One of the greatest frustrations with any product or service that a consumer has is when that product or service disappoints but what's even worse is when you discover that you have no recourse! You buy an appliance and expect it to work. If it doesn't, you expect to be able to register your complaint and have the issue addressed Maybe you can return the product for your money back, or maybe you can make an exchange, or maybe you can return it for store credit. One way or the other, the issue needs to be addressed. Or let's say you've taken your car into the service  department for repairs, and when you get it back, it still doesn't work. What do you do? Again, you make a call and you expect the service station to make good on their commitment. Real estate should be no different. When you secure the services of a Realtor to market your property and service your listing, you expect them to do their job. You expect them to promote your property...to give it great exposure. You expect them to communicate with you, to keep you abreast of changing market conditions and how those changes impact the saleability of your property. You expect them to respond to inquiries and handle negotiations promptly and professionally. And while no agent can control the market, they most certainly can control the marketing of your property and communication with you. But what if that's not what happens? What if you've listed your home with someone only to discover they're not living up to their end of the bargain! What if they are not marketing your home or following up on leads ... what if they're not even returning your phone calls! What if you're STUCK in a listing agreement with someone who is not doing their job! Among the complaints that consumers have about agents, this is one of the biggest. It's infuriating to speak with consumers whose homes are listed with agents who are totally non-responsive, and who, along with their Brokers, refuse to release the consumer from their listing agreements! What should happen if your agent is not performing their duties? The first course of action should always be to communicate your dissatisfaction. Even the best intentioned, most responsible agent can occasionally disappoint. When that happens, it's sometimes due to a simple miscommunication or misunderstanding. However, if the agent cannot offer a reasonable resolution to the problem, you ought to be able to get a release from the agent (and the broker) so you can make other arrangements. What sense does it make to lock an unhappy client into an unsatisfactory arrangement? After all, if you're not happy with the service your agent is providing (or not), it seems you can do that agent a whole lot more damage than the loss of one potential commission check! If you're that unhappy, wouldn't you be telling everyone you know how bad that agent was? Wouldn't it be much better to simply say "it appears this arrangement is not working out to everyone's benefit" and simply release you from the agreement. Wouldn't you be much more likely to feel, dispite the fact that you were displeased with the service, at least you were treated fairly and were able to move on! It's for this very reason that, for more than 20 years, each of my listing agreements includes what I affectionately call my "Easy Exit" Clause which gives my clients and myself both the tool to use to release us from our agreement with simply a 24 hour written notice (hey, sometimes it's not the client who finds the arrangement unsatisfactory!) I've provided my clients with this recourse, in writing, because I have every confidence in the services I deliver. |