As a buyer with a $1.5mm budget, which option would you go with?
Pretend you’re looking to buy a property in Florida (or wherever the market works similarly enough for this question to make sense) and your budget is $1.5mm. Would you:
Option 1. Not use a buyer’s agent at all, just shop around yourself & let the listing agent keep the full commission.
Option 2. Use a regular buyers’ agent, who will get paid out of the listing agent’s commission (typically 2.5% - 3.0% here in Florida) if he gets you to the closing table.
Option 3. Use a “flat-fee” agent who charges a flat $5,000 and credits you the commission he’s entitled you at closing (effectively saving you up to $40k on the purchase, but costing you $5k out of pocket even if you end up not buying)