Save Money On Commissions!-Charlottesville, VA 10-10-11

Save Money On Commissions!-Charlottesville, VA
10-10-11

Sponsored by: Charlottesville 1st-Time Home Buyer

One of my wife's fellow teachers recently bought a home.

That alone wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

What really got her knickers in a bunch was she told my wife that the reason she didn't hire me was because she didn't want to pay for my services (commissions) as her Buyer Agent! She worked directly with the builder and his agent thinking she was saving money on commissions!

And of course, this colleague proceeded to have a little nutty rattling off all the terrible things that happened during, and after her home purchase, and how she felt "lied" to after the fact! She realized too late that she didn't save money on hiring an agent at all--instead, the listing agent simply got 100% of the commission and she felt, at times, pressured, almost like she was being taken advantage of by the builder.

Now my wife has, for all intents and purposes, been my partner in my real estate career, and she's seen all the changes over the years--changes mostly in the mounds of information readily available via the net.

She knows that:

1. Hiring me as Buyer Agent costs nothing extra. My clients don't have to write me a check at closing. My fee is paid out of the proceeds of the sale.

2. By not using me, the buyer has no representation and no one with their best interests at heart.

3. Buyers don't save money, they lose it--in this example the listing agent kept all of the commssion rather than splitting it with me (as most properties are listed in the MLS 50/50 split with cooperating broker). In fact, since the listing agent was expected to get best price for builder, buyer probably lost money by not letting me work through this transaction alongside her!

Sponsored by: Charlottesville 1st-Time Home Buyer

So, my wife wanted me to get this message out to buyers:

If you're serious about buying a home, yes, it's good to do extensive on-line research! It's important to spend as much time as you can previewing properties and reading up on local real estate trends and market condtions. Do your "homework"!

Get all your financing in place before you even go out and look at one property. You don't go to the store and start filling up your cart with merchandise, then get to the checkout and say "Oh, I need money?" No, this is really THE biggest step and easily the most important. Again, you can do a lot of this initial information gathering and research on-line, but do NOT try and engage an on-line lender. Use someone local that you can physically meet and touch! I have names and recommendations you can call and interview.

But, at some point you will have to hire an agent to carry you through the process to a successful close. Don't make the mistake of trying to go it alone in stubborn defiance of the system and think you're going to save thousands of dollars in commissions. It just won't happen, not in today's world.

Don't make the same mistake my wife's colleague did and live to regret it.

I'm here to help. I'm a Realtor. It's what I do.

Google me, Fulton Gaylord, to make sure I'm fully qualified and I'm a good fit.

Then call or e-mail and let's get the ball rolling!

Sponsored by: Charlottesville 1st-Time Home Buyer

 

Fulton Gaylord-Associate Broker, ABR, SRES, e-Pro
Certified REO Specialist, Registered HUD Agent
Keller Williams Realty
1885 Seminole Trail, Ste 100 Charlottesville, VA. 22901
Fulton@kw.com
434-220-2228