Have you thought about a Buyer's Agent?

If you have been looking over the information and services offered on this site, you have probably realized our big theme: today's real estate market means people get more options. It's really the only way for an imperiled market to survive, and really real estate had to change anyway. Not many businesses have been conducted along the same lines for the last two centuries, change was inevitable!

One thing that is a lot different about today's real estate market is that people are really becoming educated as to what the real estate process is all about. The widespread availability of the Internet has allowed everyone to grasp what the market is all about, and has also awoken the public to the possibilities of change.

As such, traditional real estate is about to go the way of the dinosaurs. While there will always be some people looking for full service, standard realty, many more will be looking to save money by picking and choosing the services that they are interested in.

One of those services will be the use of agents who represent strictly the interests of the buyers. If you have bought a home before, it might come as a shock that the agent who assisted you wasn't really a buyer's agent. Technically, unless there is a specific agreement in place, all agents in a transaction represent the seller. They are looking to get the best price for the home.

That's not to say your showing agent ripped you off or was dishonest, because full disclosure is always a part of good real estate practice in any age. What it does mean, though, is that the agent's hands were likely tied in certain areas of the transaction. For example, she may not have been able to tell you the exact results of a home inspection which would have allowed you to further lowball your bid.

Well, one way to get around agents who work in the interests of the seller is to hire an agent who works specifically for you. Buyer's agents are becoming more and more common in the real estate world. They find homes through the MLS and then work to connect the right client with the right home. They are commonly ask a flat fee from buyers, and may or may not receive a commission on the home that is purchased. As time marches on, it is entirely possible that the majority of real estate professionals will be working as buyer's agents.