Why Do I Need A Buyer's Agent?

Why do I need a Buyer's Agent?

When you are looking for a home, wouldn't it be great to have someone looking with you? Someone that knows how to find what's available? Someone who is trained and skilled at real estate negotiations? Someone who knows the neighborhood and the prices for the area? Someone who represents you and your interests? Of course you do. That's what a buyer's agent is.

If you had an important legal case against another person, would you ask your opponents attorney to represent you too? No, you would have your own attorney to listen to what it is you wanted and have them represent you and your interests. That is basically what a buyer's agent does. The difference is that in almost all cases, it costs you nothing to hire a buyer' agent to represent you and help you. The buyer's agent is paid by the seller according to the agreement between realtors on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service). By listing homes for sale on the MLS, all agents agree to share commissions with each other. The goal is for the listing agent to sell the home by enticing other agents (buyer's agents) to show the home to buyers and then make an offer. This is true for new construction too. Most builders will pay a commission to buyer's agents if they bring a buyer that purchases a new home.

Does it cost more to use a buyer's agent? No, in fact in most cases you will actually SAVE MONEY, because your agent will know how to negotiate the best possible deal for you and can often get builders to throw in upgrades or discounts that are not advertised to the public. Your buyer's agent has access to archives of sales records and statistics for every neighborhood in the area and knows exactly what every home is worth. Many buyer's agents will also throw in incentives such as a home warranty, a moving van or even a cash rebate just for using their services.

Although it is possible to call the agent that is listed on the sign in the yard and use them to handle the transaction, you need to remember this....... The listing agent, by law, represents the seller and the seller's interests and cannot give you information that would give you an advantage over his client, the seller. In almost all cases, you will not save money by using the listing agent to handle the deal for you as the buyer.

The information contained on this page and website was written and produced by Dave Turnquist and is the sole property of San Jac Real Estate. No unauthorized reproduction or use of this information is permitted without the expressed written consent of Dave Turnquist, Broker/Owner of San Jac Real Estate