Buyer's Agent Agreements: What states and how clients repsond?

[cynmkolohe]

Originally Posted by Roselvr

I've never called a listing agent. There was one time I thought I might have to but my agent was able to help me.

Again, just curious...if your agent is helping you by working with other listing agents to set up appointments and showing you property, do you not consider her to be your representative in your property search? Will you ask her for advice as to what price to offer if you decide to write up a contract? Is she researching the properties for you in any way other than telling you that they are listed?

I just want to clarify so as to find out more about how buyers are viewing the issue of agency in different states--I appreciate your responses!

[Roselvr]

Originally Posted by cynmkolohe

Again, just curious...if your agent is helping you by working with other listing agents to set up appointments and showing you property, do you not consider her to be your representative in your property search? Will you ask her for advice as to what price to offer if you decide to write up a contract?

Yes, she was calling to make sure we could get into the houses. While I was working with her, I did not sign anything as it was a courtesy since she listed my house. Had I bought a house I would let her negotiate as I thought she was more then capable of doing that as I've over-heard a few calls she took while we drove around. It was one reason I decided to list with her because of her negotiating skills.

We never got to pricing because the houses we walked were over priced to begin with and did not match what I wanted to buy. We did walk one house that was priced right and that was a match but had a pending on it.

Originally Posted by cynmkolohe

Is she researching the properties for you in any way other than telling you that they are listed?

I just want to clarify so as to find out more about how buyers are viewing the issue of agency in different states--I appreciate your responses!

She did not do leg-work. I did this myself. The houses we walked were ones I found online via the many sites I belong to. There were a few we found while driving in neighborhoods that we saw signs, she pulled over and called to find out info about them.

Had I bought something we walked, she would have been my agent. I had every intention of giving her the sale as she spent time with me. Hubby & I found a community we liked while I was with her, I immediatly gave them her card; as I did when I signed in at all communities hubby & I walked / found. The deal breaker on that community (we put a deposit on a lot) was the school system. The lot was beautiful; letting it go after 5 weeks of school research was hard to do.

After the contract for our house expired, I signed on with a local agency; she was not local to my house, (30 mins away) and my hubby & I felt that we had to list with a local agent. We ended up finding another new home community after signing with the new agency, this was not one I'd found while connected to her. Since our new sellers agent hasn't taken me out, I don't have an agent tied to me.

While I was working with her, I told her nothing was tying us to this county and gave her ideas of where we'd like to live. I also asked her if she knew of any new home communities, multiple times, yet she never came through. I was also willing to move towards her town, but nothing ever came of that.

Who knows, had she had me sign something, maybe she would have done more leg-work.

[Valerie C]

While I think that in some ways, it's good for consumers to do some searching for themselves, this issue does come up from time to time. You've signed up to get MLS information from many national sites, then say that she didn't do the legwork. Did she have the opportunity to do the leg-work? Did she not make available to you the same information that you were getting from 7 or 8 other sources? Even local independent companies have MLS search capabilities. I'm a little surprised that you didn't get the same redundant information on these various websites (which by the way are not updated nearly as often as a public access MLS such as Northern New England Real Estate Network - Official Website of the Northern New England MLS. How often were you checking these sites, and did you get automated emails from them? Did they offer up to date town/tax information on the homes? Were you able to find the days on market, if any offers had been accepted and fell through? Price reductions? Seller's motivation for moving? These things are all part of the leg-work that agents take care of, and that's even before an offer is made. The important stuff comes AFTER the initial offer, continues through negotiations, inspections, right up to closing escrow day.


In an earlier post, you said:
As a buyer myself, I do a lot of looking online. I am signed up at all of the major sites (realtor.com, ReMax, Caldwell Banker, Weichert, Prudential Fox & Roach, Yahoo; haven't gotten to MSN or C21 yet)

Originally Posted by Roselvr

She did not do leg-work. I did this myself. The houses we walked were ones I found online via the many sites I belong to. There were a few we found while driving in neighborhoods that we saw signs, she pulled over and called to find out info about them.

<snip>


Who knows, had she had me sign something, maybe she would have done more leg-work.