A potential client wants to dump her realtor. What should I do?

Will, I might do a little investigating myself as to what the other agent is doing.  Does he have an accurate mls printout, (I see mistakes constantly), does he have the maximum allowable pictures? (I have seen $600K houses with 6 pics) on how many websites can you find the listing? Then you can call the seller and find out why he is unhappy and see if it coincides with what you found out. If you think you can do a better job then take the listing.  In the seller's eyes you'll have to prove yourself anyway. Good luck.

Will, Without a doubt I would give my opinion on what it would take to get their property sold and would discuss taking the listing once their current agreement expires. I don't care what the agent is doing. That's between the seller and their agent. My job is to talk to them about what I do. I'll talk real estate with anyone at any time. It's what I do .

Will, call me unethical but I don't see the problem here.  This client reached out to YOU.  I don't see that as snaking AT ALL!

If the seller calls you, you can speak to them in MI. I would look it up in the MLS, check the comps and meet with them. If they are way off in price, then I would take the listing when it is withdrawn or expired.

Good luck, always a hard call. 

The first thing I would do is question the client if they knew what the other agent had done in regards to marketing their property, how long had it been on the market.  See if there has been open communication between the two.  In truth I don't see an ethical issue here, the client reached out to you.  You were not soliciting them away from the other agent.  With real estate its always a little more difficult to see exactly what the problem is.  This happens with Mortgage financing from tie to time and its much easier to spot where the problem is.

Theirs a little something in all of us that knows right from wrong just follow it. You have to be honest, if it is priced too high tell the seller. If there is something you can do to help let them know. As long as your honest and try to do the right thing you will do just fine.

I would talk with the other realtor, check on the listing to see if it is priced to sale. If the results are negative, I'd take the listing.

I have 2 listings now that resulted from being contacted while they were listed with another agent.  I didn't initiate the contact, but I sure as heck wasn't going to turn away potential clients.  I was careful to explain that I couldn't help them until their existing listing agreements were ended, but I also gave them the run down on how I handle my own listings.  Actually, they didn't need that because they found my blog and already knew that they wanted their homes to have the same advertising my other clients were getting and their agents weren't providing.  If the seller calls YOU, then there is no ethics question about stealing clients - the seller absolutely has the right to hire the person they think can best represent them.

I vote with the people who said to go ahead and call the seller and get more information.  It's not a violation of ethics to talk to people who seek you out. Once you know the seller's side of the story, you can decide on the right thing to do.

Even if you think the other Realtor is doing a good job, there may be a personality conflict at the root of the problem. When you have enough information, tell the seller how you see the situation and then make a decision about whether you want to work with this client.

Hi Will,

Maybe I am a boy scout but I have on more than one occassion run into this and every time I tell the home owner that if they want to hire a different agent and talk to me that they should cancel their existing contract first.

I am not going to start giving out advice to somebody else's client.

Do some research on the listing. Is it priced right? Has it been reduced? Has the other Realtor marketed the listing? Can you find the listing marketed online?
Contact the seller to find out what the real motivation is. What do they think the other agent did wrong? In their opinion, why isn't their condo selling?

If the Seller contacted you then you can take the listing when it expired.

However I would ask all the above questions as far as price,  what kind of advertising was done, were there any offers....you may find that you do not want the listing as there might have been a difficult seller.

I just turned a listing down. I gave them a reality check of what price their house should be listed.

They had talked badly about the prior listing company not selling their house, but I mearly pointed out that it is difficult to sell a home that is over priced in this market.

They still wanted me to list it, and actually admitted that they were not in a hurry to sell. Hum..........Well to spend on advertising and aggressive marketing for someone that does not want to sell?????

Here's what I almost always do when I'm approached by a seller when there is still an active listing in place. 

I go see the current Realtor, tell him/her the situation.  Offer to to let him/her co-list the property with me as the lead agent.  After subtracting my marketing expense, split net commission to my agency with him/her 50-50.

I don't particularly like the idea of participating in someone's failure when I don't have to.

Happy New Year Will!!!  I would ask the seller what expectations haven't been met to see if their expectations are realistic.  I'd also see if the property has been marketed effectively.  If it has, then it may not be the Realtor.  Unrealistic Seller???

Will, you have gotten good advice here and I know you will handle it exactly right.  As to whether or not it's a "bad" client or "bad" agent, well, sometimes it is just a "bad fit."  The agent may be doing everything possible to market the property, but may have neglected to communicate thoroughly with the client...regardless, if the client isn't happy, it may be best for the client to move on.  Good luck and best wishes for the New Year!