Take Control of Your Options

A common pitfall I hear from buyers is when they talked to an agent who implied they had to sign a long term contract. Agents do this because they want commitment from a prospective buyer before sinking a lot of time into it, which is understandable from a business perspective. However, it inadvertently pushes all of the risk on the buyers by potentially getting trapped in a contract they later regret. Because of this, I offer flexible representation plans so that buyers can try working with me before committing to dedicated representation. Here are the essentials that you need to know to make an informed decision.

Required Representation to See a Home

Following the NAR Class Action Lawsuit, buyers are required to be under representation if they tour a home with a real estate agent (except open houses). Before this, buyers and agents in NC could operate under a verbal agreement and only needed to commit to a written agreement before submitting an offer. The advantage of this was buyers could "shop for agents", but the disadvantage was agents would often not disclose essential elements of representation like compensation (this was the entire basis of the class action lawsuit). This "blind spot" has effectively been covered by policy, but as the industry adapts we've seen many types of responses - the worst of which being long term contracts before buyers get a chance to find the right agent for them.

Buyer Agency Agreements Must Have an End Date

This one hits a bit personal for me as before I became an agent I got trapped in an agreement that didn't have an end date. The long story short is for a real estate contract to be valid, it must have an end date — so in my case this meant my agreement was voidable. However, this rule does not specify the required duration, so if an agent tries to imply a 6 month contract is the minimum, then know they are certainly only talking for themselves and not for the industry.

What This Means For You

Since the new regulations both protect and burden buyers, when working with me I shift the risk to myself by offering the option of single day or weekend representation agreements. In this case, you essentially get a free trial that allows you to determine if I am a good fit for your needs. If so, then we can proceed forward with confidence, and if not, then there's no cost to you and you're free to explore other options. When making the biggest purchase of your life, I believe a realtor's trust is earned, not freely given. In any case, I hope this helps and I look forward to hearing from you.