Firing a Broker

"a) the listing broker to push us to fire our broker"

NO.

No to all of the above ethically. Legally, your lease will probably contain a clause stating that you have identified all brokers involved in the deal and that you imdenify the owner should any broker need to be paid.

Tell the brokers to work it out between themselves and the owner -- after you're not paying -- and look elsewhere in the meantime.

For the listing broker to say you should fire your broker is completely unethical. Why don't you just ask your broker to help out a little more? I'm not exactly sure what they aren't helping you out with, but I'm sure there was just some miscommunication.

Typically the board application/package is long and tedious. Your broker may have said, 'fill this all out,' and he would be correct in saying that as it is not his job to just do it for you. However, a lot of people get confused, so I typically guide them as to how they should proceed.

(Matthew Russell - Brown Harris Stevens)

I put in an offer with my buyer's broker. I was told by my broker that the offer was rejected and the price difference was around 20K . That was about a month ago. I recently learned from the listing broker that the seller and I were really 10K apart. Now what? If I proceed with the purchase must I continue to work with my buyer broker....or can I terminate the very unproductive relationship beforehand?

I think Bloomsday this is a problem of your listing broker, not your problem at all.

Unless you signed something with the buyer's broker, I believe "nobody owns a buyer" is still the way of the world. Somebody here will surely correct me if I'm wrong.

Since you're already talking directly to the listing broker, stop talking to your (former) buyer's broker and proceed with the deal. (I do wonder however if everybody is getting the story straight...my former journalist's antenna say that the listing broker might have you confused with someone else. Unless you take the report back to the buyer's broker, you don't have both sides of the story.)

The only issue is whether the listing broker must or need not split the ultimate commission with your former broker. That should not concern you, and the outcome should not affect you, either.

Karla Harby
Charles Rutenberg Realty
kharby@crrnyc.com

Thanks kharby2. Your' re right. I know I don't have the whole story. I want to avoid a scenario whereby after the deal is done, the buyer's broker comes after ME for a commission or is that a fight strictly between the buyer's agency and the listing broker's agency?

When you are buying something you are never paying the commission anyway, it is coming out of the listing brokers commission as a co broke. If you went to an open house or even if your broker got you a private appt, the listing broker knows who you are working with. At this point if you go around your broker to make a deal and the listing broker cuts them out, he may be able to go after both of you.

I would at this point call your broker and get the other side of the story. for all you know listing broker wants whole commission and is using you by stretching the truth to the story.

I would think if you want the apartment it is not worth it to have the burden of being stuck between two warring brokers.

Do I proceed with the purchase through the buyer broker?

Why not have any actual conversation with the broker. You find out they lied, drop them and i would not worry about their commission, because you could actually report them to the real estate board and theyy could lose license i believe if they were not representing your interests by backing you into a deal for more money which gets them more money. That is at least how i understand what you said.