Realtor Problems

[Brigitte]

We put our rental back on the market in Feb/March with a realtor who made big promises about how she planned to market it. Well, several weeks ago I realized that we had had no feed back from showings and tried contacting her several times. I checked Realtor.com for our property and it was not on there. The only place I could find it was on their agency website and the info on there was incomplete and there were no interior pictures of it.

 

She only responded (via email no less) after I threatened to pull the listing from her if I did not hear back in 24 hours. I asked her to send me copies of all the advertising she has done and still have not received any. She said that the property had not been shown and that we should consider lowering our price.

 

Low and behold, our townhouse is now showing up on Realtor.com and we got a showing. The feedback was very positive and the showing agent and customer felt that it was priced appropriately.

 

We have yet to get the information we have requested and this realtor is very slow to respond and has no real information for us when she does finally contact us. We do have a long time left on our contract with her.

 

So, my question is this....Can we pull it off the market and find a competent agent without breaching our contract with her? Of course, she is breaching her side of the contract by not marketing our property.

 

Any advice or input?

[Mom In Missouri]

We had our home listed for a LONG time and went through three realtors. Unfortunately, most realtors don't make the real estate market their only job and some are in it for a second job to fill in the gaps. We learned the hard way of how to get out of a contract.

 

First, contact that broker of the office that this realtor works out of--Be advised, the broker probably won't be available but ask for the broker. If they aren't available, ask for the office manager...explain the problem and set a date and time that you want it resolved. If its information you seek and want to make an impact...stop by the office personally. This most times will get more attention and quick. They are always looking for a warm body.

 

Second, if the first option doesn't resolve the problem contact your local Realtor Board. Every area has one, ask for feed back on the realtor, if she has been reported before, what her relationship is with the realtor board in the area, etc. They won't be able to do anything about your contract but they can shake her tree.

 

Third, most contracts have a clause that you can break the contract but if someone has been through your home while she was your realtor and after you drop out of your contract...if that person that went through your home were to make an offer...she still gets a percentage of the sale price. If there has only been one person through it...I'd say that you're in a sweet spot to get out now. Most will drop the contract if you are unhappy with them...and talking with the office broker will often get you a more experienced agent in the same office.

 

Lastly, contact a local attorney. While it is a last resort, you may need legal advice specific to your situation and often a letter from an attorney is enough to get the monkey off your back.

[Brigitte]

We had our home listed for a LONG time and went through three realtors. Unfortunately, most realtors don't make the real estate market their only job and some are in it for a second job to fill in the gaps. We learned the hard way of how to get out of a contract.

 

First, contact that broker of the office that this realtor works out of--Be advised, the broker probably won't be available but ask for the broker. If they aren't available, ask for the office manager...explain the problem and set a date and time that you want it resolved. If its information you seek and want to make an impact...stop by the office personally. This most times will get more attention and quick. They are always looking for a warm body.

 

Second, if the first option doesn't resolve the problem contact your local Realtor Board. Every area has one, ask for feed back on the realtor, if she has been reported before, what her relationship is with the realtor board in the area, etc. They won't be able to do anything about your contract but they can shake her tree.

 

Third, most contracts have a clause that you can break the contract but if someone has been through your home while she was your realtor and after you drop out of your contract...if that person that went through your home were to make an offer...she still gets a percentage of the sale price. If there has only been one person through it...I'd say that you're in a sweet spot to get out now. Most will drop the contract if you are unhappy with them...and talking with the office broker will often get you a more experienced agent in the same office.

 

Lastly, contact a local attorney. While it is a last resort, you may need legal advice specific to your situation and often a letter from an attorney is enough to get the monkey off your back.

 

Thank you for the advice. We don't live in the town where the property is, but maybe it is time to drive down the Asheville for a visit. When we weren't getting any response to our messages, my next step was going to be the broker, but she (our realtor) contacted us before the 24 hours were up. It just might be time to give her another deadline.

 

I am so frustrated by this whole thing. Dh had taken over all dealings with the townhouse this summer, but when things needed to get done, he dropped it back in my lap. :glare:

 

Anyway, I really appreciate the advice.