All in the Family: The Keys to Partnering With Relatives in Your Real Estate Business

LAS VEGAS – For many entrepreneurs, the thought of working with family — like-minded people with an inherent bond — seems like an ideal situation. But for others, being shoulder-to-shoulder with a spouse, parent or child in the office would be akin to torture. What's the reality of creating and sustaining a family enterprise? At the Zillow Group Premier Agent^® Forum, an annual event which brings together thousands of Premier Agents to meet with Zillow Group leadership, Mitch Robinson, Zillow Group vice president of trade marketing, put the question to a panel that included two married Zillow Group employees, two married real estate agents, a father/son partnership, and a mother/son partnership.

All the panel members agreed on three keys to successfully working with your family:

• Recognize the strengths of each team member — family or not — and play to them
• Clearly define everyone's role
• Trust and empower your team

Susan Daimler, vice president of StreetEasy, and her husband Matt Daimler, Zillow Group vice president of strategic initiatives, both noted that when working at the same company, it's important to complement each other's strengths and find balance by being clear on the division of labor. The Daimlers also emphasized that it was vital to designate days, times — and personal spaces — where shoptalk was off limits.

Jon-David Lenard initially never saw himself working with his father, Richard Lenard, even though his mother and older sister had already joined the real estate company. After developing his career apart from the family and receiving real estate coaching, Jon-David realized that with a few changes, it could work out.

Marty Rodriguez and her son Ed Rodriguez find that being consensus driven works best for their business, which employs other family members as well. Clearly defined roles, and shared common goals and standards, helps keep everyone on the same path toward success. There are occasions when someone might approach Marty for a different answer than the one originally received, but the final decision is almost unanimously accepted as the one that serves the best interests of the company.

Husband and wife team Eric Boyenga and Janelle Boyenga work to make their non-family team members feel like part of the homestead by recognizing each person's unique skills and contributions. Janelle stressed the importance of realizing 'you can only do what you can do,' and trusting your team enough to let go of the micro-management and empowering them to make important decisions. The approach works so well that the Boyengas are able to spend more time with their family and even take vacations.