Both selling and buying a home in Austin TX can be enormously stressful, and part of your real estate agent’s job is to alleviate that stress. If your REALTOR® is making you unhappy or making the process of selling your home in Austin more stressful for you, you may find yourself considering whether it’s time to find a new real estate agent.
Here, we’ve put together some advice on what you should do when you have irreconcilable differences with your Austin REALTOR®.
Some Common Reasons People Look for New REALTORS® in Austin
Perhaps being aware of the most common causes of conflict between agents and clients will help you avoid getting to that point. Knowing these things can also help you find the right REALTOR® in Austin to work with from the start.
The number one most frequent client’s complaint about an Austin real estate agent is lack of communication. You can avert this dilemma by making sure your REALTOR® is a clear communicator from the get-go. Lay out your expectations clearly, both verbally, and even in your agreement.
How often do you expect updates on showings, new listings and/or on other activity taking place in your Austin TX neighborhood? Clearly let your REALTOR® know. If your agent fails to meet your expectations, you’ll know it’s time to move on. Differences may arise, but if you and your Austin REALTOR® have an established trust and channel of communication, those issues can be dealt with easier.
You may also find that your REALTOR® is simply just not the best at their job. They might be bad at negotiating, slow to find new Austin properties, lax at returning calls, texts or emails or not good at marketing your property. As one of the fastest growing cities in the country, Austin has a particularly hot real estate market, and your REALTOR® needs to be on the top of their game to land you the Austin property you want.
You can get an idea of how they fare as an agent by checking out their reviews in advance. Additionally, you should leave reviews for the REALTOR® you do end up going with. Using a REALTOR®, rather than a real estate agent may also help ensure a greater level of competency, as a REALTOR® has obtained a higher level of accreditation.
Finally, after working with your REALTOR® for some time, you may realize that you two are not compatible. Like any relationship, sometimes personalities just don’t mesh, and this is also an acceptable reason to move on.
Contacting Austin REALTORS® you have been referred to and/or interviewing several potential Austin real estate agents with a prepared list of questionsis a wise choice to avoid this pitfall.
You can read this article to learn a little more about how to identify a top Austin REALTOR®.
When to Keep Using Your REALTOR®
There are certain instances where letting your REALTOR® go may not actually solve the problem, and there may be larger issues at hand that need to be taken into consideration. For instance, if your Austin home is not selling, it could be because of a bad location, condition or it may not be priced correctly for the current Austin real estate market. Talk to your REALTOR® about this and see if they can think of a solution. A bad location is impossible to change, but your REALTOR® may have ideas on how to upgrade your Austin home or how to adjust the listing price.
Just because your REALTOR® has differences in opinion in how your home should be marketed doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Remember, a good Austin REALTOR® is often more familiar with how the whole home sales process works in Austin. So when interviewing potential real estate agents, the main thing you’ll want to make sure of is that you find someone who is knowledgeable and who really has the expertise and experience to best market your home. That way if differences in opinion should arise, you will know you can trust them.
When No Common Ground Can Be Found, Can You Fire Your REALTOR® in Austin?
Before parting ways with your REALTOR®, you might want to speak to them about the problems you are having. That way, if your agent is interested in improving the situation, and you find it is able to be improved, you can give them the opportunity to do so, instead of blindsiding them.
It is also important to take into consideration the complications that a real estate contract can create. If you didn’t sign a contract, letting your agent go will be a simple process. But typically if you’re selling your home in Austin, or renting out your property, an Austin REALTOR® will require a contract to be signed, which poses some added difficulties. Before entering into any contract, ask about the cancellation policy. Avoid entering into an agreement that you cannot cancel upon request.
Keep in mind, your Listing Agreement or Buyer’s Representation Agreement will have specific clauses which you must fulfill, unless your Austin real estate agent is willing to make cancellation exceptions for you prior to the expiration of the agreements.
If you are in Austin & in the market for a new REALTOR®, give our Austin real estate agency a call. Our agents are among the best in Austin, and even our new agents go through a rigorous training and mentoring process, and ongoing continuing real estate education, so that your needs are well taken care of. Habitat Hunters also has an on-staff Austin real estate lawyer to help you through the legal aspects of the process.
Contact Habitat Hunters today. We’re always happy to help.
