We found this past weekend’s New York Times article, You Don’t Have To Pay It, very interesting reading. It was a piece on whether it makes sense to pay a 6% commission to your real estate agent in today’s market. In the article, there are sellers, buyers and even agents debating what is the right number that should be charged to assist a consumer in completing a real estate transaction. We would like to add our two cents to the debate.
Forget what the actual amount of the commission is. The bigger question is whether you should pay a ‘full fee’ when hiring a real estate expert to guide you through the complexities of today’s rapidly changing housing environment.
If a full fee was the rule in 2006 when completing a deal was so much simpler, why would you now consider cutting the fee of your agent in today’s tumultuous market? You are depending on this person to help you reach your goals in a sale or purchase. In 2006, buyers were willing to pay almost anything to a seller just to get into a home. Banking entities seemed to be willing to mortgage any property for any buyer. The process was rather simple.
Today, a person looking to buy or sell should be willing to pay a full fee for two reasons:
You need an expert guide if you are traveling a dangerous path
The field of real estate is loaded with land mines. You need a true expert to guide you through the dangerous pitfalls that currently exist. Finding a buyer willing to pay fair market value for your home at a time that there are mass inventories of foreclosures and short sales will take a true real estate professional. Finding reasonable financing can also be tricky in today’s lending environment.Experts in any profession, do not discount their fees; especially when the job is becoming much more difficult.
You need a skilled negotiator
In today’s market, hiring a talented negotiator could save you thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of dollars. Each step of the way – from the original offer, to the possible re-negotiation of that off after a home inspection, to the possible cancellation of the deal based on a troubled appraisal – you need someone who can keep the deal together until it closes.When an agent is negotiating their commission with you, they are negotiating their own salary. The salary that keeps a roof over their family’s head. A salary that puts food on their family’s table. If they are quick to take less when negotiating for themselves and their families, what makes you think they will not act the same way when negotiating for you and your family? If they were Clark Kent when negotiating with you, they will not turn into Superman when negotiating with the buyer or seller in your deal.
