Why Sellers Fire Their Agents
Many consumers will search online if they can fire their real estate agent.
Although it does not happen often, sellers fire their agents.
Sometimes for a good reason, but often due to problems that could be remedied with better communication and more effort from the Realtor.
Some relationships can sour quickly when one party’s expectations do not meet the other.
This can often happen when a real estate agent overpromises and underdelivers.
Unfortunately, some real estate agents will do whatever it takes to get a listing.
Often, this causes things to be said and done that are just unrealistic.
No wonder many people search for how to fire a real estate agent. When you promise a false bill of goods, it’s understandable why people would get upset.
Relationships sour fast when someone feels you aren’t giving them your full attention or have a laissez-faire attitude. Sometimes, it can be a combination of little things that set someone off.
That’s why finding a top-rated Realtor in your area is so crucial.
Homeowners are often dealing with home-selling problems that can be annoying. At times, it might not even be the agent’s fault. In such cases, all that’s needed is a sympathetic ear.
Keep reading, and you will learn if you can fire your Realtor before closing and why you may want to.
1. The Home is Not Selling Fast Enough.
Many sellers are impatient to sell their homes to purchase their next one. If a listing does not sell quickly enough, sellers may get antsy and decide that another agent can do a better job.
Almost always, the common denominator in a home not selling is an unrealistic list price. The proper pricing of a home is, in fact, seventy-five percent of the marketing. If you get the price incorrect, nothing else you do will matter.
Real Estate agents refer to this as pricing a house to sell.
Real estate is a highly competitive industry. Everyone who interviews a seller wants to have their business. Due to the nature of things, it is widespread for sellers to be fed an unrealistic price for their homes. Overpricing causes one thing – home sale failure!
Sometimes, overpricing a home is the agent’s fault. Other times, the seller’s unrealistic demand is to put a precise price tag on their home.
A New Realtor Won’t Fix an Overpriced Home Without a Reduction
In either case, it is the agent’s poor decision. Exceptional real estate agents walk away from overpriced listings.
Unfortunately, getting a new Realtor will not always accomplish the goal of selling a home more quickly. If a house is overpriced and not lowered to something realistic, the next agent will have the same problem.
Knowing when to lower a home’s asking price is vital to success.
An agent can do everything right but not get the quickfire results some sellers want if the price is too high. This goes back to understanding how to pick a real estate agent so you don’t encounter all these problems.
So many people do not take the time to interview multiple agents properly.
2. Unattractive Photography and Listing Descriptions.
The pictures of the home the agent puts on the multiple listing service (MLS) are the first thing any potential buyer will encounter.
The saying your first showings happen online is the absolute truth.
Photographing a home well is the gateway to whether a potential buyer will pick up the phone and call to schedule a showing!
Photos need to put the best foot forward for the home, which means they need to be taken by someone who knows what they are doing.
Some agents are great at taking photos of homes. Many are not.
An experienced Realtor who is not skilled at taking home photos should have a relationship with a photographer who can produce quality images for listings.
When a seller goes online and discovers that the pictures of the home are of poor quality – too dark, emphasize weaknesses, show clutter, are not oriented correctly (there is more than one listing out there with a photo turned sideways), etc. – then they have a reason to be upset.
Not a significant enough reason to fire an agent, but if the agent fails to provide improved pictures, it may be time to look elsewhere for another Realtor.
The second facet of a quality online presence is the property description. Some real estate agents take the time to craft an excellent illustration of their properties. Others put zero effort into their listing descriptions, and it shows.
Awful photography and listing descriptions are two valid reasons for a seller to fire a real estate agent. It shows a total lack of what it takes to be successful.
3. Inadequate Real Estate Marketing.
A good agent markets a home through multiple channels – MLS, social media, website, street signs, fliers, brochures, radio, virtual tours, etc.
A Realtor may not use every single channel for marketing a home, but they should use a variety to ensure the word is getting out there.
Unfortunately, some agents are less motivated than others regarding marketing. They may think a street sign or an MLS listing is enough. In the industry, we call these agents “post and pray.”
They put the home on the market and pray that it sells. Real Estate marketing is a foreign word consisting of time, energy, and money, something the agent doesn’t believe in.
When sellers find their homes poorly marketed, they may find another agent who tries harder. It takes more than the MLS to get a house under contract in a buyer’s market.
Don't pick a post and pray real estate agent!Click To Tweet4. Putting The Focus on The Wrong Type of Marketing.
A particular segment of the real estate industry will put its marketing focus on the wrong activities.
The perfect example is the agent who revolves all their efforts around an open house.
Years ago, before the internet came about, open houses were a valid form of marketing.
Today, they are an agent-centric activity done to meet buyers whether they are interested in the seller’s home or not.
Many sellers are now catching on to the severe downsides of hosting an open house, including the risk of theft and flooding their homes with people who aren’t qualified to purchase. Anyone can go to an open house.
Many people search for open houses for sale near me because they have nothing better to do on a Sunday.
The best showings are those done privately. These buyers are almost always vetted financially.
Dual Agency is Bad For Consumers
Some agents who focus on open houses are also looking to cash in big by creating dual agency whereby they get both sides of the commission.
Luckily, a ton has been written on how dual agency benefits nobody but the real estate agent.
People are starting to wake up to the fact that dual agency sucks for buyers and sellers.
When you try to pull the wool over people’s eyes, it is easy for them to get angry. I’m not saying that every agent intends to do their clients wrong; however, there are a few bad apples in every industry.
Putting yourself ahead of your client is a great way to get a bad reputation fast.
5. Poor Communication is a Big Problem With Some Realtors.
A lack of communication is one of the most common reasons buyers and sellers ask if they can fire their real estate agents.
Failing to answer phone calls is one sure way to frustrate sellers. While agents may have to field numerous questions every day through a myriad of channels – email, social media, text, phone – the fact is that ignoring clients is bad business.
A skilled agent knows how to juggle communication and other commitments. Answering seller questions does not sell homes but keeps them in the loop and more confident in their choice of a Realtor.
Frankly, I have been amazed to hear some sellers complain to me about their prior experiences with agents. The fact an agent could go a day not returning someone’s email or phone call blows me away.
I feel bad if I don’t get back to someone in under an hour. Poor communication is one of the consumers’ biggest complaints against real estate agents.
While interviewing an owner wanting to sell a home in Holliston, Massachusetts, she recently explained her poor experience with another real estate agent.
One of her biggest pet peeves was that she never got any feedback after showings. She had no idea what anyone thought about her home. Great agents understand the need for feedback. Her former agent did not.
It’s one of the signs of a bad real estate agent.
6. Inability to Negotiate Effectively.
Haggling is an integral part of selling homes. An agent must be able to practice the give and take of skilled negotiation, or their clients will wind up on the losing end of the deal more often than not.
Good negotiation is not overly passive or aggressive; it’s the ability to work out agreements where everyone feels like they are walking away with what they want.
If a seller thinks they are bad at negotiating, it only makes sense to find another Realtor.
Often, sellers find themselves in a position where they feel like all the agent cares about is making a sale.
A buyer puts in a lowball offer, and the agent asks why they should take something close to it. The seller thinks you’ve got to be kidding me!
Why did you have me price my home so high, then?
The home inspection is another part of the sale where negotiations can often go south.
Some agents have difficulty telling the buyer’s side that they are utterly unreasonable with their inspection requests.
Understandably, sellers would have their backup when they feel their agent is not fighting hard for their best interests.
7. Lack of Professionalism.
Sellers are hiring a Realtor to assist them in what is most likely the most significant financial transaction of their lives. They have a reason to expect professionalism.
Punctuality, good grooming, and treating the business arrangement properly are all crucial in conveying an agent’s ability to do the job well.
What is considered professional and appropriate for an agent may vary by area, but a few standards are universal.
Showing up late to meetings, failing to respond to queries, looking unkempt, and yelling or cursing at clients or others put forward an image that fails to inspire confidence. These things may cause a seller to start looking for a new agent.
Lying to a client is also a surefire way to get yourself fired.
The best real estate agents follow the code of ethics and are respected among their peers. They don’t have a bad mouth or gossip about other agents. They treat everyone with respect.
8. Inability to Explain Documents and Legal Agreements.
An agent does not have to be a real estate attorney, but they should be able to explain real estate terms, documents, and legal agreements clients encounter in plain language.
If an agent appears overly confused by these things and unable to tell the seller what they contain, the seller will naturally feel uncomfortable.
Real estate transactions are high-tension events with a lot on the line – no one wants to sign something they do not understand and may regret later.
Not understanding real estate terms is a surefire way for clients to lose confidence in your abilities.
9. Negative Feelings Toward The Realtor.
Not everyone gets along. Sometimes, a seller and an agent do not match for one reason or another.
If it is a situation where the personalities are incompatible, it is probably better for the seller to find someone they feel comfortable with.
However, agents should realize that negative feelings often result from other causes besides incompatibility, causes that the agent could remedy with a bit of thought and action.
Sellers want to be listened to and respected. If the agent is not paying attention to the seller, does not appear to listen, or does not care about how the seller feels, then there will be problems.
Any agent who wants to be genuinely successful should learn to adapt to different personalities and needs as well as possible.
Can You Fire Your Real Estate Agent?
Whether you can fire your real estate agent depends on your signed contract.
Some exclusive right-to-sell contracts contain an escape clause if a buyer or seller is unhappy with their agent’s performance.
However, many do not. When nothing discusses terminating the contract, you may be stuck until the listing expires.
If you want to move on before then, the best advice is to speak with the agent’s real estate broker. They may decide to move on from an unhappy customer rather than hold them to the contract.
Can I Fire My Real Estate Agent as a Buyer?
While sellers are usually more unhappy with their agents, it is not uncommon for buyers to find out whether they can fire them.
Did you sign a buyer’s agent agreement? If so, you may be unable to fire your Realtor until the contract expires. Like firing a listing agent, you will want to communicate your desire to be let out.
If the agent refuses, I would advise subtly letting them know you’ll be telling all your family and friends about the unpleasant experience. You might want to suggest your plan for posting it all on social media.
If the agent has common sense, they will let you out of the contract.
Final Re-cap on If You Can Fire a Realtor
Selling a home is not always easy. The process can be filled with emotions. You will often find yourself on a roller coaster ride filled with stress.
Some people manage it better than others. Top-shelf real estate agents understand this and do everything they can to ease it.
If you don’t think the fences can be mended with your current real estate agent, read the article at the top of the page on how to fire your real estate agent.
The article is packed with tips on how to do it correctly.
Additional Helpful Home Selling Articles
- How to properly vet your next real estate agent – Kyle Hiscock provides helpful guidance on how to vet your agent selection.
- How to pick your first real estate agent – get some helpful tips on choosing a real estate agent via RIS Media.
Use these additional references to make intelligent decisions when selling your home.
About the Author: Bill Gassett, a nationally recognized leader in his field, provided information on “Can I fire a real estate agent?” He is an expert in mortgages, financing, moving, home improvement, and general real estate.
Learn more about Bill Gassett and the publications he has been featured in. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of Metrowest towns for the last 38+ years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.
