so my real estate agent pissed me off...

[teamdonkey]

for the second time. At this point i'm not sure why i'm allowing her to make 5 grand off of the purchase of our home. It's still under construction and won't be done for a few weeks, so nothing is final yet. Last week another agent offered to try and get a better deal for me + pay for the appraisal costs (about $400 i think), but i said no because i'd feel guilty after our present agent spent some time helping us find the right place. After today i could care less.

I'm wondering, if i switch agents, can i negotiate with them for a part of the 3% buying agent's fee? Like tell the guy i'll switch to him if he gives a quarter of that back to me or something.

I'm also wondering if I need a real estate agent at all. Maybe work directly with the company building/selling the place and drop that 3% off the purchase price.

This will be my first house and I'm still not sure about a lot of the ins and outs, would appreciate any advice.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

I think you could definitely try to negotiate with the new guy for a cut of his 3%. I think they're somewhat open to this kind of thing in the right spot. It seems like it's 'easy' money for him - you're already sold on the house and he doesn't have to spend any time showing you anything else. I wouldn't go it alone, though, there are plenty of other things they do for you besides show you a bunch of houses.

[mason55]

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After today i could care less.

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So you still care? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[Durs522]

What state are you in? Is the real estate agent working as a buyer's agent or a seller's agent?

[teamdonkey]

Oregon... the real estate agent is working as a buyer's agent.

[handsome]

In NYS, before they begin to show you houses, real estate agents make you sign an agreement that basically says, "If you decide to take any house we show you, you pay the agreed upon commission. If you decide to try to backstab us by using another brokerage or going directly to the management company, we can sue your ass for our commission."

If you didn't sign that, it's just a matter of ethics. Also, getting a kickback from the potential "new" agent is illegal (just an fyi).

[Hiding]

kickback is illegal, in all but a few states(unless you are a realtor, rules change then). But, I bought my house directly from the builder, and instead of kickbacks/deductions, they covered all closing costs(except a few the law wouldn't allow, flood cert apprasial, a few others) and bought down my interest rate.

[juanez]

I have my Real Estate license and have bought/sold dozens of homes. Why are you so pissed at this agent?

[teamdonkey]

[ QUOTE ]
I have my Real Estate license and have bought/sold dozens of homes. Why are you so pissed at this agent?

[/ QUOTE ]

Two separate incidents:
1. When we decided on this house, it was already halfway built, with no plans for air conditioning to be included. We asked our agent to see if we could get it put in as an extra option. She said she'd get back to us, and the next day said no, it wasn't possible. When my wife called the selling agent she found out it was possible, and not even a big deal... if we wanted it, they'd put it in.

2. The house was advertised to have a "stand-up shower in master bath w/glass enclosure". The bathroom is done, and it's just a regular tub. When my wife talked to the agent about this, she tried to convince her this was actually what the tub was (you can still stand up in a tub, right?), and either way what is there is what is in the paperwork so we can't change it. A call to the selling agent again gives us a different story... she looks at it, says they screwed up, and will get back with us Monday after talking with her boss. She didn't think it would be a problem to get the correct unit put in.

I can't really figure either of these out. Either she figures the commission is hers and she doesn't have to put any extra work into it now, or she's too timid to enter a situation where there might be a confrontation. Either way she's representing our interests very poorly.

I didn't know commission kickbacks were illegal, thanks for the heads up. The other agent works for the same company as our mortgage broker so maybe we can arrange for them to pay a portion of the closing costs instead.

[sleepyjoeyt]

This definitely varies state to state.

When I bought my house I heard about it being on the market through a mutual friend. I had been contacted by an agency that offers 20% of their commission back to you - nothing hidden about this offer. I wrote down that agent's name at the open house, then called her and told her. Called her with our offer and she submitted it for us, etc.

About 3 weeks after our closing I got a check from her company for about $1600.

I probably wouldn't do this from the position that your in (already involved with an agent) but something to consider for next time.