The real estate industry is an extremely competitive business. Its difficult enough competing against other professionals. But, it is further complicated by the fact that obtaining a real estate license is relatively easy. It takes about 70 hours of class work and passing one or two exams. If I were king I would substantially raise current standards. The low cost of entry to a real estate license is a great disservice to the industry. Sometimes it seems everybody has at least two or three friends or family members that have a real estate license. If you need to sell your home is it a good idea to hire family or friends? Well, it depends. Before you sign on the dotted line there are a few things to keep in mind.

Selling your home is serious business. If your home is not adequately marketed it can cost you a bundle, thousands of dollars. There may be other consequences depending on your reason for selling. Before hiring a family member or friend, the first question you need to ask yourself is will I be able to fire this person if the job doesnt get done? Furthermore, if you do have to fire them how will that affect your relationship with them? Is it going to create a problem at the Thanksgiving table each year and other family events?

Conversely, it may be difficult for your real estate friend to have a frank discussion with you about aspects of your home sale. Selling a home can be an emotional experience. One of the advantages to hiring a professional is that they provide third-party objectivity. For example, if I get comments from prospective buyers that my clients home has an unpleasant odor or is priced too high then I need to have a conversation with my client that a relation or friend may be reluctant to undertake.

Some people dont give a second thought to hiring a family member to sell their home because they assume that there is really no difference between real estate agents. They reason that all real estate agents do the same thing to sell a home. Or, they reason that putting a sign on the lawn and placing a listing on the MLS is enough to get their home sold. This is a mistake. There is a very big difference amongst real estate agents in the kind of services offered and the amount of attention given to a home. This being the case, you would be well served to ensure that your cousin or in-law, or whoever you know, is actually prepared to provide you the kind of services you need to get your home sold.

If that relation you know is a true professional working full-time earning their living in real estate and provides the services you require, then go ahead and hire them if you want. On the other hand, if its just somebody who got a real estate license they keep in their drawer to make some extra money, I would think twice. In either case, ask yourself if youll be able to fire them in the event the job doesnt get done. If you hesitate or feel you couldnt fire them, then youre better served hiring someone else that youre not emotionally or genetically tied to.

Ed Chaparro is a licensed New Jersey real estate agent with Prudential New Jersey Properties servicing Metuchen, Edison and near-by communities in Middlesex, Union and Somerset counties in New Jersey.

Ed Chaparro has over twenty years of experience working with technology and putting it to use to help people and businesses. Ed Chaparro mixes traditional real estate marketing (MLS, signs, direct mail) with a very aggressive Internet marketing plan that maximizes the number of buyers reached.

For buyers, Ed Chaparro provides methods and communications that enable them to view their options in manner that is efficient, informative and free of any hard-sell tactics. This approach has garnered Ed Chaparro a great deal of buyer loyalty.\r For more details and information please visit http://www.EdChaparro.com