need agent to look at houses? (for sale, real estate, lawyer)

[northa]

Is it ever possible to look at some houses for sale without getting involved with any agents initially?

[BarbaraMN]

Certainly! Open houses are the obvious option but you can also call the selling agent directly to schedule a showing.

[Ben Around]

I sold my last house without listing it. I had a prospective buyer's agent call to make an appointment to look at it (they saw my sign in the yard). I told the agent to send the prospective buyer over, but not to join him if he was planning on getting commission from me!

[northa]

Thank you for the info. I have another question.

If you go to an open house or call the seller's agent to schedule a showing, what are you getting yourself into in terms of business obligations to the listing agent/seller's agent when you actually buy the house?

[nick is rulz]

Ive looked at houses and flat out told agents to not bother calling me because they'll hear from me first if Im interested. I usually repeat that and tell them that calling me first is a guarantee I will not use their service. They have never harassed me when Im blunt about it.

[rmorton]

Originally Posted by northa

Is it ever possible to look at some houses for sale without getting involved with any agents initially?

Yes you can but its not a good idea. Do you go to court in the morning and then talk to your lawyer the next day...nuff said..

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by rmorton

Yes you can but its not a good idea. Do you go to court in the morning and then talk to your lawyer the next day...nuff said..

You're a real estate agent, so obviously your opinion is biased.

Plenty of people buy and sell homes, let alone just looking at them, without the help of an agent.

[nick is rulz]

half the time the agent is like "uhh now this property has uhhh..." *checks notes* "wonderful shingles" so its not like they're a valueable asset to the window shopping experience.

[Haver]

I'm still trying to figure what I want in a home and where I want to live, so I've been going to open houses without agents for a while -- why waste their time if you don't know what you want? I'll get an agent when I have a general idea of where I'll be going. Its also been a good opportunity to ask the showing agents questions about the area and various housing options, and perform a "first cut" on who I want to interview when its finally time to buy. (for example, the guy who forgot to put his name on the flyer and never updated the MLS with the new price, or the lady who never got up from the table ... no call backs for you!). I tell them up front that I'm still exploring options and won't be formally looking until fall.

Am I exposing myself to anything if I later decide to buy a place I first saw at an open house? I think I've read somewhere that it affects the buying agent's commission and they'd be looking at me to make up the difference, but I'm all fuzzy on all that.

[northa]

Thank you for your replies.
I have nothing against the agent system. My problem is that I can't find one (exclusive buyer agent) who is right for us at this time and I've already done many hours of homework to know which houses we want to see right now.