Why I declined to list my in-laws house

When my mother- and father-in-law began seriously discussing the prospects of downsizing from their 4,200 square foot home, naturally the discussion turned to REALTORS®. The seemingly endless list of real estate agents to choose from did not make the task of selecting a listing agent any easier. At one point, my in-laws suggested I list their property.

Sure, I could hire a photographer, write a compelling property description, put their listing in the multiple listing service, and theoretically save them some serious money… but I said no. Not because I didn’t want to help them, but because I didn’t want to hurt them.

Their custom-designed step-ranch house was far from cookie cutter. From bidets in the bathrooms (they are from South American) to a kitchen featured in a luxury design magazine, to exclusive Lake Michigan access rights, properly listing this house, with more bathrooms than bedrooms, was, admittedly, beyond my skill set.

And it was beyond the skill set of the vast majority of licensed real estate agents, including many that are otherwise experienced and successful in their own right. By the same token, the right agent for my in-laws’ house might be the wrong agent to list a four bedroom, 2.5 bath colonial, seven miles west.

Whatever I could have saved them in commission costs -- by mis-pricing, mis-marketing, mis-negotiating, and being ill-equipped to handle some of the nuanced issues that arose -- very likely would have vanished (or worse) by mis-steps. More concerning, any hitches in the transaction could have caused a wrinkle in our relationship. That is why I politely declined to be my in-laws real estate agent and found them someone especially more qualified.

Howard Handler is a real estate matchmaker. He connects real estate buyers and sellers with highly qualified real estate professionals -- all at no cost. A licensed real estate broker since 2004, for 12 years he served as an exclusive lobbyist for the Illinois Association of REALTORS®. If you need the services of a highly qualified real estate agent, please visit www.AgentMatch.realestate for more information.