Many people think that going to open houses is a good way to find an agent, but this is not the best way, nor even a good way. The real estate company holding the open house is representing the seller. When you sign the guest book, the person greeting you will probably be “designated” to be your representative, and the listing agent for the seller would be another “designee”. However, at this point wouldn’t that company now be highly motivated to keep both the buyer and seller-side commissions in-house.

Another hazard associated with visiting open houses unaccompanied by your buyers agent is that buyers often unintentionally give clues to their interest and motivation when visiting an open house. If you have signed in to the guest book, the listing company has your name, and if you end up interested in buying that particular house, an outside buyer agent will typically not be offered a commission. In the end you may then be limited to presenting your offer with an agent who works in the same company as the listing agent.

A typical mistake buyers often make is to check the newspapers for ads that are run weekly that show enticing pictures of homes for sale before engaging in that critical first step of selecting an agent. It is very tempting at that point to call the listing agent. However, that seller agent is under a written agreement to get the highest price and best terms for their seller.

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I am planning to buy a home around 0K in New York City. I’m wondering if I will save any money by becoming a licensed real estate agent/broker (I realize I have to take the test and pass) and then purchasing the home for myself. I would think that by doing this, I would save the broker commission that I would otherwise be paying another real estate agent/broker. Is this a valid assumption? Please provide any information about this. Thanks a lot.

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I was wondering what the difference was between a real estate broker and a real estate agent? How long would you have to go to school to be either one?
I pretty much got my answer to this question. Can a real estate broker act as both a broker as well as the agent? I plan on starting my own realty but want to do both jobs.

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I am interested in going into real estate when I finish college and have been looking around at schools. Century 21 offers their own course (3 weeks) and another real estate company offers one for 6 weeks while the community college offers one for 8 months that trains you how to appraise and broker as well as just getting your license to sell.

Which program is best and what is the difference between being a real estate agent (seller) and a broker?

The costs range from 0-00

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