Who Pays Real Estate Agents?

When it comes to finding the best real estate agents, you have to understand a few things. One of those things is how they make their money and, by extension, how you are involved in paying them. Today, jdrealestatecalgary.ca will look at the pay structure of real estate agents and provide you with this information so you can have a better understanding of the road that lies ahead.

The Pay Structure of Real Estate Agents

Real estate agents are usually paid a commission on the work they complete. This work centres around buying and selling homes, so they are paid when they successfully complete one or the other of those two transactions. For example, if they help a home buyer find a new home and successfully negotiate the sale, they will earn a certain percentage of the home’s value as a commission.

On the other hand, if they are assisting a homeowner in selling their home, they will earn a commission when the house is successfully sold, taking their payout of the total value of the home. This is the general scheme of payment for real estate agents, but there are several variations on the model that may complicate matters somewhat.

The Complicating Factors of Real Estate Agent Earnings

One of the most common complicating factors involving real estate agents and their earnings is their work with a brokerage. Brokerages are collectives of real estate agents who work together under a common name to offer their clients more variety, better services and more competitive prices. These businesses will take a percentage of the agent’s earnings in order to facilitate some of the perks that come with this type of business.

Another common complicating factor comes in the form of specific business models. For instance, some agents may use a set commission rate to incentivize customers to choose their services. While this can result in a lower commission rate on each sale, the lower cost may result in more sales overall.

Who Pays Real Estate Agents?

As you have likely already gleaned from the information above, real estate agents are paid by their customers directly or indirectly. In some brokerages, trust accounts may be used to facilitate property sales, meaning that the brokerage really pays the agent. Still, this is more of a semantic matter than an actual difference in the payee, as the money still comes from the agent’s customer and their commission.

What Is the Average Commission Rate?

Commission rates can vary between 3 and 7 percent of the purchase price. The individual rate will be set by the agent to ensure they are duly compensated for the work they’ve performed. You may also wish to know that the commission rate can be lower or higher than the range stated above, though the circumstances for such things are fairly uncommon. The range above is a typical average for most professionals.

How to Decide on the Right Real Estate Agent

Knowing the pay structure, commission rate, and complicating factors of real estate agents can be useful, but it is only one step in the process of choosing a professional to help you buy or sell a house. After all, you don’t want to choose an agent with a very high commission rate and low standard of service. Even the inverse of this (low commission, high standard of service) can come with significant issues. Therefore, it is also important to know what to look for in an agent to get the best service regardless of their payment system.

The first trait that you should consider in these professionals is their reliability. Agents are beholden to their customers in a number of ways, including over the phone or other digital mediums. After all, property sales can be frantic and quick processes in some situations, which means close and frequent communication can be the difference between getting a home or missing an opportunity.

As a result, having an agent who is available when you need them is critical. Obviously, this comes with a certain level of mutual respect. You shouldn’t be trying to negotiate in the middle of the night, for instance. But the reliability of your property professional extends beyond simply being available to answer questions and handle negotiations.

You’ll also want to try and find a real estate professional who understands their work. This means taking precautions and risks in equal measure while also following all the common beats of the process. If an open house attracts better buyers, you want to ensure that your agent can see the opportunity and take advantage of it. Another way to look at this type of reliability is openness to new ideas.

Remember, buying and selling a home is a collaborative process. Yes, you’re hiring a real estate agent to represent you and ensure the best possible outcome. But that doesn’t mean you get to turn a blind eye to the process and cross your fingers that everything will just work out all hunky-dory.

You have to be part of the process to achieve the level of success you expect. That might mean following up on houses that you liked or asking questions about the process to feel confident in the steps your agent is taking. It can also mean disagreements, constructive criticism and determining what works best for your unique situation. Having a professional by your side who is willing to work with you is invaluable. This is what is meant by openness, and it makes a world of difference in the home buying or selling process.

What other traits should you expect from a qualified and experienced property professional? One of the more important ones is an existing knowledge of the real estate market. Every city and country is different, and the housing market fluctuates dramatically between the extremes.

Take, for example, older cities on the east coast of North America. Whether it’s Boston, Montreal or New York, there are many older buildings, developed neighbourhoods and differing building codes to consider. This variation is great for unique and cool finds, but it also increases the risk you’ll have issues with electrical wiring, plumbing or some other essential modern living system.

By contrast, the west side of the continent is substantially newer. It doesn’t mean that these same issues can’t exist, but they are far less likely in prairie provinces and midwestern states. Generally, the buildings are newer and better maintained, with less variation in construction and building practices. These differences can make a huge impact on the shopping and selection part of an agent’s process.

That is why a knowledge of the housing market is so critical. You may wish to live in the “old” section of a city, but a good agent should be able to dissuade you from ending up in a heavily taxed “fixer-upper”. Similarly, they should help you understand the risks that come from purchasing in new developments so that you can avoid any pitfalls associated with builders and developers. A comprehensive approach marks the best real estate agents, and you should settle for nothing less when it comes time for you to choose one to buy or sell a house. This will help you ensure the best outcome for you and your agent, along with the others involved in the sale.