WWYD: Realtor

CallMeKel · January 2012

So we will likely be listing our house soon (wanna go for a size upgrade while interest rates are so ridiculously low) and I have a close friend who is a realtor in the area. I have known her for several years, she's familiar with the area, and is very sweet. Thing is, though I am SURE she would expect us to use her as our realtor, I am not sure I am totally comfortable with that idea. I mean, what if something doesn't work out or we don't like the job she is doing? I don't expect that to be the case, but you never know. And I wouldn't want to make things awkward between us, as I really value her friendship, so I'm thinking of avoiding having her be our realtor from the get-go.

Anyone have any personal experience with this? TIA.

FeistyKoala · January 2012

I don't have personal experience with this, but my parents do. My dad is a broker and listed a friend of the family/coworker of my mother's house. It was on the market forever and my dad, who is also a real-estate appraiser, suggested the reduce the listing by X amount of money. They refused and eventually ditched my dad, only to go with a new realtor who listed the house for the lower amount that my dad suggested. The house sold immediately and they have not spoken to my parents since. Not sure why THEY were so upset about it--maybe because dad was right and they were embarrassed? Whatever the reason, these are 50-something acting silly.

I would not list with your friend because WHAT IF things go sour and you feel your listing should go in a different direction. It's better not to mix friends & family with business, imo.

04JaxBride · January 2012

are you comfortable talking to her about your feelings? just a simple "i feel so awkward asking this" kind of conversation.

also, you realize this means you're gonna have to keep the house clean for showings, right? ; )

michellebelle · January 2012

we are still in our first home but i have a friend who is a realtor and my mom wanted to use someone else. i couldnt get a read from my friend on whether it offended her or not. in this case i explained all the things she would have to deal with to sell the home (reaked of smoke) but i doubt you have a "you're better off without this hot mess" kind of message. also bpaullo made so many recommendations here on TN on how to get the house ready to sell that my friend didnt try to counter with so i then questioned how good a job she would do. we did use her for purchasing and i would have liked someone who knew more about the local HOA drama when selecting our home. she sells a lot in cypress - we are on the other side of the world from there. perhaps you could tell your friend you are not comfortable listing with her because you have heard horror stories of lost friendships over real estate situations and it is not worth the risk to even slightly damage your friendship. good luck!!

mom2ll · January 2012

I work with friends all the time. They are some of my favorite clients

. If you think that's she a good Realtor, talk to her about it. She's your friend, she can be honest with you. Think about the flip side. She may work harder for you than another person would. She wants you to be happy and respect her work. She will go the extra mile for you. Can YOU treat her as a professional and have the same expectations or would you expect more since she's a friend? Would you plan a friends wedding? Just my 2 cents from the other side.

PAGAS · January 2012

I don't like mixing business with friendships. I would just be honest with her about your feelings whatever you decided to do.

KelleyA · January 2012

Honestly I would be open and honest with your friend and see what she says. I have multiple friends/acquaintances that are realtors and I've already had this talk with one friend about the fact that we'll be listing this year.

houstonkdw · January 2012

I try to avoid any friend/business deals as well as family/business. That's just me. I am always thinking of the "what if" as well.

sad5781 · January 2012

If it was me, with no DH, and I trusted my friend's ability, I would be fine with it. I'd appreciate having someone that I didnt feel dumb asking stupid questions or whatever.

But, with my DH, I don't think I'd do it. We have a friend that is a realtor and several of our friends have used her. But, at least for selling, I would not want to use her because my DH can be difficult to work with and has very high expectations. I would be too scared that if things did not go the way he hoped, it would cause tensions.

I think it just sort of depends on how you think you can handle things and how your friend would handle things.

TexasHarmony · January 2012

Just a thought - if you don't use her to sell your house, yet ask your friend for advice, help, input, etc. throughout the whole process, it would probably do more harm to your friendship than having her list your house in the first place. However, given your profession, I am sure you respect this and wouldn't do that anyway.

plaidfrogg · January 2012

Not quite the same but we had several realtor friends and acquaintances in San Diego, so when we were looking to sell our home there were some awkward situations. DH's hair lady got pi$$y with him when she found out we weren't plannin to use her (she was a total rookie). We did end up using a neighbor friend because she seemed to have the best grasp of the local market and other specifics. Things went "ok" but it took a long time to sell...the market was in downslide so it was hard to know how much was market vs. her approach. If I could do it again, I would have hired someone we didn't know at all.

WWYD: Realtor

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