5 Questions to Ask Before Firing Your Real Estate Agent

You took the time to interview real estate agents and thought you found the right one. But now your list of complaints is a mile long and you’re starting to feel like you’ll never find a home. You’ve got a lot of time invested in this relationship, but you’re starting to think it might be time to call it quits.

So what should you think about before you make the big decision?

1. What complaints do you have? 

Making a list of everything that’s going wrong is a great place to start. It’ll help you see if all your problems are coming from one place of if it’s just not a good fit at all. That list will also be helpful if you try to work through things with the agent or if you need to give them a reason why you’re ending the relationship.

2. Can you work it out?

The ideal solution is to work out any issues you have. Tell your agent that his communication style doesn’t work for you or that he’s showing your houses that don’t meet your criteria. Who knows, you might find out that there was a miscommunication in your first meeting and that’s why you’re not getting what you need.

3. Would you be willing to work with another agent from the same agency?

A real estate agent doesn’t work by himself, he needs to have a real estate broker who works over him. A lot of times that broker will have several agents working for her. Contact the broker, explain the situation, and ask if it’s possible to have another agent assigned to you. That will help you avoid any sticky situations that might come up from breaking a contract and it’ll help keep your home search moving along.
 

4. What contractual obligations do you have?

Hopefully your contract has a termination clause in it, but if it doesn’t, then what are your responsibilities?

5. What happens after?

If you do end up firing your agent, do you have a backup plan? If not, are you prepared to stop or delay your home search until you can find someone else? Or are you planning on going forward without an agent?