You see the enticing billboard. The exciting flags lure you in. You stop to take a quick look at the model homes of a brand-new community. The agent greets you with a friendly smile welcomes you in with a water and offers to answer any questions you have. The agent asks you to register so you can receive news and updates about the community. Why not? You want to know about the latest incentives offered by the builder. So, you register.

 

With staggeringly low home inventory driving buyers to new construction homes, this is all too common. Buyers make their first visit to the community without their agent and don’t realize the friendly agent that greeted them is the builder’s agent. By visiting without their agent or even registering online with the builder, the fine print may alleviate the builder from paying the buyer’s agent a commission and the builder doesn’t pass on the savings to the buyer especially in a seller’s market.

 

Don’t be unwittingly stuck paying your agent’s commission or worse, left without agent representation for a very important and complex transaction that has serious emotional and financial outcomes. Always take YOUR agent with you so you have an advocate looking out for YOUR best interest.

 

DeShawna Whitmore has been a REALTOR® for over a decade, gladly sharing her knowledge and experience with other real estate enthusiasts, sellers, and buyers.