Can I market a property? Am I allowed to do so?

[Patrick Boutin]

Hello everybody,

I have a question that I am hoping to get some advice on.

I have two small properties I am trying to sell with the help of a local Real Estate agent. Unfortunately, these properties need quite a bit of work. Because of this, I fear the realtor isn't too motivated to get them sold (which I can understand as there isn't a whole lot of money he can make).

He has told me the properties are listed on the local MLS which I cannot verify. What I know, is that I have searched for both properties on realtor.com, zillow.com and trulia.com and haven't been able to find either of them...

In the meanwhile, having recently discovered BP and having listened to a lot of great advice thru the podcasts I have gotten a few ideas on how to market them.

Please let me be clear that I am not trying to stiff the agent. He has been very helpful with selling other smaller properties however I fear that if I keep depending on him, this could drag on for much longer and could potentially cost me more money.

My question is therefore the following: Am I allowed to market the properties and more importantly if I did and found a potential buyer, do I have to give the agent a commission?

[Patrice Boenzi]

A few suggestions:

1.  Google the address and see if the property comes up for sale

2. If not, ask the agent for a copy of the listing sheet- it will have the MLS number in it and how many days it has been in the market

I have to answer your question with a question, sorry! What type of listing agreement did you sign? If you sign an exclusive right to sell then you need to pay the agent commission no matter who sells it. How long did you sign for?