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                            DEFERRED SHARES AGREEMENT
                                FOR PAUL R. SELID


         WHEREAS, Paul R. Selid ("Employee") and Cardinal Realty Services,  Inc.
("Company") have heretofore entered into that certain Employment Agreement dated
as of April 15, 1996 (as the same may be further amended,  restated, amended and
restated,  modified  or  supplemented  from time to time from and after the date
hereof) (and, for purposes of this agreement, irrespective of the fact that such
Employment  Agreement may have expired at any time while this agreement  remains
in effect), (the "Employment Agreement");

         WHEREAS,  Company has established its Executive  Deferred  Compensation
Plan dated as of April 18, 1996 ("Deferred  Compensation  Plan") and Employee is
entitled to participate in the Deferred Compensation Plan in accordance with its
terms;

         WHEREAS,  pursuant to the Plan,  the Company has further  entered  into
that certain Executive Deferred Compensation Rabbi Trust Agreement (the "Trust")
with  The  Provident  Bank,  a  state-chartered   bank,  as  trustee  thereunder
("Trustee");

         WHEREAS,  in  accordance  with the terms of the  Deferred  Compensation
Plan,  Employee  has  elected  to cause that  number of shares of the  Company's
common  stock,  without par value (the  "Shares"),  if any,  which may otherwise
become  issuable to him as the "Stock  Bonus" as defined in, and pursuant to the
terms of, Section 3(b), clauses (iv) and (v), of the Employment  Agreement to be
instead issued to the Trustee for  Employee's  benefit to be held by the Trustee
in accordance with the terms of the Trust.

         NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the Deferred Compensation Plan effective as
of April 15,  1996 (the "Date of  Grant"),  the  Company  grants to Trustee  for
Employee's benefit under the terms of the Trust, the right to receive the Shares
when and as issuable in accordance  with the terms of the  Employment  Agreement
and  this  agreement   subject  to  the  terms,   conditions,   limitations  and
restrictions  hereinafter set forth. Terms used herein and not otherwise defined
shall have the meanings  assigned to them in the Deferred  Compensation  Plan or
the Employment Agreement, as the case may be.

         1. Vesting of Awards. The Trustee's right to receive the Shares covered
by this Agreement (any such Shares which are contemplated for future issuance to
Trustee for the benefit of Employee  hereunder  being  hereinafter  collectively
referred  to as  the  "Deferred  Shares")  is  conditioned  upon  the  Company's
attainment  of ROI for its 1996 fiscal year (and any fiscal year  thereafter  in
which the Employment Agreement remains in effect or in which Employee remains in
the employ of the Company or a  subsidiary  of the Company)  which  represents a
positive percentage increase in Employer's ROI as follows:



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          (a)
                                              Dollar Value of
                                              Deferred Shares
          EBITDA expressed as                 Issuable Expressed as
          Percentage Increase of              Percentage of Base
          Employer's ROI                      Compensation
          ------------------------            ---------------------

          up to 103%                          0

          greater than 103% up to 105%        Equivalent to Percentage
                                              Increase of Employer's ROI;
                                              plus, if applicable

          greater than 105% up to 110%        Additional Percentage Increase
                                              of Employer's ROI multiplied by 2;
                                              plus, if applicable

          greater than 110%                   Additional Percentage
                                              Increase of Employer's ROI
                                              multiplied by 3,
                                              but not to exceed 30% of Base
                                              Compensation

         (b) The number of Shares  issuable  to Trustee  will be  determined  by
dividing (A) the dollar value of the Deferred  Shares  determined  in accordance
with the table above by (B) the closing price of the  Company's  Common Stock on
the Nasdaq  National  Market  System,  or if the  Company's  Common Stock is not
listed or admitted to trading in such system, the principal  securities exchange
on which the Common  Stock is listed or admitted to trading on the last  trading
date in the  period  for which  the  dollar  value of the  Deferred  Shares  are
calculated (i.e.  December 31, March 31 or the last closing price for the Common
Stock  immediately  preceding  the  date  Employee  ceases  employment  with the
Company). Any Shares which Trustee is entitled to receive from the Company shall
be issued within thirty (30) days after  Employer's  ROI is calculated  from the
applicable final audited year end income statements of the Company.

         (c) In the  event of  Employee's  death  or  Permanent  Disability  (as
defined hereinbelow) during the term of the Employment  Agreement,  the Trustee,
Employee or his  estate,  as the case may be (to be  determined  pursuant to the
provisions of the Deferred Compensation Plan then in effect),  shall be entitled
to receive a pro rata portion of the Shares,  if any,  applicable  to the fiscal
year in which such death or Permanent  Disability occurs.  Such pro rata portion
of the Shares shall be determined by a multiplying a fraction (the  numerator of
which shall be the number of days in the applicable fiscal year elapsed prior to
the  date of  death  or  Permanent  Disability,  as the  case  may  be,  and the
denominator  of which  shall be three  hundred  sixty-five  (365)) by the dollar
value, if any, of the Deferred Shares that would have been issuable hereunder

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                                      179


if Employee had remained employed under the Employment  Agreement for the entire
applicable fiscal year.

         (d)  Following  such death or Permanent  Disability  of  Employee,  the
Shares,  if any,  shall be issued when and as  provided in Section  1(b) of this
Agreement.

         (e) For purposes of this  Section 1,  Employee's  Permanent  Disability
shall be deemed to occur on the date after the first to occur of (i) ninety (90)
consecutive  days,  or (ii) one hundred  eighty (180) days  cumulatively  in any
twelve (12) month  period,  of  Employee's  inability  to provide  the  services
required hereunder of him due to sickness or injury ("Permanent Disability").

         (f) In the event  the  Company  terminates  Employee's  employment  for
"cause" (as defined in the Employment  Agreement)  Employee shall be entitled to
no further benefits under this Agreement.

         (g) In the event that Employee's employment is terminated without cause
during the Original Term or any Renewal Term of the  Employment  Agreement or in
the event that the Original Term or any Renewal Term of the Employment Agreement
shall have expired and shall not have been renewed and Employee thereupon ceases
to be employed by the Company,  the Trustee or Employee,  as the case may be (to
be determined  pursuant to the provisions of the Deferred  Compensation  Plan as
then in effect)  shall be entitled to receive  that number of Shares  under this
Agreement,  issuable  on account of the fiscal year in which such  cessation  of
employment occurs, as determined under Sections 1(a) and 1(b) of this Agreement,
but on a prorated basis calculated in the manner contemplated by Section 1(c) of
this  Agreement  and issuable on the date  contemplated  by Section 1(b) of this
Agreement.

         2. Restrictions on Transfer. The right to receive the Shares covered by
this  Agreement  (in trust under the Trust  Agreement or  otherwise)  may not be
transferred,  sold,  pledged,  exchanged,  assigned or otherwise  encumbered  or
disposed of by the Employee,  except as provided under the terms of the Deferred
Compensation  Plan and the Trust. Any purported  transfer,  encumbrance or other
disposition  that is in violation of this Section 2 shall be null and void. When
and as permitted by the Deferred  Compensation Plan, the Committee may waive the
restrictions  set forth in this  Section 2 with respect to all or any portion of
the Common Shares covered by this Agreement.

         3. Dividend, Voting and Other Rights. Unless and until thirty (30) days
after Employer's ROI is finally  determined on account of any fiscal year of the
Company  contemplated hereby and the Shares covered by this Agreement are issued
in  accordance  with the terms of Section 1 of this  Agreement,  no such  Shares
shall be deemed to be issued or  outstanding  and  neither  the  Trustee nor the
Employee  shall have any rights of  ownership  in such Shares nor shall have any
right to vote them or to receive any dividends or other  distributions  thereon.
From and after  such time as any of the  Shares  shall  have been  issued to the
Trustee  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of this  Agreement  and the  Deferred
Compensation Plan and the Trust, the Trustee shall be

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                                      180

entitled to such  dividend  voting and other rights in respect of such shares as
is  provided  in the  Deferred  Compensation  Plan and the  Trust so long as the
Trustee  shall  continue  to hold such  Shares in trust for the  benefit  of the
Employee.

         4. Adjustments.  The Committee shall make any adjustments in the number
or kind of shares of stock or other  securities  covered by this  Agreement that
the Committee may determine to be equitably  required to prevent any dilution or
expansion of the Employee's  rights under this  Agreement  that otherwise  would
result  from  any (a)  stock  dividend,  stock  split,  combination  of  shares,
recapitalization  or other change in the capital  structure of the Company,  (b)
merger,  consolidation,   separation,  reorganization  or  partial  or  complete
liquidation  involving the Company or (c) other  transaction  or event having an
effect  similar  to any of those  referred  to in Section  4(a) or 4(b)  hereof.
Furthermore, in the event that any transaction or event described or referred to
in the immediately  preceding sentence shall occur, the Committee may provide in
substitution  of any or all of the  Employee's  rights under this Agreement such
alternative  consideration  as the  Committee  may determine in good faith to be
equitable under the circumstances.

         5. Withholding  Taxes. If the Company shall be required to withhold any
federal,  state,  local or foreign tax in  connection  with any  issuance of the
Common Shares or other securities pursuant to this Agreement, the Employee shall
pay the tax or make  provisions  that are  satisfactory  to the  Company for the
payment thereof.

         6. Right to Terminate Employment.  No provision of this Agreement shall
limit in any way  whatsoever  any right  that the  Company or a  subsidiary  may
otherwise have to terminate the employment of the Employee at any time.

         7.  Relation to Other  Benefits.  Any economic or other  benefit to the
Employee  under this  Agreement  or the Plan shall not be taken into  account in
determining  any  benefits  to which  the  Employee  may be  entitled  under any
profit-sharing,  retirement or other benefit or compensation  plan maintained by
the  Company  or a  subsidiary  and  shall  not  affect  the  amount of any life
insurance  coverage  available to any beneficiary  under any life insurance plan
covering employees of the Company or a subsidiary.

         8.  Severability.  In the event that one or more of the  provisions  of
this  Agreement  shall be  invalidated  for any  reason by a court of  competent
jurisdiction,  any provision so invalidated shall be deemed to be separable from
the other provisions hereof, and the remaining  provisions hereof shall continue
to be valid and fully enforceable.


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                                      181


         9. Governing Law. This Agreement is made under,  and shall be construed
in accordance with, the laws of the State of Ohio.

         This  Agreement  is executed by the Company as of the 15th day of April
1996.

                          CARDINAL REALTY SERVICES, INC.



                          By: /s/ John B. Bartling, Jr.
                              ----------------------------------------
                                  John B. Bartling, Jr., President and
                                  Chief Executive Officer




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                                      182


         The  undersigned  Employee hereby  acknowledges  receipt of an executed
original of this Agreement and accepts the beneficial, deferred right to receive
the  Shares  or other  securities  covered  hereby,  subject  to the  terms  and
conditions  of the  Deferred  Compensation  Plan and the  terms  and  conditions
hereinabove set forth.

         Employee  acknowledges  that he has been  advised  that the  shares  of
Shares to be issued  pursuant to this  Agreement  will not have been  registered
under  the  Securities  Act of  1933  and  agrees  that  he will  not  make  any
disposition  of such shares unless  either (a) such shares have been  registered
under said Act or (b) an exemption from the registration  provisions of said Act
is  applicable  to the  Trustee's or  Employee's  proposed  disposition  of such
shares, as the case may be. Employee  understands that the certificates for such
shares may bear a legend substantially as follows:

                  The  shares  evidenced  by  this  Certificate  have  not  been
                  registered  under the Securities Act of 1933.  Such shares may
                  not be sold or otherwise  transferred until the same have been
                  registered  under  said Act or until the  Company  shall  have
                  received  an  opinion  of legal  counsel or a copy of a letter
                  from the staff of the Division of  Corporation  Finance of the
                  Securities   and   Exchange   Commission,   in   either   case
                  satisfactory  to the Company,  that such shares may legally be
                  sold or otherwise transferred without such registration.


                                /s/ Paul R. Selid
                                --------------------------------------
                                    Paul R. Selid

                                Date: April 15, 1996



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