Choosing Your Real Estate Agent Shouldn't Be Charity Work

Choosing the right agent is a big decision, under the best of circumstances buying or selling can be tense, clouding the situation with a personal relationship only adds to that.

This holds true in any profession.....forget family and friends and hire the person who is qualified, has a proven track record and your best interest in mind.

Here in small town Georgia - choosing a real estate agent too often becomes a social matter rather than a business matter. Drives me nuts when I see it. Do I do business with friends? Of course, but only when it makes business sense.

Bliz many of our long time clients are our friends. They know - well - that I will  give them my professional advice - no matter what - and it works well time after time, year after year.  I do 'get' what your talking about when somebody hires a relative or friend but they really have no experience in real estate - that is charity work. The only fall back  is let's hope they have a strong, hands on broker that is mentoring them along the way.

Good morning Bliz! Working with friends and/or relatives is tricky enough. Having a friend or family member help you with buying or selling a home gets even stickier. Then add to it the fact that they are a newer agent? That's a recipe for disaster. I've seen it happen many times. It can completely ruin relationships.

I just hate those words.  And it's never ever the best thing for the client.  On more than one occassion I've sold a home listed way under priced by a "friend/relative" who doesn't know our market.

I have to laugh when I get a call from a relocating buyer who wants me to show them homes but their "agent", friend or relative will be writing the contract.

I'll do it.  $50 an hour against a retainer of $1,000.

Hi Liz and Bill --- love the title of this post.  We've all heard it and while there are examples where it "worked" there seems to be more negative than positive aspects associated with such a decision.   

Bliz: When buying or selling real estate, it makes good sense to lead with your head not your heart, especially when choosing an agent to assist you.

BLiz- I think Lenn Harley needs to raise her rates too.  There are so many times when providing a consultation that my sellers hired their cousin who lives a county away or their friend's daughter who just got her license and then wondered to me why their house wasn't selling.  Hire the most qualified agent first and if they happen to be a friend, then all the better. 

It can be an awfully costly charity, BLiz.  Choosing someone based on merit will always yield a better outcome.

It's like dating a co-worker.   If it doesn't work out, you are stuck seeing that person forever, you can't just part ways.

I have worked with friends on occasion but it was after they saw me come through the worst real estate market in our recent history. They figured if I could survive that, I must know what I'm doing.