Canceling a listing agreement for the sale of your home is a straightforward process, particularly if your real estate agent has not brought in any potential buyers. You can request for a release or to be assigned to another agent within the firm. The terms of the cancellation should already be spelled out in your listing agreement.

Most residential listing agreements are bilateral – meaning both the listing agent and the seller must perform.

The first step in canceling a listing agreement is establishing the grounds for cancellation.

• Is it a lack of good communication? For instance, your agent may not be providing you the updates and frequency in which you require.
• Is it a lack of good chemistry? You and your agent just can’t see to click.
• Is it unethical behavior? This is at the other end of the spectrum and something that Aiello & Associates takes extremely seriously.

It’s advisable to determine if any of these reasons apply to your situation prior to taking any action.

For example: If it’s just a matter of you and your agent just not clicking as you should, you can simply ask to be assigned another agent. Realize that your listing agreement is between the brokerage and you, not between you and your agent. If you are unhappy with your agent, it might be entirely permissible and easier for everyone if you ask the broker to assign another agent to you.

Reasons to Cancel a Listing

There could be various other factors and reasons that could contribute to your desire and your right to cancel your listing agreement if you are not satisfied.

Some of the reasons for cancellation may be:

• Poor communication: If you prefer daily or weekly updates from your agent and he/she does not provide them, that would be a good reason to cancel your listing. If this is the case, you may first want to talk to your agent and allow him/her an opportunity to improve the communications skills and not just cancel the listing right away.
  
  
• Bad photographs: Photos are the most important aspect of marketing. An agent can misspell words or use the wrong words and a home will still sell. Photos, however, are pretty important.
  
  
• Not enough internet exposure: Normally when a property listing is entered into the MLS (Multiple Listing Service), the listing agent will syndicate the listing to other real estate websites such as: Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Homes.com and many others, depending on the type of property. Google and other search engines are essential tools in getting your listing out into the wider world. So, if you type in your address into a search engine and it does not return any results, that's a big red flag that little is being done to market and sell your home.
  
  
• Mismatched personalities: Sometimes you don't get to know a person until you have worked together. You may be an overachiever who is now paired with an underachiever. You may want just the facts; however, the agent might lean toward a passive nature. It's OK to cancel a listing if your personalities don't coincide.
  
  
• Unethical behavior: Agents rarely set out to be un-ethical, but it can happen. Perhaps your agent flip-flopped on broker fees or has overpromised things to buyers and you as the seller that are not able to be fulfilled. If you feel that your agent is not representing your best interests, it might be time to cancel the listing and find a new agent.

If you are requesting to cancel your listing agreement for something other than “unethical behavior”, we would greatly appreciate the opportunity to first allow us to rectify the issue at hand and to make it right by you. Then if our resolution is not to your satisfaction and you are not completely satisfied with our service, Aiello & Associates will unconditionally release you from your listing agreement.

If you still like to proceed with your cancellation, click the button below: