How can you buy a house without going through a real estate agent (and paying their fee) in the Bay Area?
Yep seller pays, if you go through me (I’m licensed and in the Bay Area), I’ll split commission with you, while still sending and showing you houses that match your req.
Redfin
redfin still uses agents. Zillow will now buy and sell homes directly.
leetaxor that would be nice if it works out even at a smaller fee of 1-2%. The sales volume will more than make up for the lower than usual commission. The big question is - how will Zillow deal with NAR? NAR pours in millions of $ in lobbying.
Buyer pays depending on which county.
You won't be able to nor would you want to. If you don't have one you won't get any money back. Why would you want have a worse experience and lose money?
Having an agent is pointless. Don't get one. Educate yourself by visiting open houses then go with the sellers agent. It gives you an edge over having your own agent.
Wife is a realtor. She could provide a cutback on her fee if you are looking in around South/East Bay or peninsula. Free extra money, like Redfin. PM if interested (and serious)
How much back?
We bought a house recently without a real estate agent, though outside the bay area. We found the place on Zillow filtered by 'Listed by owner'. Spoke to the guy directly. Got a real estate attorney for 1.5K once we decided to close. Our attorney prepared all the paperwork for us. Our seller was willing to share the attorney cost but we decided to pay it in full because we wanted to make sure he represented our interest. Properties listed directly by the owner are cheaper since they don't factor in the 6% buyer + seller agent fee. One of my friend recently bought a house listed by an agent on Zillow, but he did not have a buyer's agent. So what he did was negotiate for a 3% discount on the price as he did not have an agent. I think in the bay area this could be very good tactic when there are multiple offers on the house, but you need to communicate this directly to the owner. Because the buyer agent tends to not encourage selling houses to folks without an agent - probably they are looking lot for one another.
Saying seller pays the agent fee is pointless. After all the money comes from your pocket. Don't be fooled by the agents. At least if you and he seller doesn't use an agent it will be 6%cheaper
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Buyer does not pay, sellers pay.