Why Experience Matters More Than Loyalty When Choosing a Realtor

Let me start by saying this upfront: I get it.

When people buy or sell a home, they often want to work with someone they know: a friend, a family member, or someone who “just got licensed.” There’s loyalty involved. Good intentions. The desire to help someone build their business.

I truly understand that perspective because I lived it.

When I bought my first home 20 years ago, I wasn’t licensed yet. I was working in Corporate America, negotiating for a living, and if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t really understand what Realtors did. I genuinely believed they were glorified door openers. I thought, I negotiate every day, how hard can this be?

Still, I used a Realtor anyway. She was my friend. She was new. And I wanted to give her the business.

Looking back now almost 20 years and thousands of transactions later, I can tell you this with full confidence: that decision could have gone very differently.

Here’s the not-so-pretty reality

There are 50,000+ licensed Realtors in the Houston area. That’s roughly one Realtor for every 112 adults.

Sounds reassuring, right? Lots of options.

But here’s the part most people don’t know:
About 10% of those agents do roughly 90% of the business.

That means the vast majority of transactions, the negotiations, the deadlines, the contract strategy, the problem-solving are being handled by a very small group of professionals who do this every single day.

And when you hire someone without a proven track record, you aren’t just risking small things like:

• Overpaying

• Selling for less than market value

• Losing out on a home

You’re risking much bigger things:

• Contract default

• Loss of earnest money

• Legal exposure

• Being sued (yes, it happens)

I watched this happen yesterday

Just yesterday, I witnessed a situation that honestly made my stomach drop.

A buyer’s agent allowed the option period to expire without asking for repairs, without terminating, without protecting their client because she was on a cruise for six days and went completely radio silent.

Look, I love traveling. I take vacations too. But here’s the hard truth:
When you are representing clients, you are holding their financial future in your hands.

There’s this thing called Wi-Fi. Cruises have it. Buy it.

And if you don’t plan to work while you’re gone (which is a whole separate conversation), then you must have:

• A team

• A partner

• Systems

• Coverage

Someone watching deadlines. Someone protecting your client.

If you don’t have that? Then respectfully: you shouldn’t be in this business.

We are not selling widgets.

It got worse

Not only did this agent miss the option deadline, she also allowed the financing deadline to expire. Then she attempted to terminate after that deadline.

You can’t do that.

As a result:

• The buyer is now in default

• The buyer lost contractual protections

• The buyer is exposed financially and legally

What should have happened?
The agent should have either:

• Terminated before the financing deadline, or

• Requested a financing extension

That’s it. That’s how the buyer stays protected.

But no one was managing the contract. No one was watching the calendar. And now the buyer is paying the price.

So ask yourself a different question

Instead of asking:
“Which friend can I help?”
or
“Who sells one or two homes a year?”

Ask this:
“Who is going to protect my best interests at all costs?”

Would you choose a doctor who performs one surgery a year?
Of course not.

This is no different.

We close a transaction every 1.5 days.
Days. Not weeks. Not months.

That level of repetition builds instinct, strategy, and foresight. It’s what allows us to anticipate problems before they become disasters.

Experience isn’t about ego.
It’s about protection.

And when it comes to your money, your home, and your future: experience is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.