a room that buyers will most likely find enticing, either the feature sheet, the listing or the buyer’s agent will point it out.  

Some details you’ve given are missing from the feature sheet and the description of your property. Probably with good reason. Try to understand that others have different views, wants and needs. This is particularly difficult if you have lived in your house for a long time. Things have changed, and you need to trust your experienced agent to know what to emphasize and what to play down.

No one wants to hear all the things you had planned to do to your house, but never got around to. The buyers have their own ideas, and that piece of twenty year old pink marble you’ve been saving for a fireplace mantle isn’t really that attractive. Except to you.

In the long run, the realtor’s job is to attract the buyers so they view your property, like the house, and make an offer. Just like any professional, they are experienced in these matters. Certainly the listing agent wants the house to sell. She is as motivated as you, if not more. She wants to get paid!

After all, you only have one house to sell. The realtor has many, sees many, and knows the difference between them all.

We are well aware there are both listing and selling realtors who are not very good at their job. But as long as the answers to the questions at the beginning of this article are good; trust us!