Randy Mack | Realtor | 707.696.6272

    Heidi Faulkner | Realtor | 707.480.4098

Artisan Sotheby's International RealtyArtisan Sotheby's International Realty

Sonoma County

  • Home
  • Featured Listings
  • Sonoma County
    • Forestville
    • Healdsburg
    • Petaluma
    • Santa Rosa
    • Sebastopol
      • Sebastapol Sold
    • Windsor
  • Search Listings
    • Listing Alerts
  • Real Estate Explained
    • Real Estate Explained For Buyers
      • Why Work With A Realtor?
      • When Choosing A Realtor
      • Understanding The Term Agency
      • How to Prepare for House Hunting
      • Prepare to Buy A Home
      • Find Your Dream Home
      • About Credit Scores
      • Improving Your Credit Score
      • Track Your Budget
      • Preparing to Finance a Home
      • Loans and Lending Terms
      • When Choosing a Lender
      • Financing a Home Creatively
      • Define Your Dream Home
      • About the Neighborhood
      • Home Finance
      • Your Home’s Value
      • Loan Analysis
      • When Considering a Condo or HOA
      • The Condo Board
      • When Choosing a Home Inspector
      • About the Home Inspection
      • About Home Hazards
      • Green Home Terms
      • About the Appraisal Process
      • About Property Tax
      • Your Mortgage Application
      • Before Making a Short Sale Offer
      • Your Short Sale Purchase Team
      • Buying in a Tight Market
      • About Homeowners Insurance
      • Lower Homeowners Insurance Costs
      • About Title Insurance
      • Track Closing Costs
      • Transaction Documents
      • Your Final Walk-Through
      • Prepare for Your Move
      • Pack Like a Pro
      • How to Move With Pets
    • Real Estate Explained For Sellers
      • 7 Reasons to Work With a REALTOR®
      • When Choosing a Realtor
      • Agency & Agency Relationships
      • When Considering Selling
      • Home Value
      • Home Staging Success
      • Calculate Capital Gains
      • Checklist Before Putting Your Home up for Sale
      • How to Hire a Remodeling Contractor
      • How to Hold a Successful Garage Sale
      • Add Curb Appeal
      • Clean When Your Home is For Sale
      • How to Prepare for the Photoshoot
      • How to Attract More Buyers
      • Checklist for a Better Home Showing
      • How to Use Feng Shui Concepts in Staging
      • What to Know About the Appraisal Process
      • How to Prepare for a Short Sale
      • How to Navigate a Short Sale
      • How to Improve the Odds of an Offer
      • How to Recognize a Qualified Buyer
      • Track Closing Costs
      • Transaction Documents
      • Prepare for Your Move
      • Pack Like a Pro
      • For the New Owners
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Book of Services
    • Sebastopol By Design
    • Testimonials
  • Links
    • Disaster Prep Tips from professional organizations
      • Wildfire Preparation
      • Wildfire Preparation – FEMA
      • Power Outage Preparation
      • Earthquake Preparation
    • Wounded Warriors Partnership Project
    • Recommended Links
      • Recomended Service Providers

Penny-wise and Pound-wise: Why People Use a Buyer’s Agent

n

A mega-proportion of serious Sebastopol house hunters ultimately decide it makes the most sense to team up with a real estate professional to get the job done. Sebastopol buyers may begin the process of finding and buying their next home on their own, checking through the online listings or driving target neighborhoods to check out the “For Sale” signs—but the NAR® reports that 9 out of 10 of U.S. buyers will eventually use a real estate agent in their search process.

The most obvious motivation for that is because the buyer’s agent’s fee is paid from the seller’s proceeds. That alone could explain a 90% level of popularity. When you can benefit from a professional’s services at no cost to yourself, Sebastopol house hunters would have to think long and hard to come up with what the downside could possibly be. To run down the arguments that could explain how 10% might decide to pass up the buyer’s agent service, we looked for the most common arguments against the grain.

Here are the Top Four, presented in no particular order. (Since we definitely do have a dog in this fight, we’ve also included some counterarguments):

  1. Distrust. Something for nothing? A free lunch? Common sense teaches the same lesson, always and forever: THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH! (Counter: the service is not free: the seller pays).
  2. Independent Spirit. Some people know that they work and think better when they take sole responsibility. They may have been misled by “experts” too many times—may regret not relying upon their own instincts. After all, Americans are mavericks by nature: they are at their best using their own native ingenuity to solve problems. (Counter: a substantial portion of the process of purchasing a home in Sebastopol requires mastering technical legal and timing requirements. Although a buyer can take the time to learn about all of them, since their buyer’s agent has already handled them successfully many times, it’s wasted effort. IOW, this is a wheel that doesn’t need to be reinvented).
  3. Commitment. If asked to okay an agreement that spells out the ground rules for working with a buyer’s agent, it’s as if a commitment is being forced prematurely. After all, who knows for certain that the right Sebastopol house at the right price is even out there? It just feels like putting the cart before the horse. (Counter: this is never a commitment to buy—just an agreement for how the search and commission will be handled if a suitable home is found and purchased. The buyer can make sure the arrangement can be severed without penalty if the service is not satisfactory).
  4. Motivation. Since a buyer’s agent will profit from any sale—they’ll try to sell me anything. (Counter: Every buyer’s agent is legally and ethically duty-bound to represent their client’s interests—plus, since their entire career is utterly dependent on their reputation, their interests align).

Whenever we represent any buyer, our motivation is 100% that of helping them reach their desired outcome. Reaching that goal—finding the right Sebastopol home, then negotiating and closing at the right price—is the way we keep the phone ringing. See for yourself by giving us a call!

 

n

Posted in: Home Buying Tagged: #buyersagent, #sebastopolagent, #sebastopolrealesate, #sonomacountyrealestate

Post navigation

« Previous Post
Next Post »

Share This Page

           

Sonoma Real Estate Blog

Sonoma County First-time Home Buyer Loans in 2023

Home Design Trends You Need to Know in 2023

Sonoma Holiday

Selling Your Home During Winter Season

Contact Information

Randy Mack and Heidi Faulkner
Artisan Sotheby's International Realty
6984 McKinley Street
Sebastopol CA 95472
(707) 696-6272
(707) 480-4098
Fax: (707) 824-0587
Send an Email
 Logo For Randy Mack and Heidi Faulkner  Real Estate

About Us

We are proud to have aligned ourselves with Artisan Sotheby’s International Realty an inspirational brand based on heritage, tradition and expertise. We are setting new standards by refining the art of residential brokerage with a practiced eye of identifying the unique value of a property. We offer a deep commitment to excellent service and have a passion for unparalleled quality. Unique homes require skillful marketing through our local expertise and Sotheby’s International Realty interconnected global network of offices that are dedicated to the extraordinary.

Testimonials

I wish to express my satisfaction and confidence in your ability to find an ideal home for anyone that I would refer to you. My own experience in purchasing and selling a home with you allowed me to witness the fact that you are truly an expert in your field, handling all aspects of residential real estate transactions. From the beginning, your market analysis to the final stages of negotiations, your calm manner and clear explanation kept me knowing I was in the best of hands.

Mr. Mitchler
More Testimonials

Contact Us

Randy Mack - Realtor CA BRE#01252462
randy@mack-faulkner.com

(707) 696-6272
6984 McKinley Street
Sebastopol, CA 95472



Heidi Faulkner - Realtor CA BRE#01227446
Heidi@mack-faulkner.com

(707) 480-4098
6984 McKinley Street
Sebastopol, CA 95472



© 2023 · Equity Framework
© MMVI Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a licensed trademark to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each office is independently owned and operated, except offices owned and operated by NRT Incorporated. All information herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
 

Listings Sitemap · Log in