Is Your Cousin A New Realtor? Why You Probably Shouldn’t Hire Them.

Let me paint a familiar picture. A cousin, a college friend, your wife’s coworker — someone you know — just got their real estate license. They’re excited. They’re posting on Instagram. And then your phone rings: “If you’re ever buying or selling, I’d love to help.”

It feels almost rude to say no. So you don’t. You hire them.

I’m going to argue you shouldn’t. And I’m going to do it without trashing new agents — everyone starts somewhere, including me. The point isn’t that new agents are bad people. The point is that buying or selling a home is statistically the largest financial decision most Canadians will ever make, and giving someone their first rep at-bat with that much on the line is a math problem.

What you’re actually buying

When you hire a Realtor, you’re not paying for someone to unlock doors and submit forms. You’re paying for pattern recognition. The instinct that comes from having seen 200 deals where the buyer overpaid because they didn’t notice the comparable two streets over. The negotiation muscle that comes from having walked away from 30 inflated price expectations and watched what happened next. The home-inspection radar that flags a roof issue before the inspector even shows up.

Pattern recognition takes volume. A new agent who’s done three or four transactions in their entire career simply hasn’t seen enough. It’s not their fault — they will eventually be excellent. They’re just not there yet.

The hidden cost of misplaced loyalty

Here’s the part nobody talks about. The realtor you hire is paid a commission — a percentage of the sale price — that comes out of the transaction either way. Your cousin gets the same fee an experienced agent does. So the question isn’t whether you’re “helping” them by giving them the work. The question is whether the cost of their inexperience is worth more or less than the fee difference.

On a $1M home, a 1% mistake on price — failing to negotiate, missing a comparable, overlooking a structural concern — is $10,000. A 3% mistake is $30,000. Compare that to whatever “help” you thought you were giving by saying yes to your cousin.

It’s rarely close.

The relationship trap

When the deal goes wrong with someone you know, both the deal andthe relationship pay the price. You’ll be reluctant to push back, ask hard questions, or fire them when things aren’t working. They’ll be more emotional than professional when conflict arises — because it’s their cousin, not their client.

Real estate is an industry where you sometimes need to say things like “walk away from this deal,” or “your asking price is wrong,” or “this lawyer is too slow.” Family complicates every one of those conversations.

What a real test looks like

Before hiring any Realtor — family or otherwise — ask:

• How many deals have you closed in the last 12 months? Three is light. Ten is fine. Twenty-plus is a working pro.
• What’s your sale-to-list ratio in this neighbourhood? A pro will know it. A new agent will guess.
• Walk me through the last deal you negotiated where the comparables didn’t support the price.Listen for specifics — addresses, numbers, what they said. Vague answers tell you everything.
• Who’s your team?Real estate is a team sport — lawyers, inspectors, mortgage brokers, contractors. A new agent doesn’t have the bench yet.
• What’s your communication style during a deal? You want someone who answers in minutes, not days. Conditional periods are short.

Help your cousin a different way

You can support a new agent without putting your largest financial decision in their hands. Refer your sister’s friend who’s renting a room. Send them a small rental deal where the stakes are lower. Introduce them to youragent so they can shadow real deals. Be a cheerleader. Just don’t be their first $1M test case.

How I work

I’m dual-licensed as a Realtor and a Mortgage Agent. I’ve been through the full cycle on both sides — offers, inspections, renegotiations, financing condition extensions, deals that almost collapsed and the quiet calls that saved them. That’s the accumulated reps you’re hiring when you hire me.

If you’re sitting in a conversation about whether to use a new family member, I’m happy to talk — send me a note. No obligation. The worst case is you waste 30 minutes and learn what to ask. The best case is you save yourself a lot more than that.