Reply to Realtor

After reading Heather Simms letter (Feb. 4) complaining about Robert J. Bruss’ advice to sellers to only give a listing to a realtor for 30 days and to include a cancellation of listing clause if the agent is not doing his/her job, I am forced to wonder if these agents have ever worked for a living at all.

Her point questioning “what contract of employment may be terminated at a moments notice?” betrays her lack of experience and knowledge of the workplace most of us are familiar with.

Unfortunately, employees are terminated with little or no advanced notice every day for incompetance, irresponsibility and low productivity. Are we to believe that no realtor has ever been guilty of these traits?

Without the 30-day listing and cancellation clause what other recourse does the seller have? If her personal sales record is as good as she implies, why is she so threatened by such a contract?

As for the money Simms’ realty spends to promote listings, is this not normal business overhead that should be quickly repaid by high volume sales?

Furthermore, if a home is hard to show, if the house is untidy or asking price too high, who else but the realtor is at fault? Isn’t this precisely their job to advise the client on these issues and if the client is uncooperative wouldn’t the realtor just as soon lose such a time-waster in order to better concentrate on sellable listings?

PHIL MERCURIO

Burbank