Study: Agent Commissions Slid Down Last Year
Massachusetts’ buy-side real estate agents are pocketing a smaller and smaller share of the state’s larger and larger home sale prices, a new study says.
What Buyers, Sellers Liked About Their Agents This Spring
Buying a house right now takes incredible patience, acumen and buying power, while selling invites equity questions for homeowners committed to fairness. Amid such intensity, how do real estate agents improve, or aggravate, today’s home-buying process for their clients?
Backups Contracts Work for Both Sides – Especially in This Market
In real estate, a house isn’t sold until the Fat Lady sings at the closing. Until then, the seller should keep their options open by accepting backup contracts.
Don’t Pass on the Home Inspection
Sellers who jump on offers from buyers waiving the opportunity to hire an independent home inspector may rue the day they did so.
Ownership Is Power, But at What Cost?
Some homebuyers, even those who absolutely adore their places, have “buyer’s remorse” – second thoughts about their purchase.
Is It Time to Stop Writing Buyer Love Letters?
A number of agents in recent months have become adamant that we should all stop our buyers from writing “love letters” to sellers because these letters often violate fair housing laws. I strongly disagree.
How to Win a Bidding War
A recent column about would-be homebuyers giving up because they keep losing bidding wars brought a flurry of responses: Readers want to know how they can become winners in this arena.
Redfin Starts Listing All Buyer’s Agent Commissions
In a move it’s billing as a boon to consumers, Redfin announced Monday that it’s publishing buyer’s agent commissions on over 700,000 home listings across the country, including in Massachusetts.
Three Lawsuits Could Shake Up Agents’ Fees
Depending on the outcome of three major lawsuits challenging commission structures in the real estate field, the way agents get paid could change – for the better, according to one seasoned observer.
Top Strategies for Being More Profitable in 2021
When it comes to profitability, most real estate professionals are focused on revenues or gross commissions. What many agents miss, however, is how they can be more profitable by working smarter.
Hidden Referral Fees Could Cost You
Most professions restrict the payment of referral fees. But they run rampant, and are somewhat controversial, in real estate.
How to Survive a Bidding War
Would-be buyers who venture forth over the next several months are likely to find the number of houses for sale so sparse that they’ll end up bidding against each other for the best properties.
How to Create a Video Tour
Buyers these days go online to discover what’s available. And with the pandemic still very much a concern, they tend to visit the houses they find appealing by taking a virtual tour rather than an in-person look-see.
Limit the Cost of the ‘Nibble’ in Negotiations
One of the costliest strategies during a negotiation is what is known as the “nibble.” Everyone knows that “nibbling” on a regular basis can result in a significant weight gain. Many buyers and sellers engage in the “nibble” as a negotiation strategy that can be extremely costly to the other party’s bottom line.
New Lawsuits Raise Question of Who Should Pay Homebuyer’s Agent
The long knives are out again for one of American real estate’s oldest and most controversial traditions: requiring home sellers to pay the agents who represent the buyers of their properties.
