Amie

Would you like to be this seller? If you buy this home you will be someday. Do you want to be in this position? - Mon Aug 18 2008, 12:09

Most of the apartment complexes I have done business with have paid 50-100% of first month's rent. Other types of properties like duplexes and SFRs pay 30-50% on average. - Tue Aug 5 2008, 13:09

The listing agent generall does not get to keep the full 6%, they split that with the buyers agetn. Agents pay about 1% to their broker (average), about 1% towards taxes and licensing fees, then get to have 1% left on the table, which pays for their time, marketing (signs at $50, lockbox $90, flyers $100+, internet marketing, extra minutes on our cell phone taking your calls and agent calls, gas at $4/gallon, wear and tear on our vehicles, office overhead, plus I know there is stuff I am forgetting. At the end of the day I come home to 2 hungry children that think they need to eat as well!

Guess what? About 2% of the listing on the market within about 25 miles of downtown are foreclosures and it is going to get worse. We have over 6 months of inventory on the market and there will be more. Can you sell your house without a Realtor? Sure, but 80%+ of FSBOs end up listing with an agent. At this time of the market time is money because you are heading out of the buying season as well.

Now I am guess that with a home that we are assuming is worth $275K, you are either educated, lucky, or had a good agent that helped you find it. So do you think you are going to pocket the whole $16,500? 95 times out of 100 you will have a buyers agent that will bring a buyer and either you or the buyers will pay for that agent. The agent is going to do a market analysis of the property and tell them what it is worth and if they have to pay their agent, in the end it will still be you paying because they will just subtract that from the purchase price plus want a discount for you not using an agent.

Honestly, I have other Realtors that call me to assist them with finding or listing thier property if they are not local.

As parent to parent are you going to open your home to complete strangers with a child at home?

As a graduate of The University of Texas, I would like to know where you got your pricing because it cost me a lot more than that about 10 years ago. - Tue Aug 5 2008, 12:49