{"id":272,"date":"2006-09-01T06:36:00","date_gmt":"2006-09-01T13:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/?p=272"},"modified":"2006-09-01T06:43:13","modified_gmt":"2006-09-01T13:43:13","slug":"escape-clause-would-help-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/272\/escape-clause-would-help-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Escape clause would help all"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is me in today’s Republic<\/i><\/a> (permanent link<\/a>), another chance at infamy:<\/p>\n

Escape clause would help all<\/b><\/p>\n

Believe it or not, this can be a rabble-rousing column.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I write about the perils of dual agency or why the buyer is actually paying for everything in a real estate transaction or why buyers as well as sellers should negotiate their agent’s compensation. While these ideas might seem simple and obvious to you, in fact they are hugely controversial within the real estate industry.<\/p>\n

When I write a column like that, my day will be punctuated by testy calls from angry Realtors and brokers.<\/p>\n

Oh, well.<\/p>\n

The slim justification for our real estate licenses, and the earning power accruing thereto, is service in the public’s interest.<\/p>\n

Too much of “the way things have always been done” in real estate strikes me as being of great benefit to the brokers and the agents, but of no benefit – or even of actual harm – to buyers and sellers.<\/p>\n

Here’s another one, sure to make the phone lines light up:<\/p>\n

There should be a firing clause in every employment agreement.<\/p>\n

Brokers want employment agreements because we work “on spec.” That is, we don’t get paid until we produce the agreed-upon results.<\/p>\n

That’s a good thing. It keeps Realtors motivated.<\/p>\n

But an exclusive employment agreement with no exit clause traps unhappy buyers and sellers with an agent who may not be producing any results or who simply may not be a good fit personally.<\/p>\n

This is language that will suffice:<\/p>\n

“This agreement will be terminated upon written notice by either party.”<\/p>\n

With this clause, the broker can fire the clients, too, if that seems wise. But the important point is that clients can get out of an unhappy situation if they feel this is necessary.<\/p>\n

Their goal, as buyers or sellers, is to achieve their real estate objectives. Buyers and sellers are not buying and selling real estate for the benefit of Realtors or brokers.<\/p>\n

Giving consumers the power to escape an employment agreement when things just aren’t working out is the best service of their interests.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I am much constrained by the space limits of the newspaper. I wrote here on the <\/a>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is me in today’s Republic (permanent link), another chance at infamy: Escape clause would help all Believe it or not, this can be a rabble-rousing column. Sometimes I write about the perils of dual agency or why the buyer is actually paying for everything in a real estate transaction or why buyers as well […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-272","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-marketing","7":"category-real-estate","9":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1939,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/1939\/richard-epstein-on-zoning-kelo-and-the-takings-clause\/","url_meta":{"origin":272,"position":0},"title":"Richard Epstein on zoning, Kelo and the “takings” clause","author":"Greg Swann","date":"September 17, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr. Richard Epstein is my favorite never-happen candidate for the Supreme Court. An expert on the \"takings\" clause of the Fifth Amendment (\"nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation\"), in the linked podcast, hemakes the case that many current zoning restrictions are essentially \"takings\" and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marketing"","block_context":{"text":"Marketing","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/marketing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11762,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/11762\/fha-va-tip-the-amendatory-clause\/","url_meta":{"origin":272,"position":1},"title":"FHA\/ VA Tip: The Amendatory Clause","author":"Brian Brady","date":"April 13, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a tip for real estate agents, when presenting an offer with FHA\u00a0 or VA financing; include the FHA\/VA Amendatory Clause to the Purchase Contract as part of the offer.\u00a0\u00a0 You'll save you, the seller's agent, the escrow company, the lender, and most importantly your buyer, a lot of last\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lending"","block_context":{"text":"Lending","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/lending\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5342,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/5342\/nymag-nyc-real-estate-developer-offers-obama-contingency\/","url_meta":{"origin":272,"position":2},"title":"NYMag: “NYC Real-Estate Developer Offers ‘Obama Contingency'”","author":"Greg Swann","date":"October 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"New York Magazine:Holy election tie-in: Erik Ekstein, who's developing +aRT, an 88-unit Chelsea condo that just began sales last week, says he's including an \"Obama Contingency Clause\" in all contracts that go into effect between now and Election Day. If Obama wins, the contract goes through, but if John McCain\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Casual Friday"","block_context":{"text":"Casual Friday","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/casual-friday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":119,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/119\/you-buy-something-you-pay-mkay\/","url_meta":{"origin":272,"position":3},"title":"You buy something, you pay, m’kay?","author":"Greg Swann","date":"July 22, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Friday can be my dread day. I write a small real estate column for the West Valley sections of the Arizona Republic. That is not nearly as sexy as it sounds. They give me 350 words -- might you have guessed that I can go on at greater length? --\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marketing"","block_context":{"text":"Marketing","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/marketing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":130,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/130\/carnival-of-real-estate-if-you-love-your-clients-set-them-free\/","url_meta":{"origin":272,"position":4},"title":"Carnival of Real Estate: If you love your clients, set them free…","author":"Greg Swann","date":"July 24, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Searchlight Crusade is hosting this week's Carnival of Real Estate. BloodhoundBlog is featured, insisting that there is always room at the top, and we are lucky to be among such an august company. Everything is worth reading, but two posts stand out for me: Spotlight Realty's practical example of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Carnivals"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Carnivals","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/blog-carnivals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":323,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/323\/negotiating-buyer-representation-real-estate-is-probably-the-only-industry-that-doesnt-respect-fully-the-person-who-pays\/","url_meta":{"origin":272,"position":5},"title":"Negotiating buyer representation: “Real estate is probably the only industry that doesn’t respect fully the person who pays . . .”","author":"Greg Swann","date":"September 11, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"On the general topic of buyer representation, Jim Duncan at Real Central VA has a post up about being very choosy about which clients he will take on. Interestingly, Jim provides a link to a specimen copy of a Virgina Asscoation of Realtors Buyer Broker Exclusive Employment Agreement. I think\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogging"","block_context":{"text":"Blogging","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/category\/blogging\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}