money, right? Otherwise, why turn down professional assistance in finding a home to the buyers’ liking without their own effort and dealing with negotiations and the many attendant home-selling duties? However, it’s unlikely that both the buyer and the seller will reap the benefits of not paying real estate agent commissions. It works like this: An owner selling on his own will price the house based on the sale prices of other comparable properties in the area. Many of these properties will be sold with the help of an agent; therefore, the seller profits in getting to keep the percentage of the home’s sale price that might otherwise be paid to the real estate agent (usually 6%). Buyers looking to purchase a home sold by owners without an agent may believe they can save money on the home by not having an agent involved and so look solely at FSBO houses. They might expect it and make an offer accordingly. Unless the buyer and seller agree to split the savings, they can’t both save the commission — and that’s if the listing price was not already lowered by near the commission amount to make it more market-attractive.
Here’s a short list of the advantages that using a real estate agent can bring to your buying experience:
• Education and experience • Agents are buffers • Neighborhood knowledge • Price guidance
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