I get phone calls from sellers who are not my clients. They are under contract with other agents. I can never call someone who is already under contract nor can I solicit their business.
They ask about why their home has been on the market for so long and if I think it will sell. When I ask them if their agent has ever recommended a price reduction the answer is almost always yes. It is as if they are shopping around to find an agent who will tell them something different. Some of the callers have had their homes on the market for less than 30 days.
I always send them back too their own agent. I won't second guess or even comment on how another agent is doing his or her job. That would be just wrong. When homes are on the market for a long time sometimes sellers just switch agents. I have seen homes on the market for as long as two years and homes that have been listed through as many as six agents.
I wonder if the sellers listened to their agents or just switched agents every time a price reduction or repairs were suggested. When these sellers come to me and I see that their home has been listed by other agents I ask a lot of questions before I agree to even look at the home Sometimes the problem isn't the home, or the previous agent, but the sellers.
There are still sellers who tell me they have to have X amount of money by X date for their home. I wish it worked that way, it would make my job much easier. It doesn't matter how much sellers need or how much they paid for it. Buyers do not care how much money the seller needs or when they need it by.
The very best advice I can give any caller, and I do give it to every caller, is: please talk to your agent if there is a problem.