Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Real Estate Agents Getting The Shaft?

By Adam Moore

You could have dealt with a lot of estate agents but did you wonder how your real estate agent gets paid? You certainly know of that all of the talk about commission, pc.s, charges, closing costs etc . Are broken down at closing. what are his exact earnings? The truth is that you aren't the person that is paying your agent a commission.

It is interesting to understand that the the man who toiled so hard to trade or find your place is not getting as much as you suspect. Ever questioned the way in which the money makes it to your representative? Here are a few ways :

The truth is that the estate agent you are interacting with either works for a brokerage house or an established approved broker. Whether it is purchasing or selling the agent brings a customer to the table, and an agreement is signed between the brokerage house and the client.

It may not always be an exact split but it is often close to half that goes to the broker who represents the vendor and the purchaser. The commission is then divided up between the homes, and after the brokers decide how much to pass on to the agent who really did the all leg work. Various factors are considered while finalizing the amount. The total experience he has in this field or in that market, the time the agent has spent with the company and the level of his productivity decide the amount he gets.

For instance a green representative may only get thirty p.c of the cut where as a vet who brings in loads of business, could get half or even more of the proceeds.

There is another technique too. Here the agent can get the whole commission provided he pays charges each month to the brokerage house.

Some representatives find this deal awfully advantageous because regardless of how much they make at the end of the month the amount they have to pay remains fixed. For such brand spanking new agents, the standard split is more preferable as they may not be able enough to make that fixed payment every month.

Also there are some factors that gobble the ultimate profit manufactured by the brokerage house and the representative. In case the brokerage house is a franchise, after every commission there's a charge fee that has to be paid. In a number of cases referrals come into the picture too where the brokerage house sends a client to you, they can ask for a referral fee.

And then a certain percentage that comes out of the commission which is often paid by the vendor at closing. This is can be negotiable depending on the sort of market. Another point open to debate is the way the commission can be divided. So, as you can see, it isn't just the six per cent but a load more things that count. Your agent gets the cash only after everyone else gets the money.

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