do not allow her to dictate what you do and/or how you do it.....if you cannot control her, cut her loose....did she hire you because you know your job but you are easily manipulated because you are so nice?  you have a contract with her.... time to site face to face and tell her this game will not be played by her rules.... you are well versed with what you do, and she needs to stop her attempt to control....tell her.... tell her it's not working but what it is doing is fouling up the deal.... if she was such a quality Realtor, she would still be a Realtor.... 

Cindy; we feel bad for you, but she knows more than you and is going to keep letting you know that myth. If she knows so much, why is she no longer a Realtor? EH? SOme times you have to cut your losses and simplify your life and reduce the aggravation. Good luck!

If you can't work with her, just tell her, and advise her to get another agent. Check with your broker first.

I get put it in a easy way to the client , i think you are looking for something different on your Realtor so lets part friends and you can get someone that will handle things the way you want ; i had this situation for both sides and its easier just to move than have the stress that will end up giving you. just my opinion have a great day

Cindy, This is not about you.  It's about a person reacting out of fear and a need to control which is not very "spiritual" IMHO.  Life is short. Let it go. Let her go. Move on.

Send her a termination of listing notice. End of conversation.

YOU are the Realtor.  If she can't deal with that move on.

I would probably let this one go. A life coach that is a former agent may not be the best client to have. 

Cindy - You certainly need to be honest and true to yourself, so I would definitely have to say something about that with your client. I think Lee had a great idea - Ask her why she hired you in the first place. Then you need to let her know how you expect things to be from this point on. If you and your client disagree, then just let her know that she is obviously looking for something in a Realtor than what you can offer, like Raoul mentioned.

Life is too short!  Have the conversation that Barbara and Heather have suggested and be prepared to cut her loose.  No one should dictate to you how to run your business, especially one that has been out of the business for awhile - the game has changed considerably and as they say, your way or the highway :)

No one puts Baby in a corner!

Cindy,

That is a tough one.  I think I would put a positive and spiritual spin on the parting!  Good luck.  A

Cindy, if you and I were collaborating on a listing, our approach would be ENTIRELY different, and neither of us would be wrong.

Where the friction is created is not knowing the real objective of the other and therefore not realizing the destination is the same, the route just different.

So your buyer is fascinated with the science of neuro-linguistics and feels fully qualified and capable to assist you in the area she believes you are not knowledgeable. 

I think you should take one of two options, neither of which is cancellation.

Choose to:
1. Have her teach you what she knows....and be teachable
2. Let her micro-manage with the knowledge she owns the outcome.

Of course when you find a cash buyer and the deal closes, this ex-REALTOR will be declaring she did all the work and that the 'bar should be raised' ....you know who those folks are. And of course you need to say "NO" regarding her directly corresponding with the buyer or buyers agent. If the content is meaningful, you can sterilize, anomalize and forward.

Good morning.  We as agents tend to 'hang on' and go long past when we should have let go.  Costly advertising, new systems that don't work, marketing programs bringing no resuts, and of course ill advised clients that create more stress than ever should be.  It seems our biggest hurdle to overcome is knowing when to say NO to any of the items that do not benefit our businesses.  Most likely moving on from this client will free much more time than you realize you are giving, both mentally and phyically.  Better used to properly serve others.  Mark

It is very easy to say "let the listing go" when you don't have the listing and don't get me wrong, that was my initial thought as well.

I've been in this spot before. I've had a seller who would not listen to any advice I had to offer. I wanted to throw in the towel but I kept at it. The home did sell in the end.

Have a heart to heart with her and tell her that you have been very successful doing it your way. Tell her to give you a couple of weeks without intervention. It's a hard conversation to have for sure.

But if it's truly making you miserable just let it go and forget about it.

You're the agent not her.  If she knows so much tell her to sell it herself and back out.  We have enough pressure on us.  Sometimes you just got to let things go this sounds like one of those times.  WOW! got that one off my chest and now time for me to move on....

Well when the signs are bad at the beginning it may be time to cut your losses and let it go. I cannot stand to be micromanaged by a seller or buyer. I have a seller now that tells me to call for feedback on the showings and I keep telling her I have already reached out and don't want to alienate the other agents by calling multipel times.

If it seems like the seller is less than honest, she probably is.  What happens when it comes to disclosures?  If she's not completely forthright, there may be liability issues. 

This may be the moment when you lay down the law.  She either trusts you as a professional or she doesn't.  If she doesn't clean up her act, be prepared to end it and I know you are.

It sounds like the life coach needs a life coach.

I'd try to do what she wants to make her happy but if it goes past that line where you're uncomfortable about it I'd tell her.

I would refer her to another agent. Your entitled to receive something for your time and effort . A 25/30% referral fee is better than nothing

If working with her is so difficult, I would advise cancelling the listing agreement. You won't change her and there's nothing in your post to indicate anything will change soon that would make this better.

Sounds as if they haven't been active in over a decade. That's a long time to be "out of the loop" in any business. There's hope, but only if they turn the reigns over to you NOW. If that's not possible it's sayanora y'all, there's too much trouble heading their way that can't be reconciled.

I agree with barbara. I had a seller who used to text me several times a week . I felt a lot betetr after letting it go.

I have heard from others that past real estate agents can be a big bother. Have a heart-to-heart with them.

Cindy Davis - who is the 'driver'? Yes, we should follow the instructions from our respective clients.

However, I am of the opinion that you are 'CURRENT' agent who is hired to fulfill some obligations - so draw a line somewhere.

Letting the listing go is not always the best solution - however, litigation will be a concern for a quick sale.

I do life coaching, business consulting and real estate so I'm ready to tackle this one, Cindy! I would tell this client - politely and very directly - that it is unprofessional for you to forward her email to the buyer agent. You'll read her communication and then make your own communication as needed. She obviously has control issues but mentioning that to her will exacerbate the problem. Instead emphasize your positive attitude and approach, something you both share even if it is expressed differently. Then tell her you have difficulty with what seems like her micro-management. Ask her to take a step back and let you do what you do best. That's why she hired you.

I'd ask her why she hired you at the beginning and see what she answers. Sometimes time passes and they get caught in the weeds of day to day and have to be reminded why they made the original decision. If she realizes that she made a mistake, let her go, but perhaps she may also realize that she's been out of control and just needed to be snapped back to reality. Honesty is always the best policy :)

I think half of my/our clients in some point had a RE license. It is so easy to get. Majority of them never worked as agents, or their experience very little, but they think it is ok to give us directions ''what to do''.

You are extremely ''lucky'' to get a ''mentor'', lol. My Dad used to say: ''those who can not do the job~ they like to teach others how to do it''.

Hold on there. Breathe and focus on getting the results. The rest is just a noise.

Set your expectations and if she does not agree ask her to terminate the listing.  Sometimes a good deal is getting out of a bad deal.

I would very seriously consider letting her know that you need to be in control of the way this listing will proceed.

Barbara nailed this one!