Tim Ryan

You do not have to use an agent to buy your home. but keep in mind that a good buyers representative will be able to provide you with a choice of properties that you may not have access to otherwise in addition help you negotiate and navigate the maze of purchasing property. Besides buying your first home why wouldn't you want a professional to help you? better yet it's free to you the compensation to the buyers broker is already been negotiated by the seller.

The right buyer rep will not be pushy and should be able to communicate with you on a daily basis during your search, they should also be able to help with your financing if needed. - Tue Apr 28 2009, 10:05

Yes depending on who you are working with it is possible to have your property listed by a professional at no cost to you. they should be collecting all of the information the lender will require and have a negotiator assigned. this should drastically speed up the process. Not all Realtors are trained and have the support system in place to perform short sales. you should be in question if the Realtor is looking for you to pay his or her commission or if they are not asking questions about your mortgage balance and how many mortgages you have. They should also be knowledgeable of the foreclosure process for your state. - Tue Apr 28 2009, 09:01

Yes the Broker owns the listing BUT take a look at your contractor agreement you may be able to take the listings with you for a fee or if you negotiated something different. Your broker does not want hostile clients so he or she may agree to allow you to take the listings with you for a simple referral when they close.. Just Ask what could it hurt.. - Mon Apr 27 2009, 10:46