Realtor advice in KC (Kansas City, Lee's Summit: real estate, broker, attorney)

[Jerry the Builder]

I am here to advise you about signing a listing agreement with your new agent. I am in the middle of a VERy BAD experience with mine right now and I think no one else should ever have to go through it. First of all ONLY go 6 months. If they can't sell it by then you need to make a change. I don't care how bad the market is. Second thing is read the listing agreement. Do not sign it if there is any type of clause that states that it will cost you money to get out. That would mean that even if they do a crappy job, they get some money. I would recommend that you initial every page of the agreement so if something does go wrong you will have some proof. It is too easy for agents to photo copy the signature page and then add whatever the heck they want to the other pages. Check all your own boxes. Don't let them do it. When you leave it blank, that is when they go back and check the one year box instead of the six month or when they check the 7% box instead of the 6%. Date your own pages. I have always been a very trusting person and not dated documents myself. I have leaned to NEVER tust an agent. My other peice of advice is to get it in writing what they are going to do for advertising. Are they going to put it on the web? Are they going to put it on the MLS? Are they going to put it in the paper? Are they going to put it in local homes magazines? And when I say are they going to do it, I mean are they going to do it well and more than once in five months. I am posting this thread, because I am right now in this situation. My agent showed me a magazine that was of her homes ONLY. Since listing with her she says the publisher has gone out of business so she no longer offers that. To me that is false advertising or just a flat out lie. Should she let me out of my 16 listing agreements? She said she wont without me paying her X amount of dollars. Another thing I am going through with this license holding waste of space is her MLS listings. I have other contacts in the real estate business that were kind enough to check out what she has on the MLS. I hate to say it, but you have to check on them. Find a way on to the MLS and see what they have or have not written. Make sure there are GOOD pictures of your home out there. You have to check on them. They can not be trusted. Of my 16 houses I have listed with her only 6 have a picture. I have seen multiple posts on this web site alone that say they wouldn't even look at a house if it didn't have atleast that!!! 16 houses, ten diferent floor plans among them and two different remarks on the MLS. 25 years of experience huh? I have seen rookies right out of school do better than that!! Yes, I made a bad decision and she continues to make me pay for it. Listen to me. Do as I say not as I do. And if you are looking for a realtor in the Kansas City/Lee's Summit area, I wouldn't choose this one.

[aragx6]

Very good advice.

[Jerry the Builder]

I posted that message last night, but decided today to go to my agent and ask her AGAIN to release me. She said no unless I pay her a $1500 cancellation fee for EACH of my 16 properties. I am no rocket scientist, but I think that works out to be $24,000. I said you have not done a thing and told her that she has been marketing (or lack of) like a rookie agent. At that point she asked me to leave her office and if I didn't she was going to call the police. I begged her, please just let me out and told her that I was going to come to her office every day until she would cancel without fee. She said she would get a restraining order against me. What an agent!! As soon as I get the okay from my attorney, I will be thrilled to share her name with all of you. She can't get my houses sold, she wont let me get someone who probably could...she's going down with me. You all have a great day.

[aragx6]

She's probably over worked and over stressed because the market sucks, just as you, as a builder, probably are too, but she's being a bit unreasonable it seems.

[christina0001]

Have you spoken with her broker?
I think a contract longer than 6 months is too long too. I'm not saying that if a property takes longer than 6 months, it's the agent's fault, but I think after 6 months everything should be up for review and reconsideration.
Please review City-Data.com's Terms of Service before posting the agent's name. There's a reasonable chance your post will be deleted if you do.
"This is not the right place for consumer complaints. Such posts present defamation issues and they don't give the other side the opportunity to present their side of the argument." Terms of Service - City-Data Forum

[Jerry the Builder]

...and that is all I am here for is to give advice about what I am going through so as no one else would have to. I have been building for 14 years and have just recently learned a huge lesson. My point to all of this is not to necessarily trash her, but to tell people what to look out for. Just cause she (or he) says she has 25 years experience doesn't mean a thing. Number one selling agent four or five years ago doesn't mean squat today. I have come to find out that it matters more what they do in a tough market. Everyone in the business got fat and happy during the good times. She is still living in those good times and is unwilling to do anything different in the tough ones. Yes, by the way I did talk to her broker. In our first conversation he was very supportive, understanding and agreeable that I was unhappy for many good reasons. Then he talked to her and decided to leave it up to her as to weather let me go or not. I think he decided that she made him too much money to **** her off. I have filed complaints with the Missouri Real Estate Commision, the Better Business Bureau of Kansas City and have started a complaint with Heartland MLS. And all she had to do was let me out!!!!

[christina0001]

I have always felt, with service professionals, personal recommendations count much more than anything, even years of experience.

[Jerry the Builder]

Well here is some more of the story. The broker emailed me two days ago to tell me they would let me out of all of the listing agreements if I paid for the two newpaper ads she ran about three months ago. $1900 I agreed and asked them to immediately get the paper work going. Today I got another email from the broker saying that the deal is off the table because she found out that I filed a complaint with the Missouri Real Estate Commision What do you all think about that?

[aragx6]

That sucks! I'm sorry Jerry, I hope it all gets worked out.

[KCRichard]

I am a Realtor and I'm sorry you have had such a bad experience. Most Realtors are honest and good folks. I don't know the particulars about your deal, but I have never charged a client a penny unless I sold their listng(s). Marketing costs are a business expense that a Realtor incurs and may or may not be re-cooped, just as the time and expense of showing homes to buyers may not end in a sale, thus no commission. Unless I have a committment that requires an extraordinary amount of marketing( an entire subdivision or new home community), the MLS, websites, newspaper, etc., are all standard marketing tools that I use with no charge to the client and no guarantee of making money.Please don't judge all Realtors because of one bad apple. I hope you can resolve your problem to your satisfaction.