[koolba]

> Having a real estate agent as a buyer can be extremely useful. ... handle negotiations ...

I'll never understand how anyone can think someone who get's paid only if you agree to a deal could have their best interests in mind.

Even the seller's agent generally have perverse incentives as pushing to close a deal for $N,000 more only get's them $N,000 x %C vs. losing 100% of it if the deal does not close.

[sl1ck731]

If you are working with some random real estate agent then sure. They are just going to push crap on you and hope you sign.

You should build a rapport with one you trust. Then they don't get paid until you are happy, since you aren't going to buy something you aren't happy with and they know that. It took 2 or 3 to find one that I felt was working for me. Dragged him to all 20 properties I wanted to see in a day and told him no on everything and that was that, until the one I wanted popped up. Then I let him argue with the seller about things that I wouldn't have any idea how to approach.

[T_D_K]

I understand all that, which is why I said the industry has room for improvement. What I'm arguing is that they have value -- they save you from taking on what is essentially a part time job that you're going to be bad at, and that they have potentially years of experience in. Whether the way in which they're compensated is fair or not is a different argument.