Now that you have that nagging feeling your agent is NOT doing the job, what can you do about it?

Since you are already in a contract (I'll talk more about prevention in another post) you will have to confront the issues. But make sure you have really thought it through and are not just responding to the fact that your home hasn't sold within days of being listed - that's probably not realistic in most markets these days unless you are really underpriced. Are you really being realistic about your expectations of your agent? If so, then your concerns need to be addressed. And don't wait until you are really angry since it will make it that much harder to have a civilized conversation to resolve the issues

1. Make a list of your questions and concerns.  Be specific and make sure you have some data (copy of the poor MLS listing and photos, a log of when you have called your agent and the result).

2. Call your agent and request a face-to-face meeting (either your home or the agent's office). You might simply want to indicate you would like to sit down and review some questions

3. Start off by letting your agent know you have some questions and concerns that you would like to discuss. Keep in mind most people really do want to know about problems and to be given an opportunity to fix them. Try to first mention some things that are going well or that you are pleased about to break the ice. Then get into the concerns.

4. Keep your tone neutral and try not to sound accusatory. Focus on the specific issue, not the person. Rather than saying "YOU did this," you might try rephrasing your concern.

5. Focus on each question or concern individually. Simply state the problem and then ask your agent to share his/her thoughts. Ask for clarification if necessary.

6, Find out what your agent will do to fix the problem - change the MLS listing, take new photos, get you the copies, commit to calling with feedback, etc. Perhaps you misunderstood what the agent was going to do, or s/he did not explain things well to you.

7. I advise taking notes so you both can agree on what was said and what is to be done. If necessary, get that commitment in writing or in an email. Make sure there are agreed-upon dates if applicable.

8. If you really are having serious issues you may ask to speak to the agent's broker, or have a meeting with both if you feel comfortable doing that. This is probably a rare occurence, and it is better to try to fix the issues directly with your agent rather than running right to the "boss."

Keep in mind that you both have the same goal and selling a home is a team effort - YOU want to sell your house and your agent does to. After all, s/he doesn't get paid until it sells nor do you, and it costs both of you money if it sits on the market. So working together to solve any problems is the best approach.

Sometimes it may be necessary to cancel a contract if things are really bad. But read your contract carefully - this may or may not be an easy thing to do depending on the legal aspects of the contract and the brokerage's policy. Ultimately the broker may need to decide how to resolve your concerns, and having another agent take over could be a solution if nothing else works.

So what about prevention? Stay tuned for my next post on finding the right listing agent.