First, 6 months is too long. No she does not any compensation.
Just my thoughts

I think the term of the contract should depend on your local market. If the average Days on Market (DOM) is over 6 months, then giving your realtor less time than that to do her job really isn't realistic. Look at your market, see the average DOM and then decide. Personally, I don't think 6 months is too long. I think a year is, but not 6 months. Also, when the listing expires, you do not owe any compensation to the realtor.
Jo

Mariend, thanks for your reply. I guess I don't understand what you mean by "six months is too long." Even well priced home in great neighborhoods are taking 3-6 months to sell around here, and some much longer.

Marita40 many people think a 6 month contract is too long. What if your Realtor is a dud? What is s/he offers no marketing? What if there is no communication? What if... a million other things? On the other hand, if average DOM are over 3 months it is unlikely the Realtors in your area will sign for a 3 month contract. The Realtor should have advertising costs and if s/he has no chance of recouping those costs s/he is unlikely to agree to a shorter contract. That is why Jojoco indicated the term of the contract would probably depend on your local DOM. You indicted the local DOM are 3-6 months (holy cow!), so your contract length could be appropriate.

I would suggest having an "out" in your listing contract. If you are happy with your realtor and the house takes longer than the 6 months to sell, you can re-list. If you are not happy with your realtor you should be able to get out of your contract.

Personally, I would never sign a 6 month or longer contract. Our first set of realtors really didn't work for us and I still feel that they wasted our time - 6 months of our time. Our current realtor has an "out" clause in the contract but I also asked that we sign for not longer than 90 days and would re-list with him if we were happy. At this moment, we have a qualified buyer, been through inspections, everyone has signed off on inspections/requests and we look to close on October 30th. Our second realtor is a much better fit for the type of realtor we need.

I agree with you on not signing a 6 month listing but we just did that too. The agent we picked said we can get out of it in 24 hours.

I signed a 3 month contract, but on signing, was told I could 'fire him' if I wasn't satisfied with his services or lack of.

It's up on Nov.1, at which time i'll be finding another REA.

Good luck on your property. I remember an earlier post of yours when you were trying to decide about selling. Your house was so lovingly described & sounded so nice (would love to see a link!) that I hope it sells quickly & you can move on out and up!

Thanks guvnah! I think now that my home is listed I'm beginning to move, mentally, from the emotional attachment toward objectivity. Everything is telling me "now is the time to leave." Here's the listing link (hope this works)

Here is a link that might be useful: My Home Listing

The link works. Cute house, but I'd declutter the room with the fireplace a bit.

Good luck selling.

What a great house!!! I love your decor and the furniture placement. It looks so inviting: cozy, yet clutter-free. When can I submit an offer ?

Here's hoping you get a full priced offer soon!

It is a very nice house, however, since the market is so bad, it may not sell very quickly? Or perhaps not at all?

Hey limoncello, I'll await your offer :) Your "handle" makes me thirsty for that good old (potent!)Italian drink! If the house doesn't sell, I'll be wallowing in a bottle of it. . .

WOW! Just as I expected - wonderful!! Thanks for the link & best of luck with the sale, the move & your new digs!!

Six months is not too long in this market. Took us five months to sell one house earlier this year and four months to sell the other. And, no, you do not owe your realtor anything at the end of the six months. A card thanking her for her efforts would be a nice gesture, but no monetary compensation is necessary.

I'm curious why you are selling this sweet house, if you care to share the reason.

OMG, what a darling house! I love everything. Why, why are you selling? And, in this market?

It's too far for DH to commute to NY. Otherwise, I'd buy it in a heartbeat! It looks like a dollhouse.

I wish you the very best selling experience possible & hope whoever buys your house loves it...

/tricia

It breaks my heart to leave this house, not the least because I painstakingly refinished all the woodwork (!!) over the course of many years. I'm leaving because the neighborhood, which appealed to me twenty years ago as kinda funky and shabby chic, is now just plain old shabby. The rentals and foreclosures are increasing, and things are not looking up for various other reasons. As a 50 year old SF professional, I now have the wherewithal to move to a better location, and I think it is time to do so.

Oh, that brings a tear to my eyes. I love houses & hate to see bad things happen to good little houses. I love the stories that houses contain within their walls. They have experienced such history in the making. I understand why you're selling but I still hope whoever purchases it cares for it as you obviously have.

Wishing you fair winds & safe harbor.

/tricia

It is a gorgeous house! I love it.

But as far as location (location, location...), you say that 20 years ago it used to be shabby chic and now it's just shabby. If that's true, and the neighborhood is shabby, it will kill you in this market. Even if the house is great. I'm sorry to say that. But you have a great house and you should recognize it and keep it in mind while you're selling this house. Just my opinion... thanks!

What a gorgeous home! It's a shame about the Hamline-Midway neighborhood... you'd think there'd be plenty of interest in keeping it thriving, between the university, the Saints, and the proximity to the fairgrounds and Como. I wish you could just pack up your bungalow and re-locate, house and all!

I hope that you're able to sell without too much additional pain, and to someone who appreciates the effort and care you've taken with the house.

Six months is the standard. Personally I would not be willing to do anything less since I spend a lot on advertising and time upfront getting virtual tours going. BUT if someone was unhappy with me or visaversa you can ask to be released. If you have valid reasons most agents will let you without any hassle some will require you to reimburse them for ads but that is not the norm. If the six months goes by and you don't sell- you owe them nothing unless you sell it after to someone who they showed it to while listed (depends on your contract.)

Honestly people compain about real estate agents but what other profession ONLY gets paid based on results. If I only paid my doctor when he cured me or healed me I would have saved a lot of money or only paid my mechanic when my car was fixed to my satisfaction I would be thrilled. A good agent works hard and is worth their money.