Is Your Agent Full Time?
I submitted an offer on a property Monday afternoon. The listing agent was not able to make time to talk with me about the offer until late Wednesday. She will not be able to meet with her seller to sign the offer until Thursday night. Why? It's not her primary focus. She has another full time job. This is comletely unacceptable and is not servicing her seller in the best possible way. Fortunately in this case, my buyer is an investor and has a different sort of patience level. Had this been a personal buyer, the feeling that their offer was so unimportant we couldn't even talk with the agent about it could have been a big turnoff. I've seen buyers walk away and move on to another property before. In this market buyers have lots of choices and usually have up to 3 houses they'd be happy with. If they don't get their first choice, they simply move on.
The agent selling your home should be a full time professional. Would you have surgery with a doctor that moonlighted? This is usually the largest business transaction that people go through and almost always their largest investment. Especially in a challenging market like this one, why would you chance that to someone whose real job is something else? Selling a home requires focus, knowledge, the ability to be present for buyers, other agents and the flexibility to be there when your clients need you. And the selling only begins when the property hits the market...after a contract is received there are many more issues: the home inspection, meeting the appraiser, working with the title company, getting additional documents signed for and working with the lender. These are usually done within a 9-5 timeframe. Will your part time agent be there to represent you?
Don't chance it, make sure you are working with a true professional.