Let me ask you something before we get into this. Do you believe your home is worth a fixed number? One price, set in stone, that any agent would arrive at on your behalf? Or do you believe it's worth a range, and that where you land within that range depends almost entirely on the skill of the person negotiating for you and the quality of the marketing behind your property?
If you believe the latter, then who you hire matters enormously. And yet.
Every so often I'll hear a conversation that, no matter how many times it happens, somehow still catches me off guard. Maybe it's because I can't quite imagine making a decision this significant, on an asset, an experience, something that touches your entire family, the way some people do. But it happens, and when it does, it stops me cold.
Someone mentions they're listing their home, often a beautiful, high-value property, and when asked why they chose their agent, the answer sounds something like this: "She's just so sweet. She's been going through a rough patch, and I really wanted to help her out."
I understand the impulse. It comes from a good place. But I want to be honest with you, because I think you deserve that: in real estate, that kind of generosity can quietly cost you six figures. And the painful part? You may never even know it happened.
This Is the Wrong Place to Do Someone a Favor
Think about it this way. If your cardiologist told you that you needed a procedure, you wouldn't call your neighbor's kid who just finished medical school because you wanted to throw some business their way. You'd find the most qualified, most experienced specialist you could get an appointment with. You'd want someone who had done this hundreds of times, who knew every variable, every risk, and every possible complication before it arose.
The same logic applies to your investment portfolio. You wouldn't hand a significant portion of your net worth, and for some people this property represents exactly that, to someone inexperienced simply because you liked them or felt sorry for them. You'd want a track record. You'd want demonstrated skill. You'd want someone who had seen markets move in both directions and knew how to respond.
A transaction of this size and complexity deserves exactly that same standard of care.
Now, to be fair, every seasoned agent was once a beginner. Experience has to be earned somewhere, on real transactions, with real stakes. That's just the nature of any profession. But there's a meaningful difference between an agent who is actively building their skills on appropriately priced properties with the right support around them, and one who is handed a significant luxury listing as an act of kindness. The latter isn't just a risk for you. Truthfully, it may not be a great situation for them either.
The Money You Never Knew You Left Behind
I've been on the other side of negotiations with agents who weren't fully prepared for what they were walking into. The difference between a skilled negotiator and an unskilled one is not small.
I've watched sellers leave well over six figures on the table. Not because the market wasn't there. Not because the buyer wasn't willing. But because their agent didn't ask the right questions at the right moment, was so relieved to have a deal in front of them that they stopped fighting for their client, prioritized getting something closed over getting the best result for their client, or missed negotiating leverage that an experienced agent would have recognized immediately.
The seller walked away satisfied, not knowing what they left behind. That's the part that keeps me up at night.
There Is No Substitute for Having Done This Before
Negotiating a luxury real estate transaction is a skill built over years: thousands of hours of market knowledge, deal structure, psychology, timing, and advocacy. It requires someone who has been tested, who has made mistakes on smaller stages and learned from them, and who brings that hard-won experience to the table on your behalf.
At Scenic Sotheby's International Realty, we've built our brokerage around exactly that standard. We are selective about who represents our clients. Every agent at our firm operates at a high level. No one here is part-time, and no one is learning on your listing.
Here's something that speaks directly to the depth of our market presence: over a third of our transactions are handled in-house, meaning one of our agents represents the buyer while another represents the seller. That's not a coincidence. It reflects the breadth of our qualified buyer network and the trust both sides of the transaction place in our team.
Support the Person. Protect the Asset.
If someone you care about is struggling in their career, there are real ways to support them that don't put anyone's financial future at risk. Encourage them. Be honest with them, the way a real friend would be. Buy them lunch. Help them sharpen their marketing or think through their business. Connect them with a mentor or coach who can help them grow. What you want to avoid is passing them along to another friend for the same reasons you shouldn't hire them yourself. That doesn't solve the problem. It just moves it.
A transaction at this level deserves the most qualified professional you can find. Hiring out of kindness, however well-intentioned, is a risk that rarely announces itself until it's too late.
Work with someone who has earned the right to be at that table. Your future self will thank you.
Blake Morar is the Founder and Broker of Scenic Sotheby's International Realty, with 29 years of experience representing buyers and sellers along Florida's 30A corridor.
