Do I need to hire an agent? - Zillow Real Estate Advice

You are delving into the biggest conundrum in real estate, the question so many buyers who find a property on their own ask, why use a realtor when I can save commission and apply it toward my final price.

And the answer is unsatisfactory. You may be right. But you be wrong. Thousands of dollars wrong. Why?

Because rarely, even in new construction, is the sale price fixed. So if the seller/builder is asking $200k, and he tells you his lowest is $190k,and then you beat 'em up, and you keep beating and he tells you $185k. And then you say but I'm not using a realtor, he's going to probably say, "that price is only because you have no buyer's agent.".

He may be right. But there is probably a good chance, confirmed by many of the better buyer's agents out there (at least in Chicago), that if you use a knowledgeable realtor, he/she may get you the same price, and then some (perks on finishes to home, move in dates, move in bonuses, financed goodies, etc.).

And since you've done a large swath of the difficult job a buyer's agent needs to deal with...househunting, sometimes for months on end, don't be bashful about asking for some kind of commission rebate. A lot of realtors get offended by this, but they/re idiots, and remain the only conundrum bigger than your dilemma, which is how a profession like real estate has prospered for so long when so many of it's members are Call Center Rejects.

Best of luck to you.

Seth

Source: http://www.zillow.com/advice-thread/Do-I-need-to-hire-an-agent/457004/

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