Services a Buyer's Agent Can Provide

Not every valuable service must cost an arm and a leg. The old saying "the best things in life are free" can be applied to home buyers  who hire a REALTOR^®to represent them, which is possible in South Carolina. In a traditional home sale, it is the Seller who pays the commission, which is then divided among the various sales professionals involved in the transaction. As a buyer, you don’t have to pay a commission to receive advice from an experienced real estate professional. You can get many
valuable,  free services from your REALTOR^®, including:
1)       Loan pre-qualification that saves you time;
2)       Guidance in obtaining the best mortgage terms;
3)       Assistance in determining your needs and buying criteria for a home;
4)       Identification of suitable homes for you and your family;
5)       Experienced advice during contract negotiations;
6)       Implementation of an efficient contract-to-closing program to make sure the contract is completed successfully; and
7)       Representation of your buyer’s interests during the transaction.

One common misconception is that new home builders or sellers of existing homes will give buyers a "better deal" if there is no buyer's  agent involved. In most cases this is not the case. In existing homes, the commission has already been negotiated between the seller and the listing agent, and it is not going to change depending on whether the buyer comes represented by an agent or not. In new home construction, the commission has been built into the "transaction costs" by a department in head office which generally is not the sales department, so the "deals" are independent of the commission payable. Many new home builders PREFER that a buyer comes represented by an agent, because this reduces their potential liability if problems arise in the future.  Buyer's agents can usually get a "better than average"
deal for their clients, since they are better aware of prevailing market conditions. Whether you are a first-time or an experienced home buyer, you can benefit from the expert market advice and the thorough transaction knowledge that your REALTOR ^® can provide. After all, it is our business to sell homes, and we do it every day!