tsumorichisato

U don't need to pay anything to the realtor if you are the buyer. If you use a realtor to help you find your home, the privilege is they can view the listing on their realtor version of MLS 1 or 2 days ahead before the listing comes live on public version of MLS. Sometimes properties would do caravan and they would have the 1st hand information. But more often is those realtors are always on the road and they can see the sign (the sign always comes first!! cuz when the realtor gets the business from seller, the first thing they do is to put up a sign rather than finishing up the paper work). Regardless, I always use realtor who KNOWS the neighborhood, whether I am buying or selling....

tsumorichisato

that might be out of topic...even though u don't need to pay commission to realtor but don't forget you need to pay property transfer tax (that's not a small amount) when you are buying a property....

tsumorichisato

I am making the comments based on jenny's perspective. She is the buyer and looking for a house and she is wondering if she should find a realtor. Ok, I made the assumption based on her previsous posts..... I am just telling her what's difference between finding a good realtor or finding it by herself. I mean honestly I don't even use a regular realtor to find houses, most likely we ask the seller's realtor to represent us at the same time, that yields higher chance to get it....cuz obviously the realtor can possibly get the whole commission....but then you need the patience and luck to find the house you truly want. I am just saying if you do your homework, you don't even need the realtor, u can go directly to the seller's realtor. But if you are not knowing too much about neighborhood and stuff, you probably need a realtor based on the reasons I listed above.

And you are right. The seller has the absolute right to not put up a sign and can even list privately....I am saying AS IF there is a sign putting up, realtors of  the neighborhood are probably the ones seeing it before you do.

tsumorichisato

Yes, that's why i said this is the way we do...AS IF we already know exactly what we are buying...that's why I said ONLY IF you do the homework and know exactly what you are getting u can bypass an agent. And that's just my personal preference, I know people use their regular agents no matter what neighborhood they are buying into or even selling...but that's just not my personal perferences...And I NEVER MADE a single comment to Jenny that she should always use a listing agent instead of bypassing her own agent.

You have your valid points but I'm just sharing mine. I have used listing agents and have zero problem and at the end it's a pretty good deal too (we are the favourable side, not the seller)..so I agree there's a chance a listing agent is more favourable to the seller ,well it all comes down to the offers on the table and it's again case by case.  it's just 50/50 chance here...

A professional agent should be able to handle both sides fairly anyway, shouldn't be it or otherwise why the practice is even allowed...now it's just the matter if the agent is GOOD or BAD.

Come on, I am not trying to be a realtor expert here but like she put the question out I just try to put what i have been seeing and doing for the past years.

You guys are welcome to say about your experiences but don't make it sounds like I am lying or making false statements....