M.christo

As a (potential) buyer, I have to say I have wondered why agents don't change the pricing structure, particularly in an environment where short sales abound (require a lot more work and time to close, and often fall through).

It would seem reasonable to charge up front fees for showing houses (particularly with gas going towards $5/gallon), at a minimum, and I think they ought to get a bonus if a particularly hard sale (like a short) goes through.

Although I'm fairly open to paying fees for work done, I'm reluctant to pay an upfront fee because of our current situation with our realtor.

We signed a buyers agreement up front, and now that we're trying to get a short sale, I'm finding he doesn't want to invest ANY work in the deal because he (correctly) perceives a relatively low chance of success. (He has not made ONE phone call to the listing agent to follow up--he faxed the offer and feels like he's done.) I would dump this guy in a heartbeat if I could, but at the moment it would be difficult.

It seems like the major limiting factor is if you are the one agent in the area trying to "buck" the present pricing structure, you will starve. It would have to happen at a higher level, but then that opens the NAR and others to antitrust charges (witness the recent FTC decision). - Sat Jun 14 2008, 08:09

Well, if what they are saying is, "inspect the property, and if you don't like what you find then the deal is off cause we won't fix it", fine. But, if what they are saying is, "inspect if you want, but regardless you are locked into this deal and if you find lead paint on the walls and asbestos in the attic, tough luck you're stuck" I would run for the hills...Just a fellow home shopper's opinion... - Sat Jun 7 2008, 10:38

Do not allow yourself to be pushed into buying a home without an inspection (done by a reputable agent of your choosing, NOT the seller's). Period. - Sat Jun 7 2008, 10:05

Quick comment from a non-professional...when we sold our house 3 yrs ago, we went with the wife of one of my husband's good friends. Wow. Big mistake. She was new in the industry, and we wanted to help her out. Unfortunately, she was part time. Which means that if a buyer's agent called, she couldn't call them back right away or handle things for us. And, when it became apparent she really didn't know what she was doing, it was too late to switch realtors (contract), so we had to try to step in and try to "help" things along (you know, make up our own "color" flyers, bring cookies for the open house, that kind of thing) which really stressed the relationship. We don't talk too much anymore...So, I would listen to the good advice posted below--get somebody who's not a newbie, who's got connections and a track-record, and interview at least 3 agents... - Fri Jun 6 2008, 19:59

Thanks, Erin! Let me clarify: we've decided we want a pool. (In fact, that's one of the things that has tipped us over to buying versus continuing to rent.) So, we are only looking at houses with pools (there aren't enough of them--bummer). But, when trying to figure out what an appropriate offer on such a house is, most of the "comps" are sans pool. So, on average, for the 95835ish zip code area, I'm wondering if I go $140/sq foot ish (around the right # for the area we are looking in, 2500 to 3000 sq ft houses) and then add $30K or $10K or $50K or....You get the picture... - Tue Jun 3 2008, 20:57