A pair of homeowners say they were shocked when the real estate agent they hired to sell their house allegedly demanded thousands of dollars after the property sat unsold for months and was left with visible damage from staging furniture removal.
The house sat on the market for months
According to the homeowners, they originally listed the property for sale and hired a real estate agent who assured them she would aggressively market the home, including hosting open houses every weekend.
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Over time, the property failed to sell. The agent repeatedly encouraged them to lower the asking price as the market weakened, and the homeowners say they followed her recommendations each time.
Eventually, the suggested price reductions dropped below what they originally paid for the home. At that point, they decided selling no longer made financial sense and instead planned to rent the property out for several years before reevaluating the market later.
The homeowners stressed they were not blaming the agent for the difficult housing market itself. According to them, multiple HOA special assessments combined with broader economic shifts caused the home’s value to fall roughly $100,000 within a year.
Then the agent demanded thousands of dollars
After the homeowners removed the property from the market, they say the agent unexpectedly requested $4,000 in “damages.”
That immediately confused them because they claim the original contract contained no cancellation fee or language requiring payment if they decided to stop listing the property.
According to the homeowners, the agent later explained she wanted compensation for lost money she believed she would have earned had the house eventually sold, along with reimbursement for certain costs.
The homeowners questioned whether such a demand was normal, especially given the condition the property was left in after staging furniture was removed.
The home was allegedly damaged during staging removal
When the homeowners returned to inspect the property, they claim they found significant damage caused during the staging furniture move-out process.
According to them, several walls contained scratches, chunks missing from drywall, and deep indents. One indentation was reportedly about a foot long. They also noticed damage on part of the ceiling.
Beyond the physical damage, they said the house had been left in poor condition overall, with chirping fire alarms and visible spider webs still present throughout the property.
The homeowners could not help wondering whether details like that may have negatively affected potential buyers during the listing period.
Frustration built over unmet expectations
Part of the homeowners’ frustration also came from feeling the marketing effort never matched what had originally been promised.
According to them, the agent claimed she would host open houses every weekend to maximize exposure for the property. They later concluded that commitment was not actually followed through consistently.
Combined with the unsold listing, falling market value, property damage, and the unexpected $4,000 demand afterward, the entire experience left them questioning whether they had any obligation to pay at all.
The situation shifted from disappointment to conflict
What started as an unsuccessful home sale has now turned into a growing dispute involving alleged property damage, compensation demands, and disagreements over professional responsibilities.
The homeowners now find themselves balancing repair costs, a weakened housing market, and an agent allegedly seeking payment despite the property never selling.
At the center of the conflict is a simple question: whether a real estate agent who failed to sell a home can still demand thousands of dollars after the owners decide to pull the listing, especially when the home itself may have been damaged in the process.
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