“My wife wants to use her friend’s sister who is a realtor to sell our home. But I don’t know that person and from what I’ve heard it sounds like she’s not that successful. This sounds like a bad move, isn’t it?”
Answer:
The biggest mistake people make when selling their home is choosing a Realtor for the wrong reasons.
They think all Realtors are the same, so they choose one because they’re a friend, seem pleasant, suggest a higher price, etc. In other words, reasons unrelated to the agent’s track record or likelihood of selling their home for the most money, in the shortest time, with the least problems, or legal liability.
They depend on their Realtor for:
– honest pricing advice
– tips on prepping their home for sale
– effective marketing
– interpreting market feedback
– negotiating hundreds of thousand of dollars of their money
– reading and writing contracts
– making sure the buyer is qualified
– managing the sale
– problem solving
– and much more.
Tell her you’re uncomfortable. And find a nice way to ask her if she’d choose an attorney or doctor because they were your friend’s sister. (Remember, ask her in a NICE way, not sarcastically!)
There are some great, professional, hard-working agents out there.
But there are also some pleasant, well-meaning agents who would NOT do a good job for you, and might even cause you some problems. So be careful!
Get our free report on “Selecting a San Diego Real Estate Broker.”
