Find recomended Buyer Brokers OUTSIDE the United States
Find recomended Buyer Agents
IN
the United States
Evergreen, CO
80439 services@smarthomesearch.org 800-383-7188
Buyer agents are Specialists in Property
Searches,
Negotiations and Buyer Protection
In
some companies the broker/owner and all the agents in that office only
work with buyers and take no seller contracts or "listings".
This specialization is usually referred to as "exclusive buyer agency"
as defined by the National Association of
Exclusive Buyer Agents.
(See the Colorado
Exclusive Buyer Agents Association site for other information on
exclusive buyer agent companies, and the Massachusetts
Association of Buyer Agents for information on exclusive
and singel agent companies. Because exclusive buyer agent companies do not have listings, they do not have signed agreements to get the highest price and best terms for the seller, and therefore can be objective about the whole markeplace. Good buyer agent companies will concentrate their efforts on finding buyers exactly what they are looking for in an objective manner with no bias towards in-company listings that they may be more familiar with or -as in the case of a traditional agency--where they could potentially make twice as much money ("double-ending the deal"). An exclusive buyer agent company will only get paid if it finds the perfect property for it's buyer, whether it be a for-sale-by-owner, foreclosure, or not-yet-listed property.
In
some locations there are no EBA offices. The next best alternative is
to find a buyer agent within a traditional company who has a commitment
to objectively present all available properties that meet your
criteria. They should also disclose to you what they will do in the
case of an in-house conflict of interest--ie, a property listed
by their firm that meets your criteria. The firm already has
a
contract with the sellers to get the highest price and best terms for
that property. Follow this link to find out how
buyer agents get paid. How this situation is handled is
different from company to company, and is an important interview question.
We provide background information on the best buyer agents
in the US, free of charge. We try to warn you of the traps and pitfalls of buying a
home in a system controlled by the real estate community.
At this site, we use "Exclusive Buyer Agent-Broker/owner" to mean the broker/owner of an exclusive buyer agency company as defined by the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents. An exclusive buyer agent is a licensee who works within an exclusive buyer agent company.
We reserve the term "Buyer broker" to mean the traditional term of mediator--ie, an individual who will put together the seller and the buyer to make the trasaction happen, but not necessarily advocate for one side or the other. Most real estate brokers outside of the United States generally fit this definition more than the agent definition. Buyer brokers in these countries often are responsible for finding the property. Attorneys are are responsible for protecting the buyer. The buyer him/herself is responsible for determining the fair market value of the property, with or without the assistance of the buyer broker.
For more information on international buyer brokers and a sample buyer broker agreement, please click here.