Talking Real Estate with Hope Leitner September Newsletter
In case you haven’t heard — changes are here! As of August 17th a realtor can no longer show you a property without a signed written agreement. It can be exclusive or non-exclusive but it MUST be signed. This means they can’t even unlock the door without it. Doing so as an agent can result in thousands of dollars in fines. A buyer's agency agreement legally binds you to that particular agent for an agreed-upon timeframe, spells out their compensation, and details their duties to you. There is no such thing as a "free service" for using a buyer's agent. Hiring an agent that has many years of experience and continually stays up to date to benefit you, the client, matters more than ever before. Sellers always interview agents, and now so will buyers. Not all buyer’s agents will be offering the same value. Yes, sellers can still pay a buyer’s agent’s compensation (and I expect that will still happen often) but it’s no longer listed in the MLS (Multiple Listing Service