The Cost of a Realtor

In most Louisiana real estate transactions the Seller is the one that pays the Realtor's commission.  The commission is then split in some way between the Seller's Broker and the Buyer's Broker. The real estate commission is usually a percentage of the sale price of the property being sold.  No matter if you have the most highly rated Realtor in your area, or if you choose your “cousin's high school friend”, as the Seller, you still will likely be paying the same rate.

It is interesting to me that I often meet Sellers who have selected an agent by simply calling a Brokerage firm and contracting with whomever answers the phone.  Sometimes a Seller will know a friend of a friend, who is a Realtor and decide to enlist their services because of their association.  No matter who you choose, you will most likely still be paying the same commission.  So I wonder; why would a Seller not make an effort to research potential agents to learn about their services and sales records? If you were shopping for a new TV and the fancy highly rated flat screen was the exact same price as the basic old box TV, wouldn't you select the flat screen? 

In my experience I have worked with a number of different Realtors.  Some are very good, and others are less than good.  I personally would rather work with a full-service agent who will market my property extensively online, as well as using traditional methods.  I would want my agent to show my home personally, highlighting the most marketable features, SELLING my home; rather than an agent who will simply rely on the automatic MLS feed and then put my property on a lock box for other agents to show.

I would want my agent to be a top-rated professional in his/her field and outstanding in sales in my area. I expect that he/she would be able to provide me with advice and have references for me to use in preparing my home for sale as well as throughout the sale process.  I would anticipate that my home would be presented for sale in the most marketable light with exceptional photos and descriptions, and accessible and well-placed extensively online, over the internet.

I always try to get the very best that I can afford when I am spending my money.  So if I were selling my home and the playing field was level in regards to the cost of selling my home (Realtor commission), I would certainly seek out the very best agent I could find, who would be able to work for me to SELL my home.  Wouldn’t you?