Listing Agent Unethical Behavior Towards Older Vulnerable Seller

[Grant Shipman]

Can I, and how can I, help protect a seller I was working with from being taken advantage of by her Listing Agent? 

Through trying to purchase a house in Longmont, I have come upon a Listing Agent abusing the powers of his license. The seller is an older Indonesian women and the LA is her pastor. He is not physically or verbally abusing her. She lost trust in him, so she asked me to ask her LA to release her as a client to an attorney to oversee the transaction, since the LA was doing the services for free. The LA refused. LA told the seller and myself he was not taking a commission, but the offer the LA wrote states the LA is taking a commission. The LA also told the seller he had listed the house on the MLS over 1.5 months ago, but the LA just listed it yesterday.

It seems the Realtor Associations don't have much power beyond a few hundred dollar fine and required classes.  I'm speaking with them currently, but I'd like to help this seller out NOW if possible. Is there anything I can do, or should I just let it go?

[Thomas S.]

Tell her to go see a lawyer and if she refuses let it go. If people are not willing to help themselves, when advised by someone they trust like yourself, then there is nothing you can do to help.

On the other hand if taking a commission is the only problem simply make that clear to her and again walk away. Taking a commission is not the worst thing in the world.

I can not for the life of me understand why people believe pastors are in some way special. They are not and can not be trusted any more than anyone else. I know first hand.