good questions about buyer agent

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Went to see a townhouse today in NY and talked to the seller's agent. He is a white guy and he told me not to find a buyer's agent because the buyer's agent works for the seller too although they claim to work for the buyer. What did he mean? He wants to be a dual agent? Can I trust him? The house is in a nice neighborhood but it needs a lot of work on the kitchen and bathroom. In addition, the basement is unfinished.Will I have a better chance to get the house if I use him as my dual agent? Or will I save anything? A little confused.


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All good questions. The fact that you're asking these questions indicates that you probably need a buyer agent, a good one.

What he said about buyer agent is technically right, since the buyer agent's commission comes from the seller side of the closing. However, a good buyer agent will be able to search for houses that fit your criteria, including location, school, price, structure, floor plan, and more. So instead that you go around and look for houses, your agent would send those info to you.

Once you find a good house, he'll give you advice on how to make offer, how to do inspection, and suggest good inspector. How many home inspector do you know? And loan officer. What to look for in closing. So a good buyer agent is worth every penny. Of course, you have to find a good one, who you're comfortable working with.

You may ask for a discount in buyer agent's commission. However, keep in mind that a good agent would be able to save some money and much headache for you, so don't be over-zealous.

Hope this helps.
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