Speed ‘Dating’ Your Realtor?

Similar to Speed Dating where a single person spends about 5 minutes talking to a prospective date and then moves to the next person when a timer sounds, a few sellers seem to be employing this basic idea in today’s more challenged market. Case in point: I had a seller phone me a few months ago to list a home that was due to expire within days with Agent #1. The home had been on the market for a six month period without an offer, so we reduced the price somewhat and I began an intense marketing campaign. On day 88, I withdrew the listing at my seller’s request so the home could be, according to them, “Refinanced and can’t be active in the MLS”. One week later, the home popped up on the MLS with a third agent. “So, the way some listings go,” I thought, and silently wished them well. Now, after 90 days with Agent #3, the seller has moved back to agent #1. From what I can see, each agent has done as much as could be done with marketing this home, but the market is what it is. I believe this is a case where sellers are having a difficult time listening to the reality that we as Realtors are trying to tell them about the local market and what they need to do to sell their homes today. No, the market isn’t pretty for sellers right now, but agent hopping shows up in the MLS and points to desperation on the part of the seller. Any good buyer’s agent will pick up on this and inform an interested buyer client with these facts, resulting in the lowest possible offer price on this property. Was this what the seller had in mind? Probably not.