How do I .. or can I "fire" my real estate agent ?

Question

It has not been on the market very long, I just think I rushed into things without looking for a good agent who can make things happen quickly.

Answer 1

Of course you can fire your agent at any time. However, if you expected them to have your house sold in under 180 days, you are not being realistic in this market.  Why do you feel your agent isn't a good agent? Didn't you interview several before making a decision? Consider giving them a chance to do what you have hired them to do.  Call them and ask them to come over and discuss their marketing plan for your home.  Are they planning a Brokers Open,  weekend open houses from time to time, advertising, where and how often.  Do they make brochure booklets for your home to give to buyers coming thru, or are there just flyers. Are they communicating weekly with you either verbally (phone call ) or my email, about the market and any feedback from showings?  Are they basically performing as agreed to when you signed the listing agreement? If so, then you need to have a good reason to fire them. You should read your contract carefully to be sure you haven't agreed to pay a commission if you cancel early.

Answer 2

They easiest thing to do is to mutually agree to terminate all contracts with the agent.  If you offer to reimburse the agent for some of his/her expenses they should be cooperative.  

Also, don't refer to it as a firing.  No one wants to be fired.  It is the termination of a contract.  Blame it on the market, not the agent.

You could simply tell him/her you are aving second throughts about the price the property is listed at and are not sure if you want to sell at all.  No agent wants to work with a seller that doesn't want to sell.

Answer 3

Review your contract and assure that you are not in breach of contract in any way before you proceed to fire your agent.  There is usually a time period stipulated in the contract just make sure you abide by it.

Answer 4

Make sure you didn't sign anything giving them rights to sell indefinitely, etc.  

Realtors can be pretty scummy, you have to really research before choosing one, and you have the full right to get rid of them if they're not doing the job you expected.