Did you know that the majority of real estate agents work for the seller?  That's great if you are trying to sell your home, but not so great when you want someone on your side helping you buy one.  Most people don't know the difference between a listing agent, a dual agent, and a buyer's agent.  Learning the difference can not only save you thousands of dollars, but it could also help you steer clear of pitfalls that you may not even be aware of.

To see how exclusive buyer's agency evolved, let's look at the history of real estate sales in this country.  Typically, when someone wanted to sell their house, they would call an agent who would advertise the property and first try to sell it to their buyer-clients (thus making twice the commission).  If that didn't work, the agent might let other agencies become aware of the listing, in hopes that another agent would sell it (half the commission is better than nothing).  If a buyer came to the company looking for help purchasing a house, the agent would first show him or her all of the agent's listings (again, twice the paycheck), then all of the company's listings (not generally twice the commission, but more than half).  If the buyer did not choose any of the in-house listings, then the listing agent would start showing other companies' listings. Buyers relied on their agent's advice on which property to buy, even though it is clear that the agent has a very high incentive to show and sell his or her company's listings above all others. 

Buyers began to realize that the typical way of buying real estate felt very one-sided, and not in their favor.  Sadly, since there were no other options, buyers have simply gone along with the system and accepted less representation than they wanted or deserved.  What kind of real estate agency would take no listings and only work for buyers?  What choice did they have?

Certainly, if you were buying millions of dollars worth of property every year, you could afford to have a broker working for you alone full-time. You could guarantee that your salaried broker is working for you and not the seller.  Do you think that major corporations rely on listing agents when they make muli-million dollar commercial investments?  Of course not.  They have the resources to hire their own real estate professionals and pay them directly, therefore ensuring their loyalty.   

Wouldn't you like to have the same loyal representation as the big corporations?  Residential buyers finally have a better choice.  The Buyer's Agent of Asheville listened to buyers' frustrations with the current system and decided to exclusively represent buyers.  At the Buyer's Agent, buyers truly come first, since they are our only clients.  We can provide honest feedback and advice to our clients, because our only incentive is to have truly satisfied buyers.  We eliminate the conflict of interest, so you always know you have an unbiased look at the market.

There truly is a better way to buy real estate.  Call Claire now to learn more.