Yes and it felt so good.

I didn't ask.... I signed a release and demanded it be signed...removed the lockbox, sign and returned the key.... that was the first day of the listing.... he thought he was a dictator .... wrong.

Yes, once, my very first listing when I got to San Diego. The seller over priced it against my advice, but I was new in town and wanted to have a listing. 3 months later, after 2-3 of his temper tantrums over why no one was coming to see it, I said " I need to end our relationship, you won't take my professional-advice, so I can't help you. I shared with you that overpricing is the equivalent to running head first into a brick wall. That I was warning you about the dangers of  the wall. You still smacked into it, then yelled at me, for getting hurt. I'm respectfully done here sir." He called my broker to file a complaint on me. Fortunately my broker knew the story in weekly play by play, as I'd been seeking his advice all along and defended me. That was my one and only because I learned that lesson; overpriced? Save your time & money (and joy)- bye bye now.

We recently released two new homes from a builder who wouldn't listen to what we told him about the market. He built the wrong type of house for the neighborhood, would never reduce the price, would not landscape properly among other things. In the end he wanted a miracle worker not a REALTOR® and got abusive about our inability to sell. Evindently, the miracle worker he hired 90 days ago after we released him hasn't sold them either. It is not worth our time to stay with sellers like this and we should respect the definition of insanity.

I have a few times told the seller that I have done all I can but it isn't working and maybe they want to try someone else

No, I haven't but I realize sometimes things can be uncomfortable for various reasons.

A suggestion if you might be having a dilemma is to bring a co-listing partner onto the listing. That way the seller still gets the value of your expertise, but at the same time, the other agent can provide the "service" part of the equation. Just a suggestion. 

Yes.  Actually before it hit the market.  It was not meant to be.  A very good decision.   

No; we have fired our sellers, but only rarely.

Yes I have suggested it when there have not been any showings and the sellers can't reduce the price.

Not in those exact words, but yes. It was more along the lines of, "every now and then I take a listing that doesn't seem to work out. I think you owe it to yourself to try another agent," or something like that.  He went right along with it.

Yes. Seller would not sign very good purchase offer after all items negotiated.

No. However, I have had some REO listings that were a pain.

I've never asked, but a few times I just told them I was doing so. (I offer all listing clients my Easy Exit Listing Agreement which lets them fire me if I don't do the job, but it also lets me fire them if they don't do their part.)

Yes, I have told a seller that I was not the right agent for them.  Of course this was after they criticized the photos of the home and especially of the bathroom because the decorative towels didn't look good. Followed by them turning down 4 showings in one week.  The property did finally sell after they had 5 Realtors and reduced the price by $40,000.

Just did one. I did not request it I told them on Tuesday, our contract is absolved. I couldn't stand it any more & the 1st thing out of the sellers mouth was 'you can't do that'. I did & I am.

Sally K. & David L. Hanson Yes, I have.

Only once in 11 years ....sometimes you just have to say ....Goodbye!

No - but would not hesitate to fire them for cause if it became clear that was the best for all concerned.

Yes I have asked the seller to do that and once I stated all my reasons why, he promised that he would straighten up and fly right. And he actually did.

No. But there have been a few that I did not ask for extensions when they expired.

i have seen it happen, i think it is the confirmation that a mistake was made... i dont think its a bad thing.. probably not done enough

I've done it twice, and one of those times it was not pretty.  They wanted me!  I couldn't stand them!  We finally got another agent in my office who took the listing over.  Now I add language to my listing agreements saying that either party may get out of it with a little notice.  If you let them know at the onset that this is a possibility, they tend to behave really nicely.

Once - it was a corporate relocation through my former franchiser. I was told that I could not because of the relationship between the mobility management company and the corporate client -- even though everyone, including the corporate client acknowledged that the employee was the devil reincarnated. However, when the seller started to violate fair housing laws, I had to put my foot down and insist that the home become immediate "inventory" property so that my principal would change and I could do my job.

I canceled two listings this year, which is fairly rare for me. In one situation, I asked if the seller would like me to cancel the listing because I would be very happy to do so. In the second I just said there would be no hard feelings if she would prefer I cancel the listing. Just because people are nasty with me is no reason for me to be nasty to them. But I do not work with the a-holes of the world. They are always nice to you when you start out.

Can't say I ever canceled due to overpricing. Eventually that scenario works out.

Sally and David,

Yes, after they went back on their word to lower the price...and I love Barbara Todaro's approach.  A

Only once, the seller would call every day for an update, i would give it to him. Then late at night he would call drunk swearing i never called him. Finally enough was enough. 

Yes and No.. I didn't ask.. I said something like this, "Let's you and I agree to terminate this listing agreement.  It's quite obvious that somewhere the communication between the two of us was not clear enough to enter into this agreement so that a clear common goal could be reached in a reasonable amount of time."  

No, but a few times I have offered to let the seller out of his contract for a variety of reasons mostly having to do with price. They never took me up on it and in all cases lowered it. Guess that was the final wakeup call for them.

Yes...particularly when the seller was unrealistic about his or her home price.

Never asked if I could be released; on occasion it is necessary to terminate the listing agreement, when the seller is not cooperative, or when price adjustments are not forthcoming and they constantly make demands but will not follow your guidance. As someone else said, it's like the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders.

I recently had an experience where, even though we had written it in the contract to revisit the price if the home was not getting the interest she was looking for, we never did.  I wanted to get out of the contract so badly, but I stuck it out because I really liked my client.  The home did not sell and it was six months wasted - except for the experience - I am still new at this.

I would happily, from now on, ask to be released from the contract if that would ever happen again.  But I guess in all fairness, I do not think I set the expectations as clearly as I needed with her.  I figured that since she has purchased and sold several homes in the past, she would understand the market a bit better.

I haven't asked to be released.

I'm a real estate agent, and therefore a type-a personality.  I don't like leaving my future in someone else's hands.  So I haven't asked to be released.

but I have fired sellers in the past.

Hello Sally K. & David L. Hanson 

I didn't ask them to be released from a listing, I told them that I would not be representing them anymore. The Seller's were discriminatory as well as rumors being spread about what a certain neighbor would do. 

I have a few times, but the one I vividly remember was the one who yelled at me on the phone over price, pictures, what was I doing to sell their house? AND how dare I suggest they remove  the caged squirrel & snakes they raised from a baby?...BUT when I went over in person they were so nice!! They eventually sold at lower price with another agent. 

Yes i have. Life is way too short and i am not about to be abused by a client. I am here to help but someone that asks for my expertise and then dismisses the answers and fights me all the way, it is not worth the money or time that i put into listings.

I haven't asked, I've just done it.  It's only happened twice, and it was early in our careers.  

We don't need to ask so no.

One of the beauties of helping borderline buyers is "They have learned to listen, or they have vanished from the scene.  For several years I avoided taking listings, and have only recently started back.  I have listed homes for buyers needing to sell to moveup, and family members leaving town, etc.  Pricing strategy is agreed upon before marketing begins.  I give them a range and a list of potential obstacles such as trying to market a recent purchase in a subdivision with active new construction, or trying to recoupe all cost of upgrades, maintenance, and choises by preference, such as tearing down a perfectly good deck to reconfigure and enlarge.  Location issues such as excess traffic and/or difficult driveway access. Trying to recoupe closing costs from a misguided decision to refinance, etc. 

The buyers have no interest in paying for Sellers' mistakes, and even tend to argue that has to be fixed.  One guy didn't want salesmen coming to his front door so he demolished the front steps.  Sometimes, I think about selling tickets to conversations I have with folks like this.  I tell the seller that I will make every effort to insure they receive top dollar, but in the end I can only present the offers made by buyers.  When it is obvious, and I hope early in the process.  I recently suggested a seller consider trying someone else for 90 days; and at the end of that period, they can consider who they want to  and at what price.  I do not expect to hear from them, but  figure it may wedge them away from their pricing intrenchment. 

I am enjoying talking with sellers, and with my daughter now having her license, I will work more listings.  We are looking forward to the adventure.

Yes, I always release anyone who asks for any reason.  No one deal is worth someone talking bad about my firm.

That being said I've been asked only a few times over the years and generally because they decided not to sell at that time.

As a buyers agent I have had clients that wouldn't follow one bit of advice, and that only means one thing . . . nothing I can do to help them.  

Sally K. & David L. Hanson I do not recall asking the seller to be released from the contract.

If they don't keep it the way it is expected, I let them know that home will not sell - and let it expire. I used to be sensitive about canceling and expiring of listings - not any more.

No, but I have thought about releasing sellers from their contract prematurely before. 

Yes!

Sally & David,
That has never happened. I am a bull dog, probably to my detriment, that I will get that house sold.

I released myself from a contract.  Seller had property listed with another company for a while.  We met on facebook. They wanted to lease or sell (for their predetermined $)  Long story short.. I found a buyer, they changed their mind. Got a lease contract soon after.  Homeowners refused to pay to have carpets cleaned or change locks by a locksmith.  It's 11 acre horse property, why clean it & they could change locks.  I did get renters in but cancelled management contract with a letter explaining I didn't believe we could work together.  Picked up my sign, lockbox and wished them well with the lease. What a relief I felt. 

Never asked ... I've done it unilaterally.  Of course, we were no in contract with a buyer so I was able to easily do that.

Yes I have, a couple times. Once was when they refused offers unless I lowered my agreed commission significantly. The other was because they refused to really allow the home to be shown, making it very difficult.