It's Business

Have you seen the segment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show about real estate?

I hadn’t seen it until recently, when someone sent me a segment about Realtors and their personal ads. It was very funny. In case you haven’t seen it, check it out on YouTube. 

It got me thinking. What kind of sellers would pick a Realtor, who advertised himself as a space lamb, to represent them in the marketing of their home? As Ellen said, tongue in cheek, “So when it comes time to make the most important financial decision of your life, pick the space sheep.”

Coincidentally, during social situations within the last week, I found myself in conversations with three different people talking about selling real estate. (Not surprisingly, this conversation happens to Realtors pretty often.) 

These three different people shared with me the reasons they used to pick their Realtors. I found their selection criteria quite amazing:

• “Well, we felt we had to pick this ‘girl.’  She was the daughter of good friends of ours.”

• “...I really had to pick her to be the Realtor, because we go walking together every morning.”

• “...she’s an old friend.  We play tennis together.  She wouldn’t understand if I picked someone else.”

Don’t get me wrong. I respect people who value loyalty and friendship. Through the years, I've worked with a number of my good friends. And who’s to say that good friends can't be fantastic Realtors?   

But, while you want to like your Realtor and feel comfortable working with them, I really question whether friendship and loyalty should be the primary factors that go into selecting a Realtor.

Like I said before selling a home is not personal; it’s business.