Teresa,
My husband and I want to sell our home, but it seems all the realtors in town are wanting us to give them a 6 month listing. We don't like that idea. We want to maybe let the realtor have it for 3 months. We feel the realtor will work harder with a shorter selling period, and will relax more with a longer selling period. What do you think? Are we right or wrong? Please let me know soon, we have another meeting with our realtor tonight.
Dear S.,
I would suggest you go ahead and let the Realtor take your listing for the full six months. First off, in today's market, it takes an average of 120 days to sell a house. Let's pretend you were the Realtor. You have two listings signed the same day. 2 1/2 months into the agreement you realize you have $300 to spend on advertisement and only space for one property. If you had to choose between the two properties, which one would you advertise? The one with two weeks left on the listing agreement or the one with 3 1/2 months left on the listing agreement? I personally would chose the property with the most amount of time left. By giving a Realtor a short listing period, you are keeping that Realtor from doing his/her best in marketing your property. A Realtor with a six month listing agreement will be just as anxious to market your property as an agent with only a three month listing agreement, and maybe more so.
If you have questions or concerns to submit? I would love to hear from you.
