Source
r/RealEstate•
iaremonkey

I would like to get rid of my potential listing agent.

Homeseller

In February, I called my former buyer's agent to gauge selling my home. The agent showed us one home that my wife had found interesting and said they would come over to our home if we wanted them to give us a rough estimate on what they think the house should be listed for. We decided it was a good idea and called them in for a meeting. The agent showed up for the meeting and we showed the agent around our house, then about 30 minutes later the agent said their stager was coming to tell us what to change. We thought this was really odd since we didn't know that another person was showing up. The stager suggested some painting and flooring updates which we ended up getting done with a contractor the agent connected us with. That ended up taking a long time and life happened and our timeline has been drawn out.

Recently, this agent has started a real pressure campaign of scheduling appointments to come to our house and what we're finding out after we cancel, because we can't just leave work on a days notice to meet with this realtor, is that they expect to both stage and photograph our house in these short notice "meetings". This has happened several times despite me telling the agent not to contact me until I contact them.

We have not signed or filled out any paperwork with this agent. Is there any problem with me telling this agent to stop contacting me as I will not be listing my house with them and getting another agent? I am in Maryland.

Posted May 20, 2022, 1:49 PM UTC

17
TheProfessor61•

Most states require a written agreement in order for there to be any agency created. Because you don’t have one, there should be no problem.

7
Bionic_Hamster•

Frankly I’m surprised that you’ve gotten this far without signing anything, even using their stager and contractor connections. If you haven’t signed anything in writing then afaik there is nothing preventing you from stopping this in it’s tracks.

4
novahouseandhome•

"Dear So-and-so,

we appreciate the time you've put in and the advice you've provided around selling our property. we're changing directions and no longer require your services.

thanks,

me"

direct, stay firm with "no thanks". at some point you may need to block emails and calls from the agent if they don't get it.

3
iaremonkeyOP•

I like this and this seems like the cleanest break. I was thinking of giving a reason, but that seems like it would just give them hope that they could just fix it. They broke my trust, which I feel is important in an agent/client relationship and at this point, it beyond repair.

2
Wonderful_Leader_226•

Sounds like you need to be firm. They are not getting the message

2
Ambitious-Switch2352•

Agent in Texas. Sounds like miscommunication from both sides to me. I think it's highly odd that the listing agent didn't ask you to sign any paperwork and yet has brought in stagers and has asked for meetings on short-notice. They should have checked with you and made sure you were comfortable with photographing and staging and all of that.

I'm assuming once the house is actually on the market, there'll be more flexibility with your schedule for last minute showings? Because those do happen, and it's important to be as accommodating as possible for potential buyers to walk through. If you don't want that, that's fine, just be very upfront. You can say "I need 2 hour notice" or "24 hour notice". I also think if you're serious about selling your house, it shouldn't be as one-sided in terms of communication as "don't contact me until I contact you".

Either way - listings are seen as the creme de la creme in the industry, so if you don't feel comfortable anymore, just send them a firm email and find someone else.

1
iaremonkeyOP•

I would be more flexible if my home were actually on the market. The problem is that there's a bunch of misdirections from this agent to seem like they're trying to "trick" us into listing with them (e.g. An E-mail to set up a checking in meeting to see where we're in getting ready to list the house only to find out a day later that there's a stager and a photographer coming with them when we've repeatedly told them we're not ready.). This has made me super uncomfortable and the "don't contact me until I contact you" came from the fact that was how every communication was going. I don't know if they were thinking it was going to push us into listing or what was up with that, but it's had the opposite effect.

1
Ambitious-Switch2352•

I think I understand what you mean. Like you're not necessarily in a hurry to put the house on the market, you're taking it one step at a time, and you feel the agent is rushing you and also planning things without talking it through with you and getting your consent (like with the stager and stuff)?

1