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B - Switch Real Estate Agencies: How should you do this ?

If your current relationship with your agency or agent isn’t working out, it’s usually based on misunderstanding of expectations, personality clashes or, after months on the market, you simply didn’t get the result you wanted.

Action plan for switching real estate agencies:

If you have more than a month left on the listing agreement and simply don’t want to wait it out, call the managing broker and explain your desire to end the relationship.

The agency will try to stall off the situation, hoping you’ll change your mind. But their efforts to persuade you–say, flowers from the florist–won’t change the reality of the situation. Call again. Real estate agencies do not like unhappy sellers. They don’t want any bad mouthing in the community. Usually, they will quickly strive to accommodate your desires by consenting to cancel the listing agreement. If the agent or agency has not lived up to the listing agreement and rebuf your desire to end the agreement, you can always call the local real estate board and have the situation arbitrated, which brokers always try to avoid.

If you’re in the process of canceling your listing, use this time in “limbo” to accomplish some vital tasks.

• Interview other agents. Get their recommendations on price and their marketing recommendations. Don’t worry that the other agents will find out you are interviewing for a replacement. They won't. None of them talk about listing prospects.

• Avoid telling the agents you are interviewing why you are changing agents, other than it’s time for a change or it’s just not working out. If you tell them, they could slant their listing presentation on how those issues won’t be a problem with them. 

• Agents tell homeowners what they want to hear. Avoid the temptation to vent here and select an agent based on your unbiased assessments, as well as theirs.

• Wait a few days before putting your home back on the market once the first listing ends. Now is a good time to lower your price. Anytime a listing is first put on the market, you’ll catch the attention of the other local agents, especially if you switch to a different office.
  
  Starting fresh with a new office is like being a “new listing” on the MLS. Your new price will really add to the effectiveness of your change.

• Be honest with yourself. Is there anything that you can do differently that will increase your odds for selling?
  
  Negative factors include things like not allowing agents to use a lockbox for entry when you’re not home, not permitting a sign in your yard, being very restrictive with showing times, staying on the premises during the showings, allowing interior smoking by family members, failing to have your home look its best for showings, etc.

If your actions inhibit a top marketing effort, this will only cost you money by resulting in a much lower selling price.      

Re-listing will give you a fresh start, but you’re going to have to do your part. Review the recommendations in the PREPARE Step. Most relisted homes can always use some improvement.

Firing your agent:

The easiest way to let your current agent go is to tell him or her that you feel that it's time for a change. You just need a new group of agents to market your home and that a different sign out front should help generate some interest (it probably will). Like an unhappy employee that’s been terminated, the separation will be a welcome relief–for both sides.