You have a listing contract for x amount of days and the typical ones have a no performance clause that will get you out of it. You need to get the realtor to sign a release of some kind and you need to check your state laws because some of them still allow realtors to collect fees if the house sales x number of days after the release.
Another question.....Is there anything I can do to sell my house to a private buyer (friend) instead of going through the realtor while I'm still under the contract. Or will I get sued?
You might get sued, you might not. Depends on the realitor and her broker. My wifes broker based his law suits on the value of the commission. We had to cases go to court and one he just said wasn't worth her time...