Buyer's Agents

[Michelle Kocurek]

We just closed on a commercial property a couple of months ago and about a week before closing, my agent sent me one of the forms he said he forgot to attach when we submitted an offer( a month earlier). The form was that we agreed to pay a $325 service fee to our agent. When I asked what is was for, he said that it pays for the office help to handle all the paperwork so the agent can focus on buyers and being in the field. We were so close to closing I had no choice to sign and pay, but is this normal? 

[Wayne Brooks]

It is a common fee charged by almost all brokerages.....the client either pays it, or the agent pays it out of their commission.  Understand, most brokers are getting only 10-30% of the commission to their firms, which is just the nature of the business these days. I have No problem with this fee as an agent, as long as it is disclosed up front to the buyer/seller, before any offers are made, preferably in a first meeting.  I eat it on sales above $200k or so, and on lower priced deals I tell them it's part of my services, period.