Page 16 - How To Buy A Home with Cat Stevens RVG

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Buyer Agents and Their Services

Buyer agents?! Why would a buyer need an agent? You just said I can find the houses I want to see online!

Of course you can look at houses online! That’s not The seller’s agent only works for the seller’s best
why you need an agent. Now is a good time to talk interest in negotiations. A seller’s agent has to tell
about what a Buyer’s Agent does. the seller everything they know about you, and your
finances, and your motivation for buying. As your
I have found that some buyers are unaware of the buyer’s agent, I am not allowed to tell anyone. If
services their Realtor® should provide, and what laws the seller doesn’t have an agent and is selling their
and procedures apply to buying a home. If nobody’s house “by owner,” then they are really not working
told you yet, I will. for your best interest in negotiations. Be careful.

Your realtor has a fiduciary responsibility to give you
loyalty, honesty, fairness, and confidentiality of your
buying motivation and finances, and an obligation to
work for your best interest at all times. Even though
they legally represent you in the transaction, you can
talk to your realtor about having the seller pay their
commission as part of the sales price of the house.

Remember, I work for you. The seller’s agent is the
one with the sign in the yard. Therefore, if you see a
sign in the yard of a house you like, be sure to call me
directly to find out how much it is and to set an ap-
pointment. Because of “procuring cause” laws, if you
call the seller or seller’s agent directly, you could lose
your right to representation. I compare this situation
to a courtroom: if you are the defendant, do you
really want to share an attorney with the plaintiff?

Similarly, when you go to an open house, tell the
agent on duty that you are already working with a
Realtor®, and be careful not to say anything that
could hurt you in negotiations, like, “Oh, this is the
perfect house, when can we move in?”

Keller Williams Realty Consultants - How to Buy a Home in Southern Indiana 14