Nothing is written in stone; well, except things actually . . . written in stone.  Buyers and sellers can fire agents AND agents can fire clients.  Now, you do sign important legal documents that create the relationship with your agent and govern/control that principal/agent bond.  You generally cannot, and really should not, fire a real estate agent on a whim.  There are also restrictions related to firing a real estate agent and their right to compensation that are beyond the scope of this post (perhaps another time).  Typically, the limiting factor in most contracts with real estate agents is time.  You agree to work with that agent and that agent agrees to work with you for a specified period of time. 

Suffice it to say that like any other professional service provider, real estate agents are contracted vendors that deserve to get paid for their time and services.  That does not mean; however, that they deserve to be kept or get paid when they are the “wrong” agent for you, if they do not do their job competently or if there are other fundamental disagreements that undermine the foundation upon which the relationship is based.  You are paying for value and are entitled to get just that. 

We are all human and can only do our best to make the right choice.  If you put in the time and effort up front and still end up working with a real estate agent that, while good, is not working out for you, there are options.  First of all, you will not be the only one in the relationship to know it.  Remember, good real estate agents are supposed to be able to read people.  If there is a true disconnect, they know it and may even be proactive with you about it.  Selling or purchasing a home is a process and things can change once the process begins. 

Again, a good real estate agent who senses a disconnect should and will bring it up.  Things change and that is okay.  Maybe your home is not selling or fetching what you thought it would or other evolving financial factors force a different approach to buying or selling.  Maybe you have seen what is out there and want to go at the process differently.  Maybe once you got down the road a bit with your chosen real estate agent, the personalities just do not mesh well.  Again, things change and that is okay.  It does not do either of you any good to waste time in an unproductive relationship (which is what drives a good agent to address it head on) and making a change before it gets ugly is also better for both sides. 

Most real estate agents, good and bad alike, are big picture people.  They know that even if they are the best agent on the planet, bad news travels like wildfire while good news typically moves slowly or just stays at home (pun intended).  A good real estate agent, after trying to fix a broken client connection, will probably be okay parting ways.  They want you to be happy and left with a good impression/feeling about them even if they were not the one that sold your home or found your dream house.  Think about it this way, if your trusted mechanic who only knows engines discovers a transmission problem while working on your car, he/she is not going to just try to fix it.  They will tell you and refer you to a qualified transmission person.  Same goes for real estate agents.  If it is honestly not working out, you will part ways nicely and probably with a referral that you can trust. 

Remember, we are focused here on working with quality real estate agents with a high degree of professionalism and integrity.  If you feel like you are getting trapped or have lost control, one of two things is likely going on:  (i) you are not working with a good real estate agent as I have described; or (ii) you are not being fair.  I will write a future post on getting out of contracts with real estate agents (when appropriate & how to do it) to address (i).  For (ii), you need to do a gut check, talk to your friends and/or colleagues about it, send me a message – get as objective an opinion as you can.  It is not uncommon at all for buyers and sellers to be so engrossed with the process and all the things that need to get done, and the unavoidable stress of it all, that they are not seeing things as they truly are.  Get some outside perspective. 

Another common reason sellers change real estate agents is that their home has been on the market too long without selling.  It is hard, no, it is impossible to say whether or not it is appropriate to do that.  It certainly can be.  The price may be off.  The agent may be stretched too thin.  You might want a fresh approach.  It could also be totally and completely unconnected to the agent and his/her efforts on your behalf.  We live in unprecedented times insofar as real estate goes.  In this market, sometimes the best real estate agent with the best strategy can strike out for no good reason at all.  Just happens. 

Responsiveness is another reason why both buyers and sellers fire real estate agents (and, incidentally, this is a typical reason agents fire clients).  You should talk to your real estate agent up front about accessibility and responsiveness expectations.  Unless you are the agent’s only client, you both need to be practical and realistic.  Can you call your real estate agent at 10 p.m. at night or 7 a.m. in the morning?  Can they call you at those times?  This also feeds into the type of agent you choose and the personality match.  Just make sure you talk about it and see eye to eye before signing on the dotted line. 

It is important to keep in mind that you and your real estate agent may disagree on things that come up during the process.  In fact, it is pretty much assured.  That should not automatically lead to a break up.  Part of your real estate agent’s job and duty is to stay objective.  That means they may be required to tell you things that you do not want to hear; things that are in your overall best interest.  They should and will remind you of your stated priorities that got tossed out the window when you saw the three car garage with a built-in oil changing pit.  Often, they are just doing what you asked for at the beginning of the process.

You should expect a reasonable amount of stress and tension to exist during this process.  Remember, that is part of why you hired a real estate agent to begin with.  They do not experience the stress in the same way you do; they are not the ones making a major decision and life change, you are.  Real estate agents, even the best, can definitely be wrong; they can blow it too; but, they are the cooler heads in the room by design.  The key is not to make rash decisions.  Have your disagreement; get hot.  Do your freak out thing within the boundaries of respect.  Then make sure to sit with your agent when the heat of the moment is gone and you are calm to dissect what took place, distill the real issue(s) and arrive at your plan to move through them together. 

Well, we are almost at the end of our journey through real estate agent land.  We have discussed many things and shared many lessons.  You now know when you need an agent; how to know the good ones from the not so good; whether all agents are the same; how to find a good agent; how to evaluate what kind of client you are; and when it is time for a new agent.  The final post in this series will address the unfortunate situation where you and your agent cannot agree to amicably end your relationship and you need to force the break up.