Dave Ramsey says, “You’re gonna get screwed.” But economics disagrees. I think the better question is: What’s the cost of NOT working with your mother-in-law? Whether or not you agree with the saying “time is money”, I believe that whatever you think you might be financially saving by going with a third-party real estate professional, you will likely breakeven or worse, be in a deficit hole, if you deduct the amount of time that is lost between hostility and all around bad blood if you decide to avoid working with a close family member (or friend) with whom you want regular contact. (This all can be waived for distant relatives/acquaintances whom you rarely see and no one will give you grief over.)
