Q. I recently placed my property on the market to sell with one of my local agents but only two weeks into the process I have realised that they are totally incompetent and absolutely not the right agent for the job. Only trouble is of course is that I have signed their terms of business for a 12 week period. Is there anything I can do to get them to release me from the contract given how I unhappy I am with their service?
A. When it comes to choosing an agent to sell your property I can’t stress enough how important it is to do your homework work before signing on the dotted line. Your home or property is likely to be your largest single asset so don’t you think it’s worth taking a little time over who you want to represent you when it comes to selling?! Instructing the right agent at the onset is crucial because once that property goes live and hits the portals it is literally on line to an audience of thousands upon thousands of potential home buyers. Your home is being showcased by this agent, so it’s important that the photographs are professional and high calibre quality, a professional photographer can work magic on even the most normal looking room in the house and good lighting and wide angle lenses can make your property look a 100 times better to the naked eye. If your agent is already letting you down in week two then you have clearly made the wrong decision. You will need to have a look at the small print to see if there is anything you can do, and depending on how long ago you signed the document you may still be in the ‘cooling off period’ any credible agent will have this inserted into the contract. Most agency agreements are for anything between 8-16 weeks initially and some have a 28 day notice period too so you really do need to investigate what you have signed. Sole selling rights is not so prevalent today but beware of this type of agency agreement as this means that even if your best friend decided to buy your property your agent is perfectly within their rights to charge you a fee. If from the contract it appears that you don’t have any ‘get out early’ options then make an appointment to see your agent to discuss early release as you are not happy as it will be at their discretion and if they do agree to early termination then make sure you get that in writing before signing up with someone else otherwise you could find yourself liable for dual fees.