Firing your Realtor

You decide to place your home on the market and hire the perfect Realtor, at least that’s what you thought. After placing your home on the market, though, it just sits for months and months without any showings. After contemplating everything, you decide it’s time to change Realtors or companies. But how?

Before deciding to fire your Realtor, take a strong look at your listing and other homes that have sold while yours has been on the market. Is it truly the agent or is it the home itself? Many times the Realtors are easy to blame but in actuality it’s the listing price of the home or a feature of the home itself.

It neither the home nor the asking price are the problem, then start asking yourself some questions. Has your Realtor stayed in constant contact with you throughout the entire process, giving you feedback on showings and calls they have received? Has he or she been using all the tools to sell your home? Or is your Realtor just being too pushy?

If after reviewing all the information, you come to the conclusion that it’s time to change Realtors, the next thing you need to review is the contract. Take a good strong look at it, line by line. Is there a breach of contract anywhere? If you see duty that is not being performed, you may have grounds for cancellation.

Next, sit down with your Realtor and review the contract and any issues you may have. If this truly is an agent issue and cancellation is agreed upon, make sure it is put into writing and signed not only by the Realtor, but also the sponsoring broker or office manager of the company. This will protect you and any Realtor you may hire in the future from lawsuits.

Some listing contracts may include early cancellation fees or fees for reimbursement of any marketing costs the Realtor has accumulated. If the fees are not specifically listed in the contract, make sure the Realtor provides with an invoice for his costs.

In the end, you need to make sure your home gets sold! Changing Realtors may not always look good for the home, so picking the right person the first time around is always the best option. Make sure you research your choice online, even if they were referred to you by a friend or family member.

For more, call 847-292-4700, e-mail gz@zerillorealty.com or visit www.zerillorealty.com.