Hopefully you find an expert. My two cents are that, if you signed a contract, you signed a contract. I wouldn't expect a miracle. A grand also sounds about right, if not reasonable, in this context. I would expect more. My question is what would be so wrong with waiting-out the term? How long could it be? All you have to do is reject offers and you might not even get any if the interest has been as dead as you say. You could even be open with the realtor and explain that you are no longer interested, but are honouring the terms of the contract by waiting. They might screw you another way so it may not be wise. I don't know. But if it's that desperate, $1K is a small price to pay from someone who has a "decent" junk of money to spend on renovations. I would just be wary of letting impatience drive rash decisions like paying for a lawyer that will likely charge more than $1K.