|
Working with a Buyer's Agent: FAQs
What's a Buyer's Agent?
A buyer's agent is a real estate agent who represents the purchaser's
best interests through all phases of a real estate transaction. And, according
to Money Magazine, "Choosing a real estate agent to
represent you should be one of the first, and perhaps the most important,
step buyers should take before shopping for a home."
What's the cost?
Working with a buyer's agent doesn't cost buyers any additional money
or affect the price of the home. Like most traditional real estate agents,
the services of a buyer's agent are included in the commission paid by
the seller or developer. That means that buyers who use a buyer's agent
can rest assured they are fully represented throughout the entire real
estate transaction.
What's the advantage?
Although Florida real estate law is designed to protect the buyer and
seller equally, a Realtor who lists and markets a seller's home or works
on-site selling new homes for a developer or builder is probably representing
the seller's best interest, not the buyer's. As a purchaser, your buyer's
agent is your advocate in a real estate transaction.
Also, research has shown that buyers who used a buyer's agent found their
home faster than those who did not.
How can I tell if a Realtor is a buyer's agent?
A buyer's agent will have earned the Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR)
designation, which is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation.
The Real Estate Buyers' Agent Council (REBAC) of the National Association
of Realtors® awards this coveted designation to real estate agents
who have met the specified educational and practical experience criteria.
Only about two percent of all real estate professionals in North America
earn the buyer's agent designation.
As a buyer's agent, I am not affiliated with any developer, builder or
country club community. That means, I'm not going to sell you a home,
I'm going to help you buy one.
Steve
Schoepfer, Realtor GRI ABR
|
