Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face

[Queasy]

My wife recently reactivated her real estate commission to make some money on the side while she stays at home with the kids. Even more recently, my wife's uncle and aunt have decided to get a divorce (big mess...both at fault...kid loses of course). The uncle asked my wife to help him sell the house and my wife agreed to at a reduced commission (5% with her getting only 2% as the seller's agent). My wife has been nothing but straightforward in telling the uncle everything he needs to do to sell the house and how much he'd likely get for it.

The aunt though, is a piece of work. The uncle can't sell the house or sign an agreement with an agent without the wife's permission...despite the fact that she's never worked a day of the marriage (flat-out refused is more like it). So the aunt says she refuses to sell the house through my wife. She wants to go to another agent....where they have to pay a 7% commission. The uncle told his wife that he's not paying the difference in commission. She would have to. The aunt agrees to this.

Why would you eat $3000 like that? I just don't get it. Even if there is animosity between the aunt and uncle....why?

Cliffs:
1) Wife's uncle wants to sell house with her as agent at 5% commission
2) Uncle's wife wants to use a "neutral" agent where they would hav to pay 7% commission.
3) Uncle's wife willing to eat ~$3000 to make up the difference.

 

[Howard]

Wimmenz is dumz0r

 

[j00fek]

wow

 

[Zysoclaplem]

Well it might be better for your wife to stay out of this anyway.
Regardless, anything extra she pays would probably be coming from your uncle's pockets anyway. If she has no job, she has no money but the money and items she will gain from the divorce.

 

[Brutuskend]

B.I.T.C.H.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Zysoclaplem
Well it might be better for your wife to stay out of this anyway.
Regardless, anything extra she pays would probably be coming from your uncle's pockets anyway. If she has no job, she has no money but the money and items she will gain from the divorce.

The money would come from the money she would get for the sale of the house.

 

[ITJunkie]

my guess is, as you've already stated, spite! The money means absolutely d1ck to your aunt so long as she can hose her soon-to-be ex.

 

[akubi]

what's your wife's track record/experience in selling houses? maybe your aunt has no confidence in her abilities... $3k is absolutely nothing if it means selling the house a month early with the right agent. a good agent can probably get more money from it in the first place.

 

[GasX]

hell hath no fury...

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: ITJunkie
my guess is, as you've already stated, spite! The money means absolutely d1ck to your aunt so long as she can hose her soon-to-be ex.

yup!

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: akubi
what's your wife's track record/experience in selling houses? maybe your aunt has no confidence in her abilities... $3k is absolutely nothing if it means selling the house a month early with the right agent. a good agent can probably get more money from it in the first place.

That's really irrelevant since the aunt pretty much said that she wants a "neutral" third party...ie - she doesn't want any money going to her soon-to-be-ex-husband's family.

 

[Lonyo]

Make sure they sign a contract stating she's paying the extra $3000 and have a recording of everything that went on or the ex-wife will probably try and claim the money anyway.

 

[OutHouse]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: akubi
what's your wife's track record/experience in selling houses? maybe your aunt has no confidence in her abilities... $3k is absolutely nothing if it means selling the house a month early with the right agent. a good agent can probably get more money from it in the first place.

That's really irrelevant since the aunt pretty much said that she wants a "neutral" third party...ie - she doesn't want any money going to her soon-to-be-ex-husband's family.

or maybe she just doesnt want a major financial transaction to be handled by her husbands neice. seems fair to me. i think your wife should just back out and stay out of it. A neutral party is the best solution for this situation.

 

[Armitage]

Your wife has made a effort to help, which is good. But now it's getting ugly (uglier). She should just back out gracefully now. Tell her uncle that her services are available if he wants them but stay clear if you can. Nothing good will come of forcing the issue. As others have said, it's spite, and likely issues of trust on the aunts part with respect to the uncle and his family. Which isn't unexpected, and frankly, I can see her POV in this to some extent.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Citrix

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: akubi
what's your wife's track record/experience in selling houses? maybe your aunt has no confidence in her abilities... $3k is absolutely nothing if it means selling the house a month early with the right agent. a good agent can probably get more money from it in the first place.

That's really irrelevant since the aunt pretty much said that she wants a "neutral" third party...ie - she doesn't want any money going to her soon-to-be-ex-husband's family.

or maybe she just doesnt want a major financial transaction to be handled by her husbands neice. seems fair to me. i think your wife should just back out and stay out of it. A neutral party is the best solution for this situation.

Oh my wife already has stepped away. She was doing this as a favor and doesn't want to get involved in their mess anymore than she already has.

I know I can't apply my way of thinking to the aunt's way of thinking but to me, $3000 is $3000. The market price for the houses in the uncle's neighborhood is already set. It isn't like they are going to make so much more on the house with a different agent to makeup for the $3000.

I just wouldn't be willing to part with that much money.

 

[QED]

Originally posted by: Citrix

or maybe she just doesnt want a major financial transaction to be handled by her husbands neice. seems fair to me. i think your wife should just back out and stay out of it. A neutral party is the best solution for this situation.

I think this is the answer right here. There may be a little bit of spite here as well... but I know I sure wouldn't want my home being sold by a friend or acquantance of someone with whom I have an adveserial relationship with.

 

[OutHouse]

good, she just saved herself and you a whole lot of stress.

 

[Tom]

"She was doing this as a favor.."

A favor for who ? Why does your wife want to do a favor for her soon to be ex-aunt ?

Does your wife have a relationship with her aside from the marriage ?

How is getting paid to do something, a favor ?

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Tom
"She was doing this as a favor.."

A favor for who ? Why does your wife want to do a favor for her soon to be ex-aunt ?

Does your wife have a relationship with her aside from the marriage ?

How is getting paid to do something, a favor ?

1) She was taking a 5% commission (with her cut being only 2%) when the going commission rate is usually 7% (3.5% commission for both the buyer's and seller's agent).
2) Because the uncle trusts that she will do a good job and work in his best interest to get the house sold at maximum value.

 

[altonb1]

It is better to stay as far away as possible. This is probably a very good thing.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: Tom
"She was doing this as a favor.."

A favor for who ? Why does your wife want to do a favor for her soon to be ex-aunt ?

Does your wife have a relationship with her aside from the marriage ?

How is getting paid to do something, a favor ?

1) She was taking a 5% commission (with her cut being only 2%) when the going commission rate is usually 7% (3.5% commission for both the buyer's and seller's agent).
2) Because the uncle trusts that she will do a good job and work in his best interest to get the house sold at maximum value.

So basically your wife was going to make $6000 because her family is going through a divorce ?

 

[sygyzy]

I hate it when people cut off their nose to spite their face!

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Tom

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: Tom
"She was doing this as a favor.."

A favor for who ? Why does your wife want to do a favor for her soon to be ex-aunt ?

Does your wife have a relationship with her aside from the marriage ?

How is getting paid to do something, a favor ?

1) She was taking a 5% commission (with her cut being only 2%) when the going commission rate is usually 7% (3.5% commission for both the buyer's and seller's agent).
2) Because the uncle trusts that she will do a good job and work in his best interest to get the house sold at maximum value.

So basically your wife was going to make $6000 because her family is going through a divorce ?

Which part of my wife giving them a discount from 7% to 5% do you not understand? After the broker takes their part of her 2% cut, my wife would have been lucky to walk away with $1500.

 

[Tom]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: Tom

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: Tom
"She was doing this as a favor.."

A favor for who ? Why does your wife want to do a favor for her soon to be ex-aunt ?

Does your wife have a relationship with her aside from the marriage ?

How is getting paid to do something, a favor ?

1) She was taking a 5% commission (with her cut being only 2%) when the going commission rate is usually 7% (3.5% commission for both the buyer's and seller's agent).
2) Because the uncle trusts that she will do a good job and work in his best interest to get the house sold at maximum value.

So basically your wife was going to make $6000 because her family is going through a divorce ?

Which part of my wife giving them a discount from 7% to 5% do you not understand? After the broker takes their part of her 2% cut, my wife would have been lucky to walk away with $1500.

I'm trying to look at this from your aunt's point of view, since the topic is mostly about her decision.

Nothing personal, but my opinion of sales people who do business with family and friends, is that the friend or family is doing the sales person a favor by giving them the sales opportunity, not the other way around.

If it's true your aunt is willing to pay the $3000 entirely herself, she must have a very bad lawyer because there's no way she could be forced to accept a member of her husband's family would act in her best interest.

 

[AdamK47]

What is the Aunt going to do for an income after the divorce? Live off of alimony? If she was depending on your Uncle for a long time then she may not think much about $3,000.