To simply answer your question, the best way is to ask. You might call a brokerage or two and ask if they would, after consultation with several of their agents, provide one who is willing to perform this service for you.

To my agent friends - every client doesn't need every one of our services, which doesn't mean that we have to take on all clients!

And this may be an excellent opportunity for a newer agent to learn from a savvy and sophisticated client. (Then, again, it may not . . . but, ya never know.)

Carrie,
regarding your comment about discounting fees are illegal in CA. You are incorrect. The agents can if THEY choose, give money back to their clients. Buyers or Sellers.

Joe, Excellent answer. I agree with your point of view! Thanks for bringing it up.

Brian,

Sounds like this guy learned his RE in a magnet school. lol

Seriously being a Realtor has a high cost of doing business...The fees are relative. Get to know the business and you will understand. Good luck in you search. PS look for a transaction broker see what they can do for you? Anyone have a thought on that?

LOL I find it hard to believe this is a serious question? If it is...Oh, I hope the law of attraction is true!

C,

By the way maybe a different approach you might try, just food for thought here, is getting a decent agent and instead of asking for half or their pay, maybe get them to show you how they save you that $3150 in the price of the home or negotiate it in the terms. I'm confident enough in my skills to know that in this market I can put way more than that in your pocket in negotiating a successful contract.

C,

Talk about whacking the hornets nest. Is it safe to assume you expected such a response? Like I said I can see your point of view. Your perception is that there is very little work involved in just simply writing a contract. Very little stress and hardly any time will be involved. That's what it looks like.

The catch is that whether we find the right house first or it takes months, if I put in 8-10 hours with you in the car or 100, I'm still legally liable for any contract I put together and my staff still gets paid the same to make sure the transaction process runs smoothly after a contract is accepted. My overhead does not adjust and neither do my office and franchise fees.

I'm not sure what it is you do for a living and if I were to approach you and say "Hey C, you know the job we're paying you for. Well it didn't actually take you near as much time to do it as usual so we'd like you to give back half your pay so we can use it else where." Chances are you'd be offended and probably tell me to take a flying leap. Not unlike some of the responses you see here.

I'm not offended that you posed the question and it looks like it's merely a matter of different perceptions. Would you ask your doctor to discount a procedure because he did it more efficiently and faster than expected? Well I don't know you and maybe you would, although it doesn't sound like a safe bet especially letting asking something like that up front.

I'm worth what I get paid not because I can put together a transaction that is smooth as butter but for the way I perform when we hit a bump. I'm the warranty you might never need but would pay for itself 10 times over when you had to use it.

As far as Idaho State law goes, if you are a party to the transaction you all commissions are negotiable. Yes, you can receive a rebate from your agent. That being said, if you can show me how it's a win-win then I would be happy to talk with you.

Kristin,

You and C are not operating from the same position. You are a proven repeat customer who has demonstrated in the past that your transactions are likely to be efficient. You also recognize value in your Realtor and speak of her in a respectful tone.

I have negotiated a rate for repeat customers who value my services, treat me with respect, and quickly understand and make decisions about their transactions. I would not be receptive to C, at all. Today, I am logging in my 20th hour on negotiations on one offer, and have spent 2 hours this morning explaining basic principles in a real estate transaction. This does not include the multitude of hours it took to get to the offer stage. For this type of client, I could never negotiate a discounted fee.

The best customers get favorable rates and preferential treatment in any business. People with good credit get better mortgage rates. Examples could flow non-stop for thousands of pages like this. C does not present himself as an attractive customer. He shows disrespect for Realtors, professes extensive knowledge in real estate without any credibility to back that up, and to the contrary I suspect he is probably not that knowledgeable about real estate. I further would anticipate that his transactions would not go smoothly, as attitude and acknowledgment of what one does not know is critical to successful business transactions in any realm.

You seem to do yourself a disservice by categorizing yourself with C. If you are a repeat customer, and have a relationship of mutual trust and respect w/ your Realtor that creates a win-win, I say hats off to you! All Realtors need to abide by the laws in their state as it applies to rebates.

Deborah

Hi Kristin. Your agreement with your agent is a lot different from what C proposes. First of all, you are not going into the proposition with the notion that your agent is not worth it and that's why you should get half of the commission. It sounds like you very much value your agent. Second, you are giving something valuable back to your agent, loyalty and repeat business. The key here is your attitude and you have made it a win-win for you and your agent. I think that's great.

Carrie. Kristin's arrangement is neither unethical nor illegal in CA as long as it is all done through the escrow process. If Kristin's agent took the full commission at the close of escrow and then kicked back 50% that would not be ok. However, if she credits Kristin 50% at the close of escrow, that's ok. It's not considered commission sharing. I hope that clarifies this.

I thought that in California, transactions outside of escrow like this were unethical if not outright illegal.

p.s Kristin seemed to work out a great business proposition with her agent....

Kristin,
I feel your situation is completely different than other buyers. You are an investor and have treated your agent well and with respect with all the business you have given her. I too have given many clients part of my commission when they have needed help. I also have their loyalty with repeat business and referrals from them. Whenever I have given back commissions it has always been my choice not the buyers asking me. Whenever a buyer wants some of my income up front that is a red flag to me as they are never loyal and always expect something for nothing. Thank you for your message and thank you for being so loyal to your agent!

Actually, I think your question is a good one. I am an investor with 15 properties. I buy about 3 houses a year and sell at least one. I know what I want when I see it, so I don't drag my agent around for days looking at tons of properties. Typically I narrow it down to 3 choices and that's when I ask for her services to tour the houses. I know what I want to offer and she fills out the paperwork and does final negotiations. She splits her commission with me 50/50...offers me a gift card of my choise to Home Depot, etc for that. She approached me with the offer to split her commission...she says I do so much volume and am easy to work with. She saves me about $16K a year. I will never even consider another agent because I believe she's met me more than halfway. Prior to her approaching me (she's an investor too besides an agent), I had asked about 6 agents (3 I did several transactions with) to discount their fees to me in exchange for me only using them on every transaction. 4 said no, 2 were willing to. Bottom line, my agent, who by the way, not only gives me a discount back, but is the best, most aggressive agent I have ever worked with and has the best service hands down I have ever experienced, now gets all my business and all my business I've referred her to other investors. She is having a record year while many others are not getting by.

Applause to Paul!

One of the skills realtors must possess is the ability to negotiate WITHOUT angering people. It 's love to be a fly on the wall during the negotiations between C and his prospective seller.

C,
If all we did was "write it up". That would be great. After we "write it up" is where our work begins. There are inspections, more negotiations after inspections etc. What if the sellers where not disclosing items they should have disclosed? Do you know what your rights are and what to do next? If my name is on the contract as the agent that wrote it up...so is my reputation.

Intelligence and common sense do not come hand in hand. Manners also are less common in todays world. Realtors are starving because they are scared to stand up to clients like you who always declare they know better.
I am very busy because I am not scared to advise a client of their mis -conceptions.

So C I and the Trulia world would like you to re-read your question and ask your self are you truly intelligent,?
You need a service from a realtor in order to complete your transaction, so you can't be that smart or is it you don't know how or don't have the time. Either way you have to ask yourself is completing the transaction succesfully saving you time an money worth $9,000. Is your time worth $9,000. I take it you would not go up to a lawyer or surgeon when you have a serious legal or medical matter and approach them in this way, so I conclude you think Realtors are overpaid and basically not worthy.
My advice, you obviously have no people skills and a need to buy a home, I suggest being so smart that you take your Realtor license and represent yourself. Maybe then you will get a better appreciation of the profession and our value.

If you want to ask a question like this again at least man up an put your full name.

In California the seller pays the commission. It is also illegal to kick back a commission to an unlicensed person.

Your or the buyers agent does more than just write an offer in a few minutes. There is quite a bit of liability involved. And then there is the negotiaton of the offer, inspections, appraisal, negotiation of repairs and going throught the entire transaction.

Remember you do pay for what your get. I am not sure I would want an experienced and starving agent representing me. Good luck.

As a realtor and as I read this question I consider the following as I ponder an insightful answer....a realtor today must subscribe to many different and expensive services that become part of the service package he/she offers clients....much of a realtors time is spent supplying information, and meaningful research to prospective customers who in the end may or may not puchase from that realtor. Buyers [oftentimes] are not generally bound by contract as listing agents and don't always feel the need to express their loyalty by rewarding hard work, excellence, and persistence with a home purchase. I personally believe in "leading with a giving hand" to help my loyal clients find the house they are looking for....it becomes very difficult to maintain that spirit when met with disloyalty. It's also important to note that the 3% as described above is not always 3% and in fact is negotiated by the listing agent and his client. Often these days commission is reduced to 2.5% for which a buyer's agent has no say. I haven't yet mentioned the ongoing training and study that is required by most professional agents so they stay up to speed with the market , conditions, legal aspects, contracts and liabiltiy avoidance techniques. When a contract goes bad it can and sometimes does go very bad with potentially very expensive repercussions for buyers or sellers. It's easy for clients like the person asking the question above to dismiss the time & money investment all realtors make in their craft and assume that the product/serice delivered has little value and should be discounted. The fact is a good realtor who is empowered to do his job professionally will likely consult with his client so he clearly understands whats important, negotiate price and terms that more than offset the miniscule fractional commission suggested above, and handle the vouminous details of a transaction safeguarding his clients legal well being. Consider the impact to any professional in any field when he/she is devalued emotionally, spiritually, and functionally while charged with representing the best interests of his/her client. A good axium: "You get what you pay for". holds true for the question above. In my view a client can achieve more by respecting an agent's profession by paying the standard fare and maintaining a very high level of expection for the eventual outcome of the transaction. I want my winning team at their very best and that requires coaching and management excellence. Joe Parsons

I don't know about the rest of you but I have never written an offer within 5 to 15 minutes. It is usually takes 3 to 4 hours depending upon the questions my buyers ask, including buyers who have previously purchased a home.

My pastor always says that many are very smart in some areas but definitely a fool at everything else and I'm sorry to say that I believe you fit the second category if you think any agent would be dumb enough to hand you over their commissions for any work involved with showing you properties. Would you ask a surgeon to give you back a portion of his fee if he finished surgery on you earlier than he expected? Don't expect any credits! Besides for someone as smart as you, you should already know that the BUYER AGENTS FEES ARE PAID FOR BY THE SELLER, NOT YOU!

Why would you ask someone for help and to sacrafice thier saturdays driving you around and then ask for thier money??? A good real estate agent will not take your offer. If you are so smart why dont you drive your self around?? We work way too hard for people to down grade our service. Any agent working with you is a sucker.

A serious incentive to a "starving" agent would be to offer non-contingent cash payment in advance for the hours worked. You could offer the consultant an hourly rate paid daily, with no contingency as to whether you ever purchased or closed escrow or not. You pay the hungry agent on the spot, every day you are taken out.

In exchange for the cash guarantee to the agent that you will not waste his /her time on unproductive showings, and lowball offers that have no hope of succeeding, you may be able to negotiate (in advance) some rebate at the close of escrow. The pay as you go system should be continued all the way through the offer, the counter, the escrow, inspections, etc. Have the agent keep track of all of their billable hours.

Because the agent will have liability, they can't just abandon you after you have chosen a house, they do have to turn in a completed file in order to get paid and to give you your rebate. However if you understand everything about real estate, the hand holding should be minimal.
As you are aware, for agents working on contingent compensation, the successful sales have to defray the lost time and expenditures of the unsuccessful outings, offers, and failed escrows. If you guarantee to insure the agent against the downside of the contingency compensation model, then it is logical that you can request to be rewarded for providing that guarantee.

It is possible that there are agents working in your area who would be willing to charge by the billable hour. Many agents who offer service by the billable hour are knowledgeable experts, I would not be surprised if you were quoted a fee as high as $315 per hour for some of the services.

As knowledgeable as you must be about all things real estate, it appears that you are not so knowledgeable about human nature. The agents who took offense at your suggestion did so because they inferred that you devalued their economic worth. When you ask for assistance from people, it would be wiser to praise them as you do so rather than denigrate them.

C says:
You'll have 5-15 minutes in "writing" up a contract that I will sign. What exactly is the stress and risk for you there?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So nothing can go wrong after the contract is written?

Hello C,
In my area northern CA the seller pays the commission not the buyer. Why would you want your agent to discount their fees? It has taken me over 23 years of education and more education to have the knowledge to make sure my buyers are best represented without liabilities. I would like to know how buyers and also sellers would feel if their employers decided to discount their salaries now and then. Maybe you should sit down with a good agent and find out what we really do to protect our buyers with every purchase. Which by the way is one of the biggest investments you will ever make. I know I deserve my pay and I have many past customers that would agree with me.

Ute wrote:
The starving agent is most likely on a 50/50 split with his broker. So lets see, if his broker agrees to the 1.5% commission, that will leave 0.75% for the starving agent. That's $2,225 and then he probably will be dinged for E&O insurance and a few other broker fees, which may leave him/her with maybe $2,000. Now lets see, starving agent get $2,000 and you get $4,500 for doing what exactly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget TAXES! :)

You appear to be the kind of peson Realtors/fellow humans with a conscience do not like to be around. What you are requesting sounds like you do not understand the years it takes for a person to understand a market.
The option with giving the commission back appears to be unethical and may be illegal in some states.

You may be intelligent, but your means and methods does not conform with ethical behavior.

Hi C. So you are intelligent enough to understand all the legalities of a real estate transaction, but you need our help to find a starving agent??? That's interesting. When you find one, you'll have to remember that the starving agent will have to check with his broker before he agrees to your proposal because otherwise the poor lad may end up working for you for free. Then again, you are not looking for a smart agent, you are just looking for a starving agent. The starving agent is most likely on a 50/50 split with his broker. So lets see, if his broker agrees to the 1.5% commission, that will leave 0.75% for the starving agent. That's $2,225 and then he probably will be dinged for E&O insurance and a few other broker fees, which may leave him/her with maybe $2,000. Now lets see, starving agent get $2,000 and you get $4,500 for doing what exactly. I think you are the one who is overpaid.

You want someone to look after your money "as if it were your own"? Then you want a Buyer Representative. A discount realtor? Would you buy a discount fire extinguisher? a discount life jacket? A discount heart surgeon?

Honestly, take a look at the dollars you are trying to save and then take a look at your long term benefits for the expertise in buying a property.

You buy a car and expect to make money years later? I think not. Money down the drain. Real estate expertise is a win win. If it were that easy to be in the business then wahy pose a question to discount the expertise of someone who would "work for you".

When the "times say" real estate is down...it IS the time to buy. Hire a competent buyer, treat them like YOU would want to be treated for working in YOUR best interests. Good ones won't waste your time showing you everything, but only showing you the best of investments. It makes it look easy.

Who is going to do your CMA? who is going to recommend inspectors,mold inspectors, advise & counsel?
The seller generally pays the fees so why are you trying you deprive the person who is loyal to help you get the best property for the lowest and best price in making a living to support thier family?

Would you discount your job?

Mr. C:
On the hook is the correct terminology; and if you really knew as much as you say you do, you would realize that having a license to do anything - M.D., RN, CPA, and yes Real Estate Agent - means that you are culpable and responsible to any client you represent.

Just as an MD or RN has the hippocratic oath to a patient, an agent has a fiduciary responsibility to the client. This means that an agent will do everything within the boundary of his/her license to ensure a clean sale.

This is not measured in a "per hour" basis because just like the MD or RN the agent is on call 24/7 to the client - and yes, the client does take those hours to heart. At the end of the day - the agent gets cut out of the deal, or the deal falls through, or the buyer gets feels as you do that the agent hasn't put in "enough time" to warrant a percentage that great....

One good reason for this is because a good agent makes sure the details are taken care of. I cannot tell you the countless times I have watched my colleagues making call after call to "straighten" out situations that inevitably arise from a property sale.

Yet, their client is never privy or even aware that it took that much time . You are talking about 10 hours? 10 hours is just the tip of the iceberg.

I feel for someone like you with your cynicism and degrading comments. Yes, I am insulted. And I hope that whatever you do for a living - someone comes along and treats you with the same disrespect so you will see it in all it colorful splendor.

Rebates are prohibited by law in many states. I am not familiar w/ Idaho and am unaware of the laws and regulations there. If prohibited by law, no buyer agent can give you payment at closing.

Here is the challenge that you will find in your search. A buyer agent has a fiduciary responsibility to look out for their client’s best interest. Therein lies two difficulties. 1) It seems that you don’t want or value the skill, advice, or expertise that a good buyer agent will bring to the table. So, even if an agent tried to share valuable advice, perhaps you would not hear it. 2) A good buyer agent will not want to impart their full value for a cut-rate fee, and doing less would be a violation of fiduciary duty. A good buyer agent will opt to spend their Sat. morning with a buyer who will respect and value them. The buyer agent would prefer to spend their time earning full commission for a job well done, and that will be more than 8-10 hours. Realtors choose their profession with the expectation and hope of job satisfaction. Realistically, why would a great Realtor want to spend time with someone who had little respect for them and earn less money? Personally, I like working with people who appreciate my efforts, skill and knowledge.

Providing rebates are legal in Idaho, you still might find a Realtor who will agree to your terms you seek. I know better how to guide someone to choose a good buyer agent. As far as your request, I guess it is just a numbers game. If you ask enough agents, you most likely will find a willing candidate.

It's pretty hard to get someone to work for you in a trusting relationship, then grind them into the ground. I am not a realtor, but if I were, I would run for the hills.

Anyone you hire in this descrption and scenario, you would well derserve.

A starving Realor is who you want for representation? Well, I'm sure you'll find one. Desperate/nonproductive agents are a dime a dozen. On to the question of how to best exploit said agent's desperation for business. How about this? If you are fully confident in the time you will require, and that escrow will be smooth and worry free, put your money where your mouth is and pay the agent the1.5% of your target price up front, and request he apply the fee he would have received from the seller towards closing costs, rate buydown, whatever. You are asking the agent to reduce his/her fee by 50% based on your word that it will be short work. That's quite a gamble for the agent. Would you be willing to assume the risk?

Hey Brian. Thanks for the reply. Being "on the hook" for putting a transaction together??? You'll have 5-15 minutes in "writing" up a contract that I will sign. What exactly is the stress and risk for you there? If you assume at the most 10 hrs of work on the entire transaction, with a purchase price of $300,000. Your cut will be approx. 70% of $9,000 which is $6300. Divide that by 2 and you have $3150. Divide that by 10 hrs of work and you'll have $315/hour. Does anyone work for this "small" of a wage anymore??? :)

Seriously, C. There are a lot of discount brokers and you really can just go online and find them very easily. Of all the people, you should know that.

The only thing is to make sure you are not one of the ones I met who are desperate to switch to a different Realtor and can't; because they signed up with the wrong one and are not getting the right advise.

Just make sure they are not one of the Foxtons

http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Selling/Expired_listing_do…

Best,
Sylvia

C,

I understood your quandry. My responses were sincere an applicable to your circumstance. If you were a Realtor, there would be no pressure from the listing agent and you gain access to the properties. You may even be able to get your license within a month.

C,

That's a tough one because I can see your point of view. If all an agent has to do is unlock doors and write a contract for you then it doesn't seem like you need should have to pay someone that much. I believe in making every situation a win-win. If you can show me how it's a win for me to give up half whatever commission is offered (keep in mind that all commission rates are negotiable and 3% is not necessarily what's being offered to the selling agent) and still be on the hook legally for putting the transaction together I'd be happy to talk with you. Give me a call it will at least make for a good conversation 208.407.3265.

Great answer. Typical realtor response. As I stated, I need access to the properties. One person who will take several hours and show me the properties I tell them I want to see.I know a listing realtor is going to give me the run around or spend all their time trying to get me to use them as my agent.

I forgot. Get rid of the middleman and just go for your RE license.

C,

Why not just ask your local realtors? In fact, why not just do your own search? You know what you're looking for, right? Why would you need a guide since you're doing everything else?