Dropping That Real Estate Agent Like A Bad Habit

Between listing and sale, some home sellers find that the relationship with their real-estate agent sours. As much as they'd like to, homeowners can't just walk away from an agent with whom they no longer want to work. They usually must negotiate their way out.
Here are tips that sellers can use for dismissing their agent.

Talk it over
Typically, relationships between agents and their clients turn south because of poor communication.  Did you know 70% of dissatisfied sellers blame their agents for a "lack of communication."  When listing a house for sale, a homeowner does two things. First, the seller enters a legal agreement with the broker or the broker's real-estate firm. Second, the seller starts a business relationship with the broker.  Most agents know when the seller doesn't like them or doesn't want to deal with them any longer as their real-estate agent, so if the seller asked nicely and explained the reasons why they want to cancel the listing contract, most real-estate agents would honor their request. It's a good idea to cancel the agreement in writing to avoid any misunderstandings when, and if, the seller eventually finds a buyer.

Breaching the contract
Breach of contract usually isn't the best way for a homeowner to end the relationship. That kind of dispute can quickly escalate into a lawsuit if the seller sells the house and refuses to pay commission to the fired broker.
You can make the case for a breach if the agent is not doing their job sufficiently, but breach does not mean being able to move a listing in a reasonable amount of time because the property is so overpriced. Breach is more likely if the agent hasn't met simple service requirements such as responsiveness, taking photos of the property, showing the home, executing the proposed marketing plan or honoring their fiduciary responsibility to the homeowner.


Consider the agent's costs
Keep in mind agents spend considerable money upfront to market listings, in that case, there may be more hesitance to allow a seller to cancel a listing in a short amount of time without finding some way for the agent to recoup their costs. Photos, labor and a few advertisements can easily cost $1,000 or more right off the bat,  if the broker can't sell the home by the end of the contractual period, then most brokers understand that those costs are unrecoverable. But if the seller tries to terminate the agreement soon after listing, many brokers are likely to feel duped.

Just know there are good agents out there so if you aren't liking the Realtor you have remember that this your your home so you should be happy with whomever you have chosen