Do you have your home listed so that you can relocate, but are getting a sinking feeling that your agent is NOT doing the job? I'm not referring to the fact that your home (which I HOPE is priced very competitively so you can sell it quickly and not delay your relocation) hasn't sold within a week of being listed, but to some other things that might mean your agent is slacking off. (read my earlier post on what a REALTOR does to market a home to learn more)

• Lack of communication - you don't hear from the agent. When you do call or email, you get no response, or none for 24 hours or more.
• There is little or no marketing - you don't know WHAT your agent is doing to market your home. Perhaps s/he told you about the things they would do on the Internet but you have yet to see anything. Your agent said there would be Open Houses but there have been none to date. The sign is dirty or lopsided, and the brochure box you were promised is missing.
• Poor MLS listing - if you DO get to see the actual listing (you SHOULD) you see typos, inaccuracies, and lousy, unflattering photos.
• Other promises made but not kept - the agent doesn't inform you when showings are to occur although that was your agreement. The agent promised to get feedback from showings but doesn't.
• Marketing materials are absent - the stuff your agent promised to leave at the house for showings haven't appeared, or are not what you expected. Plus there are mistakes and missing information on the feature sheets.
• No coaching or advice - Your agent doesn't coach you on how to stage your home or point out minor repairs that are needed.

This may not be everything, but you now have some doubts about what you are getting for your money. So now what to do you do?

My next post will provide some insights as to how to handle this situation, and perhaps how to avoid it altogether. Hiring a good listing agent is a pro-active approach but there's more.