How to Choose Between Friends to Select Your Realtor
If you need our 6 tips for choosing between friends to select your REALTOR®, you may be in trouble!
While it’s common for people to choose their real estate agent based solely on the fact he or she is a friend, is this the best decision? What happens when you have multiple friends and they are all realtors? Forget for a minute about qualifications, and just think “friends!” If you choose realtor Nolan, what will your realtor friends Ella and Blake say? If you choose one over the other will you still have three realtor friends or will you only have one? Sadly, if your deal goes sour you could end up with zero realtor friends!
Read This First
Before reading further please know, we have been the realtor friend chosen AND the friend that was NOT chosen. We suggest, if you are faced with this dilemma of choosing between friends, it might be best if you do not choose any friend. Be completely honest and simply say, I’m sorry, but I’m NOT comfortable choosing a friend as my realtor. Yes, there will be some hurt feelings for a while, but if your friends are true friends, they will eventually share in your excitement and joy.
By the way, we also published a page about buying a home that includes links to a number of related resources and articles. If selling, check out our home selling tips.
Six Tips for Choosing Between Friends as Your Realtor
- Transfer the Blame! If you have a significant other, put the whole realtor selection off on them.
- Be honest! Explain how uncomfortable you are about making a choice. Since you have multiple friends that are real estate agents, you might decide not to choose a friend at all.
- If you have two realtor friends you could have them both represent you! Yes, they would have to share the commissions 50/50! Be advised this could be the worst decision and cause friction, confusion and descent. It may well backfire, but it is a viable option if everyone involved has a good head on their shoulders. We did this once and it worked out fine.
- If you are selling a home and buying a home, you could have one realtor friend represent you with your sales transaction and the other represent you when you buy another home. Be aware though, some realtors value representing the seller more so than the buyer.
- If you only have one realtor friend you might think it would be an easy decision, but before you jump in we suggest checking them out! Just because they are a wonderful friend does not mean they are a qualified real estate agent! Look at their experience and track record. Are they really your best qualified choice? If so, you’re probably all set! Check their record here!
- This is not really a tip, but more of a reminder. Don’t confuse close personal friends with acquaintances. With all our social networks, many of our “friends” are really nothing more than social media acquaintances.
Regardless of what you decide, check out this helpful post, Beware of Additional Costs When Buying a Home.
Yes, We Do Represent Our Friends
To be clear, as local Santa Clarita realtors based in Valencia, we do represent our friends to buy and sell real estate. Thankfully, all the transactions have gone well and there’s never been any unusual problems. Yes, there have been times where a friend chose to work with another realtor, but that was fine with us. We’re still friends because we value our friendships more than our business. Be careful though, because not all agents feel the same.
Hurt Feelings
Choosing between friends to select your realtor can and does result in hurt feelings! With that in mind, does it make sense to choose a friend as your realtor? Most people would likely say “yes,” but perhaps it would be better to choose another highly qualified realtor, and not a friend at all. Sure, you’ll have to be honest and explain why, but long term this could be your best option.
Multiple Realtor Friends
If you have multiple realtor friends, this could solve the problem entirely. While it’s possible your friends might be a bit miffed at first, if they are real friends they will participate in your joy of your real estate success. Honestly, if they aren’t happy for you and will not share in your joy, consider they might not be a friend at all. Unfortunately, choosing between friends is not fun. If you’re having this problem, we don’t envy your position, but we wish you well. It’s nice to see you care enough to think this decision through before making any hasty decisions!
Woman Loses Best Friend – True Story
We few years ago we heard from a friend sharing a very sad story of losing a BEST friend due to choosing a different realtor. The short story is, a woman chose her best friend to represent her and husband to buy and sell a home. A couple years later, the woman needed to buy another home and even though things didn’t go so well with the previous transactions, still intended to use her friend as the realtor. As it turned out, they couldn’t find a home and ended up buying a home from a parent at a GREAT price! The problem was, her father insisted they use his realtor to buy the home. Well, the price was right so they did! The woman’s realtor friend was terribly upset and they are no longer friends! How sad is that? In this case we say the realtor’s friend was really no friend at all and should have been happy for them. Also, the realtor friend earned commissions on 2 of 3 transactions, so it’s difficult to understand the lack of appreciation.
True Story Update 2023: We’re happy to report, we recently spoke with the woman in the story and she said all is well. She and her realtor friend finally made up, but it took a couple years!
Choosing your friend as your realtor could work out very well, but there’s a very real possibility the process will strain your relationship and could be a disaster. Be very careful.
Helpful Real Estate Info
If you are selling or buying a distressed property of any type, it’s suggested to disqualify any agents without experience with these complex and difficult transactions. This includes friends! These transactions might include foreclosures, short sales, probate property or anything other than a standard transaction. Many agents prefer not handling these types of transactions anyway, so this may not be a problem. For instance, Matt is a Certified Distressed Property expert with a long track record of closing difficult transactions. Yep, it’s more work and more of a risk for the agent, because the deal could go south and we earn zero! If considering a difficult transaction, don’t add the problem of choosing a friend, only to end up with an inexperienced realtor.
Choose Your REALTOR® at Gregory Real Estate Group
We hope the post was helpful and if you are faced with choosing between friends for your agent, we truly feel for you. Obviously, there is no good answer. Yes, if you choose someone other than a friend there might be some hurt feelings, but if they are a true friend they will share in your excitement and joy.
If you need real estate representation, don’t have a realtor friend or prefer not to select a friend, contact us. We offer a more genuine approach to real estate and have extensive experience with all types of transactions. Remember, with us there’s never any sales pressure, whatsoever!
Matt & Meray