An Edmonton Realtor's Moral Dilema

This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting with a lady who wants to sell her house in Edmonton. It’s a fairly average home for the area, in good condition and clean. It will be a good listing, a real feather in my hat. It should sell quickly and for a good price.

But I’m not sure if I want to list it. Here’s the background story on the situation… (with her permission of course!)

The homeowner is not comfortable with debt. She really doesn’t like owing money to anyone, even as a mortgage on a house. So her plan is to sell the house and rent instead; ideally she’d like to rent the house that she currently owns. This will allow her to get out from under the debt that is her mortgage. That’s her plan.

She isn’t selling because she needs the money, or feels that prices will fall again. She’s not selling her Edmonton home because she’s moving away or upgrading to something else. She can handle the maintenance and upkeep of the home (obvious by the good condition of the home), and the current payments and cost aren’t her issue. She just doesn’t like having a mortgage.

Here’s my moral dilema. I don’t think selling the home is in her best interests, not at all. If she sells and rents a home in Edmonton, her monthly payments will be as high as they are now, if not higher. They’ll certainly increase over time and she’ll face more and more expense as time goes on. It’s a bad move. Eventually she’ll be stuck in some rotten old basement suite in a bad neighborhood because she has no savings and that’s all she can afford. Sure it won’t happen today, but once she goes down that path… she’ll get there eventually.

I’ve always prided myself on looking out for my clients’ best interests. That’s how I’ve become successful as a Realtor; my clients know that I’m there for them and will never sell them out.

But if I don’t list the home, I’m sure someone else will. I do believe that she’ll sell the home; with or without me. So while I don’t agree with her decision or motivation, should I take her on as a client anyways? Afterall, someone will list her home and it will sell.

This is a tough one for me. Anyone have any comments or input for me?

- John Carle

ReMax Real Estate Edmonton

www.Knock-Knock.ca

(780) 231-7534