Sellers who have had their home on the market for a long time tend to wonder whether they simply made the wrong choice in committing to the real estate professional they’re currently working with. It’s normally hard to tell whether this comes down to the fluctuating market, the home’s appeal in the market, or the lack of effective services provided by the real estate agent. It’s not always the agent’s fault, after all; sometimes, the delay in selling a home comes down to factors that he or she simply can’t control. In other instances, however, the home is sitting on the market for so long simply because the agent has not done his or her job correctly. Here are a few indications to help determine if an agent is doing the job well.
Consistent Promotion
When dealing with houses for sale in the Bay Area, a real estate agent should constantly be taking action to market the active property to potential buyers. There is simply too much competition in this field to warrant static activity on behalf of the real estate professional. Advertising will of course depend on the budget involved in the project; in some cases, it won’t be possible to take on any traditional marketing campaign at all. However, with the internal networks that the real estate agent has built in his or her career, as well as the effectiveness (not to mention lack of cost) of social media, an agent really has no excuse when he or she fails to take action in promoting the home.
An Open Line of Communication
Even if the home has been sitting on the market for months on end, the agent should be calling the seller every day to inform them on updates – or the lack, thereof – on their listing. Even a complete absence of activity should be noted by the agent, and the client should be effectively informed of it. If the communication line between the seller and the agent goes dead, even in the case of a completely static market response to a listing, it’s likely that the agent either doesn’t put much care into the listing, or has more interesting prospects elsewhere that they’re attending to. Either way, if the agent isn’t taking the time to consistently call their clients regarding the sale, it might be time to find a new one.
Completely Honest, Always
Honesty is hard to find in the working world these days, particularly in the field of sales. It’s common for real estate agents to do and say anything that will help them gain an advantage over their competition. However, there are plenty of agents out there who prioritize honesty above all else. If the seller hasn’t seen much movement on their listing recently, but they’re dealing with a professional who has consistently proven to be honest, it might be best to be patient, at least for a little while longer.
