Back To Blog

THE INESCAPABLE CONFLICT: BUYER AGENT COMPENSATION

THE INESCAPABLE CONFLICT: BUYER AGENT COMPENSATION

In the majority of real estate transactions in Vermont, buyer agents get compensated by the seller of the property. They normally receive 3% of the purchase price as a commission.

There is an inherent conflict in this system.

The role of an agent is to look out for the best interest of their client. In the case of a buyer of real estate, the agent is supposed to try to get the buyer the property they want at a price they can afford.

A serious problem arises however when the buyer and seller are close to agreeing to a price but because of the fees to the buyer's agent the two parties cannot finalize the transaction.

Assume for a moment that a buyer finds a home that he would like to purchase and that it is listed for sale at a price of $275,000. The buyer informs his agent that his budget does not allow him to spend more than $265,000 for this home.

Based upon his client's budget, the buyer's agent presents an offer of $265,000 to the seller. The seller informs the buyer's agent that the seller needs to net at least $259,000 from this transaction to cover all of their costs. The seller decides to reject the offer because after paying the buyer's agent a 3% commission, the seller will only be left with $257,050, which is not enough to cover their costs.

The seller suggests to the buyer's agent that the agent reduce his commission from $7,950 (3% of $265,000) to $6,000 so that the seller can realize a return of $259,000 and cover their costs.

What should the agent do in this scenario? If he adheres to his promise to look out for the best interest of his client, he will reduce his commission so that he fulfills his role of helping his client get the property he wants at a price he can afford.

However, there are very few, if any, agents in Vermont that currently believe that they should reduce their commission to help finalize the transaction. Most agents view their compensation as distinct from the transaction between their client and the seller and this is where the root of the problem lies.

The only way to eliminate this inherent conflict is for buyer agents to work for a flat fee. To our knowledge, we are the only brokerage firm in the State of Vermont representing buyers for a flat fee.

When we represent buyers, we receive $3,500 for our services. If our commission is more than $3,500, we refund the balance of the commission to our client.

For instance, if our client purchases a $300,000 home, we only keep $3,500 from the seller's commission and give the balance to our client. Thus, our client receives a $5,500 check from us at the time of closing.

Unlike most agents who receive higher compensation when their client purchases a more expensive home, our clients actually save more money when they purchase a more expensive home. This removes the inherent conflict and allows our clients to know that we are acting in their best interest and not our own.

Add Comment

Comments are moderated. Please be patient if your comment does not appear immediately. Thank you.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Comments

  1. Gaby on

    The beginning of the pesorcs is to see how much of a mortgage you can qualify for. Once you know this you can look at areas in your price range. This is a good time to get a real estate agent to get you a list of homes in the area of your choice and price. Real estate agents can sort through the hundreds of homes for sale and narrow it down to what you what to see. Agents will schedual times to view homes. Agents will give you detailed full features sheets of each home you view. Agents will do market valuations of homes to verify the market value. This will give you an atvantage when putting in your offer. Agents will write up the purchase agreement and present it to the owner/owners agent and negoitiate . Agents will followup on the conditions and make sure they are complete and removed on time. Agents will make arrnagements to have all documents delivered to laywer. Agents will make arrangements to get keys on possession day. And much more,