Q: I am a realtor in Washington State and recently purchased a home in Tucson, Arizona from my mother after my father passed away. Yes, it was an emotional buy.

Once reality sunk in and I realized I could not afford it, I listed the home with an agent who was referred to me. I wrote into the listing agreement that I had the option to terminate the listing at any time upon my request. The listing agent questioned my motive and I told her that in the event we did not work well together or she did not do her job, I did not want to be tied to a 3-month listing. She agreed and signed the listing agreement.

After a month or so, I was dissatisfied with her work or lack thereof and asked her to terminate my listing. She yelled and screamed at me and said that the only way she would release my listing would be if I paid her for her time, gas, signs, etc.

Is that legal or ethical? Thank you for your time!

A: You’re a realtor, what do you think? Should you or any seller tolerate her bad behavior? And if you were in her shoes, would you react any differently?

My feeling is that she signed her deal and should live with it, without all the histrionics. If she was worried about being reimbursed for her expenses, she should have written that into the agreement.

I also think you should report her for her bad behavior to the local Association of Realtors and/or the National Association of Realtors.

Good luck, and thanks for writing.