Bad R/E agent in Prospect, SA. Advice?

You said –

If we are paying the agent $5000 – $10000 to sell our house, then we expect them to be the ones doing the research and telling us what’s happening.

I disagree. You need to do your research. Its you who decides on what price to set. You need to work with the agent. I too work full time but on weekends I spoke to the agent and had regular chats – I called them. My brother about 6 months ago could not sell his place. I sold mine about 4 weeks ago. The difference being I consulted and worked with my agent, while my brother did nothing.

I hope you did not interpret my advice as abusive.

I have only sold two properties before. My PPOR and one investment property.

And I too found it very frustrating and stressful. Hang it there and refer to this thread later.

I sympathise with your dilemma phenomena, and I did take note that you said it was your first sale.
I tend to agree with you that you are paying the agent for their supposed professional service, in your case you copped a lemon.
You can be as proactive as you like, but in the end if you are dealing with a rude, abusive person ( firstly you don’t want to talk or communicate with them, its only human instinct) then you don’t stand much chance or a successful outcome.
But I would say don’t let it put you off, chalk it up to experience, as not all agents are like the one you copped.
BTW, is is standard practice that you pay all the marketing expenses.?…in WA its negotiable
, and because its so competitive, most agent wear the cost themselves.
KP

Fnomna,

I think it’s easier to get the price you want in a rising market. Remember during the boom, people would just create a figure, and the property might go for many thousands more. Now, in a declining market, everything has changed. Remember that, on here, as sellers, we want to get the best the market will pay, and as buyers, you have people lowballing and paying the cheapest price the vendor will accept.

It’s a pity that your first experience was such a bad one. I would read a lot of books about selling property. There are many on the market. I don;t have an expectation that a property will sell itself. If it did, I’d sell it privately. I pay the RE the many thousands of dollars to sell it for me. But I then work hard to develop a good relationship with the agent, and, as with everything, one often has to gently spell out expectations to them. All vendors are different- some are more laissez-faire, some are more hands on.

When I sold a property recently, the only feedback I got was about people who made an offer. If 35 people came to your open houses, the RE can’t force them to make a bid. The fellow will only speak to you about the ones who did.

If your property is sound, then it will sell. But many properties are now taking twice as long to sell. I imagine there will be plenty of people such as yourself, who, in this downturned market, will want their property sold quickly, but sometimes it takes time.

kay henry