Lower commissions for agents?
As discussed on Business Week’s Blog and Inman News (account required) comissions for real estate agents are likely to continue their downward trends due the ever growing number of full-service brokers and discount brokers offering reduced rate services.
This is great news for consumers IMHO, and I’m not the only one as Redfin also threw in their support for the idea of a broker offering performance based services, where they get an increased fee based on the actual selling price of the house over a certain amount (such as the appraisal value, or perhaps a zestimate from Zillow).
April 25th, 2006 at 7:45 pm
Performance-based pay could also result in higher fees, if the agent was able to market the property for a premium price. The point is that agents who deserve higher fees should be able to earn those fees too, but that commissions shouldn’t be an entitlement, regardless of agent performance.
April 27th, 2006 at 9:06 am
Exactly, if an agent really can help an owner get a premium price then there is obviously a significant value to that.
June 7th, 2006 at 11:11 am
Agents don’t have much control over selling prices–buyers determine the value of a home. But, the more traffic an agent can generate; the better chance of obtaining multiple offers, which can push the price up if the agent is a good negotiator. Getting an offer is only part of an agent’s job. Until a sale closes, nobody gets paid. An experienced full-service agent stays on top of the details and communicates with all parties involved throughout the process so the seller can have a smooth, stress-free transaction. A great agent who has many happy past clients is worth 6%. A bad agent who only works part-time, doesn’t know what they are doing or who is desperate and will work for 1 or 2% can cost the seller much more than a few percent on the sales price. For example, a bad agent will over price a property so it sits on the market, cause delays in escrow so it doesn’t close on time, process paperwork incorrectly that could cause future problems, etc.
The old saying is true regarding commissions like any product or service: You get what you pay for.