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Are You Selling
As your agents, we'll be your strong advocate
during negotiation and we'll provide you with all the advice you'll need to make
well informed decisions.
Marketing your property and finding just the
right buyer is one of our primary services. Our role is many fold: we assist you
in determining the market value of your property by preparing a thorough
comparative market analysis; we develop a unique marketing plan which we
implement once the property is listed; when that right buyer is found, we act as
your advocates in negotiating on your behalf, providing you with advice and
assisting in completion of the necessary due diligence and closing the contract.
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Seller's Agent
A seller's agent, or listing
agent, is a real estate agent who is employed by and represents only the
seller in a transaction. Their job is to find a buyer and negotiate the
best (highest) price and most favorable terms at which to sell their client's
property. However, seller's agents can also help buyers by:
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Assisting in the
house-hunting process
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Explaining available
financing options
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Calculating monthly payments
and estimated settlement costs
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Identifying appropriate
properties to view
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Disclosing material facts
about the property that you are interested in
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Writing up and presenting
your offer at the price and terms you specify
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Buyer's Agent
A buyer's agent is a real
estate agent who is employed by and represents only you, the buyer, in a
transaction. Although they work exclusively for the buyer, their
compensation can be paid in a number of ways - by the buyer exclusively, the
seller exclusively, or (most commonly) through a commission split with the
seller's agent. Even if the seller or the seller's agent pays their fee,
buyer's agents must always remain loyal to the buyer. Buyer's agents can
provide a number of services for you including:
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Helping you determine how
much you can afford to spend on a home
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Explaining available
financing options
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Informing you of current real
estate values, taxes, utility costs and other factors that will influence
your opinion about a property
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Using the Multiple Listing
Service to locate homes that suit your needs
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Selecting appropriate
properties to view
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Revealing any information
about a seller or property which may affect your purchase decision
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Advising you on your offer
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Presenting your offer to the
sellers, and negotiating for the most favorable price and terms
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Helping you to evaluate
counteroffers
Although buyer's agents are the
only agents who act solely with your interests in mind, there are other real
estate professionals who can assist you in finding and buying a home.
These consumer alternatives are discussed below.
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Broker's Agent
The broker's agent works for
the buyer's agent and, like the buyer's agent, for you. You are not,
however, responsible for their conduct. A broker's agent is hired by the
buyer's agent and they typically split the buyer agent's commission on the
purchase.
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Subagent
Like the seller's agent, the
subagent works for the seller. Subagents are typically hired by the
seller's agent, and are usually paid through a commission split with them.
Subagents can provide you with the same services that a seller's agent can,
but they ultimately represent the seller when it comes to negotiating an
offer.
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Dual Agent
A dual agent is a real estate
agent who represents both the seller and the buyer with the knowledge and
written consent of both. Ultimately, dual agents work to sell homes, but
they cannot give either you or the seller their undivided loyalty or disclose
confidential information that either you or the seller has told them.
They operate under a duty of fairness to both clients, rather than the duty of
undivided loyalty to either of them.
Dual agency occurs when the
office or firm that is helping you find a home has a listing that you are
interested in. Even if the seller is working with a different associate
from the firm, it is still considered dual agency.
In the situation of dual
agency, the agents cannot share without permission what price you would pay
for a property, or what price a seller is willing to accept. For you to
buy one of the firm's listings, consent to the dual agency must be obtained or
only one consumer can remain a client of the firm. Consent to dual
agency may include agreement by you and the seller to each identify a
"designated agent" within the firm to represent each of your interests
individually. However, the basic goals stay the same - the buyer wants
to buy, the seller wants to sell, and the agents want to finalize the
transaction on mutually agreeable terms.
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