Should I Hire My Friend As My Real Estate Agent? …161

#friends #realestateagent #business

Deerwood Realty and Friends Podcast

I saw an advice column and the question was asked, Should I hire my friend as our real estate agent…let’s look at the scenario.

Subscribe Here https://www.youtube.com/c/Deerwoodrealtystl

-Woman who is friends with another woman who has recently become a real estate agent.
-She has done 8 deals
-Husband is on the fence, not enough experience, he says
-Wife says wants to support her friend.

Advice giver said it depended on the temperament of the friend, which I think is silly because it’s your decision to make.

Let’s understand that I am severely biased in this question, so I’ll put it in the nature of should vs should not

You SHOULD hire your friend if

1. You want to remain friends You know when your kid wants to sell some candy for a fundraiser? If you don’t pick your friend to sell your house, don’t waste your time with the kids candy. It’s not happening. You may think this is harsh. Maybe it is. But if you can’t even have your friends use you in a transaction as a real estate agent, that’s not a good sign for your career.

2. You want someone who wants you to have great success. I show houses to lots of people, and really, I consider all of my clients friends. When we’re on the hunt for a new house, I want them to get the best house for them. The one that they can live in for many years and be happy with. When they do finally get that house, I couldn’t be more happy for them.

3. You want to work with someone you trust. If you are good friends with someone, there’s a good chance you know them well enough to trust them. Trust is so important with respect to buying or selling a home.

4. You have had stressful situations before If you are working with your friend in a real estate transaction, there is a high chance that you will encounter stress along the way. From offer acceptance, to inspections, to loan funding, there are areas where it’s just stressful. If you’ve been friends through ups and downs, that should only benefit you through the process.

You SHOULD NOT hire your friend if

1. You think you should never do business with friends. Some people are like this. And they will say that they do it because they value the friendship over business. I don’t understand that logic…if you can’t do business with friends, what is the point?

2. You think your friend is an idiot .. The husband in this scenario showing reservation in hiring the friend is a tell. It’s probably NOT the experience that he is worried about. It could just be that your friend is an idiot and there’s no reason to use them for any reason. I know that sounds harsh, but everyone probably has that friend that they just are uncomfortable working with. As an example, I can remember some friends I’ve had along the way that I wouldn’t trust to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time…I don’t know what that says about me, but I definitely wouldn’t use them for a transaction like buying a house.

3. Your friend can’t keep their mouth shut. You know how you have a friend who is also friends with another friend of yours?

4. You think your friend will take advantage of you This is harsh, I know. But I’ve seen friends and family members taken advantage of by their agent. It sounds sinister, but it’s usually an innocent pattern that leads to other issues.

5. Your significant other says no. There might be a good reason your significant other decides they don’t want to use your friend as their agent. Are significant others always right? No, of course not. Is it worth it to choose your real estate agent friend OVER your significant others protest? NO. This is not a good idea…ever. There’s an order in a relationship and when you choose a friend over your significant other in this case here is what is going to happen. They are going to pick at every single thing the real estate agent does. Doesn’t matter if it’s the best agent that ever walked the planet, the significant other will find things to complain about…including
A. We bought a house too fast
B. We bought a house too slow
C. We didn’t look at enough houses
D. We looked at too many houses
E. We should have asked for more during inspections
F. We asked for too much during inspections

They will second guess everything, which will make the transaction much more stressful and much less rewarding. I’ve seen this behavior from both significant others and parents of children buying homes. It is a real issue. As a couple you need to be in agreement on how to proceed and not have one of your own sowing doubt.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY OR SELL A HOUSE AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO USE YOUR FRIEND, YOU NEED TO TELL THEM.

Sources: ME

Contact me at media@deerwoodrealtystl.com

Check us out at https://www.deerwoodrealtystl.com/