I had a call last week from a former client considering purchasing a house from a good friend. He just wanted me to advise him on the pros and cons of buying a house from someone you know. The best advice I could give him, was to pretend like he didn’t really know him.

When you are buying from or selling to someone you know, its best to keep the emotion out of it. I don’t care if it’s grandma’s house or your Dad’s. At the end of the day, a house is the biggest investment you are probably going to make. Even when I know someone’s in love with the house, I try to remind them that someday, we are going to have to sell it.

If we take the emotion out and look at the facts, including price and condition; it will be easier to assess if it’s a good investment and lifestyle choice for you. Try to remember, when you go to sell it. Nobody is really going to care that this was your dad’s house, or the best man’s at your wedding. They are going to be looking at it from the same eyes, as I described above, so it is prudent that you do the same.