What to Do When Your Agent Isn't the Right Fit

Our goal at Find A Black Agent is for every match to have a high likelihood of success. But we understand that, naturally, not everybody is going to be a great fit. If a match is not working, the process to finding a new agent is pretty straightforward. Here is how I would approach it, and what our team does when we hear from you.

Not every match is going to be a great fit

We put a lot of thought into who we connect you with. I wrote about that in What Happens After You Fill Out the FABA Form. Even so, real estate is a working relationship between people, and some working relationships do not click.

Sometimes the signs show up early. In What the Best Agents Do in the First 48 Hours, I described what a weak start looks like: the contact is slow, it is hard to get a time on the calendar, or the agent is not really listening. Other times nothing went wrong and the fit just is not there. Either way, it is fine to say so.

First, understand what you have signed

The first thing is to understand what type of representation agreement you have signed with the agent, if any at that point. Review your real estate legal documents so you know contractually what you are or are not obligated to.

A representation agreement is the written contract that says an agent's brokerage is working for you. For a buyer, it is often called a buyer representation agreement or a buyer agency agreement. For a seller, it is usually the listing agreement. These agreements typically spell out how long the arrangement lasts, how the agent is paid, and how either side can end it.

The names, the terms and the rules differ from state to state and from one brokerage to the next. If you have not signed anything yet, there may be very little to sort out. If you have, read it before you make a move. A real estate attorney licensed in your state can tell you what a contract means. The agent's managing broker is the person at the brokerage who can talk with you about changing or ending an agreement.

Second, tell us

Second, simply reach out to us. A phone call, an email or a text all work. Tell us about your experience and why you may be looking somewhere else, so that we can help point you in the right direction or provide some feedback.

We reach out to new clients by call, text and email because some people are at work, some are at home and some are with family. It works the same way in the other direction. Reach us whichever way you feel comfortable with at the moment.

You do not need a long explanation. What happened, what you expected and where things stand today is enough to start with. It also helps to tell us whether you have signed an agreement, because that shapes what comes next.

What FABA does when we hear from you

If you inform us that the match has not been the best, our team will make sure to speak with the agent we connected you with, to figure out how all parties can best move forward.

I say all parties on purpose. There is you, there is the agent, and there is the agent's brokerage. Sometimes an agent does not know there is a problem until someone says it. And if you are looking to explore working with a new real estate professional, it is better when everybody knows where things stand.

Where we have to be careful

In certain cases, we may not be able to dive deep into any type of consulting. We have to protect our approach, and we are careful not to overstep legal boundaries.

Here is what that means in plain terms. Your representation agreement is between you and the agent's brokerage. FABA works with the brokerages and agents outside of the client relationship. Telling you what your contract means, or whether you can walk away from it, is legal advice, and that belongs with an attorney licensed in your state. What we can do is listen, speak with the agent and help point you in the right direction.

So it comes down to two steps: know what you have signed, and tell us. If you end up having a first conversation with a new agent, Questions to Ask a Real Estate Agent on the First Call can help you make that call count. And if you want to be introduced to a Black real estate agent in your market, start at findablackagent.com.