What Happens If You Don't Like Your Real Estate Agent?

Most people like their agent. In NAR’s 2025 Profile, 91% of buyers said they would definitely or probably use their agent again or recommend them, and 75% of sellers said they would definitely recommend theirs. (NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers) That leaves roughly one in ten buyers and one in four sellers who would not say “definitely,” and some of them are reading this because they are stuck with an agent they do not trust, cannot reach, or simply do not like. Post #18 in this series covers the mechanics of switching agents. This post is about the step before that: figuring out what kind of problem you have, because the right exit depends on it.

Four kinds of “I don’t like my agent”

Most dislikes are in the first two rows, and most of those are fixable without changing agents. The last two rows are rarer and should not be handled with a polite conversation.

Step one: say it, in writing

The most common complaint about agents is communication. In NAR’s survey, responsiveness tied for the highest buyer satisfaction score at 89% “very satisfied,” which means about one in nine buyers was less than very satisfied with how fast their agent got back to them. (NAR 2025 Profile) Sellers rank “responsive” as the second most important trait when hiring, at 77%. (Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2026, Sellers)

Many agents genuinely do not know the client is unhappy. Send one email: what is not working, what you need instead, and by when. “I need showing feedback within 24 hours and a written update every Friday” is a request an agent can meet or decline. “I feel like you’re not doing much” is not. Give it two weeks. If the problem is style or effort, this fixes it more often than you would expect, and it creates a record if it does not.

Step two: go to the broker

Every Mississippi agent works under a principal broker, and your agreement is with the brokerage, not the individual. Under Commission rules, the principal broker is “the sole recipient of all commissions and fees,” and is responsible for the brokerage’s agreements. (MREC Rules 3.1(E)(1) and 3.2(C)) That makes the broker the person with the authority to reassign you to another agent in the same office, which preserves your contract and your timeline, or to release you.

Call the broker and describe the problem factually, with your email from step one attached. Ask for one of three things: a specific fix with a date, reassignment to a different agent, or a written release. A broker who hears “I will take a different agent in your office” has every incentive to say yes, because the fee stays in the house.

If your agent is the broker, as is the case with many small firms including mine, this step and the next collapse into one conversation, which is one reason to ask about the cancellation clause before you sign (post #29 in this series).

Step three: read the agreement, then ask for a release

Your options at this point depend on the paper. In Mississippi, listing agreements must have “a definite date of expiration” and cannot require you to notify the broker that you intend to cancel after it. (MREC Rule 3.2(B)) Buyer agreements must be in writing with their own expiration date. (MREC Rule 3.2(C)(3)) Beyond that, the terms are whatever you negotiated. NAR tells its members that buyer agreements “may include provisions addressing termination with cause and without cause by both the buyer and the MLS Participant,” and may include “a carryover period, where compensation may be owed” if you buy a home the agent showed you within a set window after termination. (NAR, Written Buyer Agreements 101)

Three practical points:

• A release is a negotiation, not a right, unless your agreement says otherwise. Most brokers grant one to an unhappy client because a forced relationship produces nothing for either side.
• Expect the protection period to survive. If you buy a home your first agent showed you, the first brokerage may be owed its fee. Get the list of properties covered in writing with the release.
• A new agent will ask if you are signed. Under the REALTOR® Code of Ethics, agents “shall not knowingly provide substantive services concerning a prospective transaction to prospects who are parties to exclusive representation agreements, except with the consent of the prospects’ exclusive representatives or at the direction of prospects.” (NAR 2026 Code of Ethics, Standard of Practice 16-13) A release removes the question entirely.

Step four, for ethics problems: the local association

If the issue is conduct rather than effort, and the agent is a REALTOR® or REALTIST®, you have a channel outside the brokerage. “If you believe that a REALTOR® has violated one or more Articles of the Code of Ethics, you can file an ethics complaint alleging a violation(s) through the local association of REALTORS® where the REALTOR® holds membership.” (NAR, Ethics Complaints and Arbitration Requests) The deadline is “one hundred eighty (180) days from the time a complainant knew (or reasonably should have known) that potentially unethical conduct took place.” (NAR, Before You File an Ethics Complaint)

Know what this process can and cannot do. Discipline is mostly educational, with “a letter of reprimand and appropriate fines” and, for “serious or repeated violations,” suspension or termination of membership. (NAR) But associations “cannot require REALTORS® to pay money to parties filing ethics complaints; cannot award ‘punitive damages’ for violations of the Code of Ethics; and cannot suspend or revoke a real estate professional’s license.” (NAR) Many associations also offer an ombudsman or mediation first, which NAR describes as “quicker, less costly,” and often better at repairing the relationship. (NAR) REALTIST® members are bound by NAREB’s own code and the same route runs through the local REALTIST® board.

Step five, for legal problems: the Mississippi Real Estate Commission

The Commission is the only body that can touch the license. The law says it “may, upon its own motion and shall upon the verified complaint in writing of any person, hold a hearing” for suspension or revocation. (Miss. Code § 73-35-21) “Shall” means a properly filed complaint cannot be ignored. The process starts with “a formal complaint (signed and notarized),” after which the licensee must provide “a formal written response” and “the ‘ENTIRE WORK FILE’ (every piece of paper in the file),” which the investigator sends back to you to verify. (MREC Complaint Process) Outcomes range from dismissal to an agreed order to an administrative hearing where “the clear and convincing standard of proof shall be used.” (Miss. Code § 73-35-23)

The Commission handles licenses, not your money. If you lost money because of an agent’s conduct, that is a conversation with an attorney. The license law does provide that a person who collected compensation while violating the chapter can be liable to the aggrieved party for “not less than the amount of the sum of money so received and not more than four (4) times the sum so received.” (Miss. Code § 73-35-31) Earnest money mishandling, undisclosed dual agency, and misrepresentation are the situations where that section matters.

What not to do

• Do not go silent and work with another agent on the side. Your agreement is still in force, and you can end up owing two fees.
• Do not fire an agent mid-contract without reading the purchase agreement. Once you are under contract on a home, the deadlines run regardless of who represents you. Switch, if you must, with the broker’s cooperation and no gap.
• Do not confuse a bad outcome with bad conduct. A home that did not sell is not evidence of a violation. Relisting research shows outcomes depend heavily on timing and market phase, and that “representation changes following expirations generate modest price gains,” which is to say changing agents helps a little, sometimes. (Hayunga and Swymer, 2025)
• Do not wait. The 180-day ethics window and the 36 days a Mississippi home typically takes to go pending both run while you deliberate. (NAR; Zillow)

Frequently asked questions