Who Pays Realtor Fees?

[Tiffany S.]

I was signing some paper work and I noticed a clause that basically stated that if the broker does not collect a 3% fee from the "seller" then the buyer is responsible for paying the difference up to 3%....

I've just never seen this before...i've only worked with a hand full of realtors though.

1) I thought that seller pays realtor fees normally...is this not the case for REOs/Foreclosures?

2) Is this a typical clause in most broker/buyer agreements?

[Jordan Schneider]

If you want to know what the listing agent is offering, you can just ask. Your agent should be honest and tell you because you shouldn't be responsible for the entire 3%. For example, if the listing agent is offering 2% than you would be responsible for only 1% to bring the commission to 3% although when you put an offer on a house that extra percentage she be part of the terms of the offer so it doesn't come out of your pocket at closing. The only way I can imaging you being on the hook for the entire 3% is if your agent finds you a FSBO where the homeowner is not offering any commission to agents.