At the age of 20, I found myself in the difficult position of sorting out the estate of my late mother. My mother had passed away unexpectedly at the age of 60, and as she was unmarried and did not own her own home, the only inheritance that myself and my siblings would receive from her estate was the net proceeds from the sale of her home.
I had a friend who had recently received their real estate license, and they had expressed an interest in helping me with the sale of my mother’s house. They had already offered to help with some of the necessary repairs and pest control, and had even offered to pay for some of the services out of pocket, such as photography, drone footage, virtual staging and professional cleaning of the home, as well as landscaping supplies.
When we met to discuss the details, they presented me with a contract for 7% commission, which included all the splits between all parties. I was taken aback by this percentage, as they had initially pitched me that they could likely offer me a commission of under 6%. I remained professional and told them I would have to speak to our estate attorney and get back to them.
I understand that they are offering to pay for a lot of the services out of pocket, so I am considering taking them up on their offer. However, I also want to make sure that I get the best deal possible for the sale of my mother’s estate. I am currently in the process of consulting with our estate lawyer to see what the best course of action is.