Email Elizabethwhy it pays to hire a realtor
A Realtor Shows You Property Are You Committed To Her?
If a Realtor shows you property are you committed to using her? Well, it depends. An interesting scenario happened today. Last week I met an agent and his buyers, at my Ranch listing in Elk Grove. There were several people and they seemed interested. I could tell the agent had not met the buyers before as he shook hands and said happy to meet you.
Yesterday a Realtor called me about setting up an appointment to see the Ranch. She said the buyers had already seen the property. I asked her if they had seen it at an open house? She said, “well no” and then dodged the question moving to another comment about the property. Next, I asked for the buyer’s names for security reasons at the seller’s request.
Today, I met the agent and the buyers at the Ranch and low and behold it was the same buyers from last week. Only this time, they were with a different Realtor. Actually, there were two Realtors today a husband and a wife. No mention from anyone about the previous Realtor.
If the first Agent who showed them the property had a signed exclusive Buyer Broker agreement, then he may very well be entitled to a commission. If not, as less than a week had passed in between the showings, he may be able to obtain commission based on procuring cause. There are no guarantees of course on payment to an agent as there is not an automatic solution.
If you have a Realtor show you property then hopefully you have done your research. Always be prepared to hire the Realtor that meets your expectations. They will be guiding you regarding the largest financial purchase in your lifetime. Agents should always consider the use of a Buyer Broker Agreement. This form keeps everyone on the same page and spells out the consequences should a buyer decide to switch agents.
I don’t know if this situation today was lack of education as perhaps the first agent didn’t explain how Realtors work. If he didn’t tell you that he was not a non-profit before a showing, then a buyer may assume Realtors like running around burning gas and time. Doesn’t everyone work with no expectation of being paid? Of course, some agents may not deserve to be paid. Before you hire an agent do your research. This is a critical step in the buying process.
Before hiring a Realtor, discuss a Buyer Broker agreement. Share your expectations with a Realtor before going to see a property. This could save you a potentially problematic issue later. You may end up owing a fee that would be most often paid by the seller so it is in your best interest to interview Agents before looking at property. Always hire the best Realtor in your area.
If you call Weintraub and Wallace Realtors, with RE/MAX Gold, at 916-233-6759, we will explain the buying process. When a Realtor shows you property, we fully explain the commitment of both buyer and Realtor. Our exclusive buyer’s agents review with you what services to expect and we over deliver and out 5-star reviews online, prove it. We represent your interests. Call us today.
— JaCi Wallace
Let It Be and Hire a REALTOR in Sacramento
If you’ve ever wondered why it’s a good idea to hire a REALTOR, the California Association of Realtors has launched what it says is new content for REALTORS, even though the source of its data is 2012. Or, maybe that’s a typo in the artwork image. We can all make mistakes — heck, while watching the Grammy’s Salute to The Beatles a few nights back, I suddenly realized I had misheard the lyrics to Let it Be all these years later. No joke.
Turns out Paul McCartney’s mother was named Mary. Why I do not readily recall this tidbit is a mystery. I surely must have stashed away this bit of information into my memory blocks at some significant time in my childhood, just as surely as I vividly recall writing The Beatles over and over, trying to write it 5000 times during class to win a Beatles wig from a local Minneapolis radio station, and suffering the agony and instant flash of hatred toward my teacher who snatched the papers off my desk, crumpling my work into her own little twisted hands while an evil grin spread slowly across her wretched face . . .
The line in Let it Be is When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me. Don’t ask me how I managed to believe during all of these decades that The Beatles sang: When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother married constantly. It made sense to me on some weird level. Maybe I thought if you couldn’t afford to pay your bills, you could always marry into money? Some things don’t make sense like a dead skunk in the middle of the road.
It also doesn’t make sense to try to sell a home in Sacramento by yourself when you can hire an agent who, if she’s any good, will probably make you more money than you could get on your own, even after paying the agent a commission. The California Association of Realtors says on average FSBO homes sold for $184,000 versus homes sold by a REALTOR at an average price of $230,000. C.A.R. concludes that sellers lose $46,000 by not hiring a REALTOR.
Bottom line, no matter how much you think you might know all the words to your favorite songs, some of us can mess it up and get it in our heads the wrong way. Just don’t mess up your home sale by trying to go it alone. If you need an experienced and aggressive listing agent, call Elizabeth Weintraub, at 916.233.6759.
Image: California Association of Realtors
