Discount Real Estate Agent - Atlanta, Georgia

Buying a home? As a home buyer, you can discount your real estate transaction in the Greater Atlanta Georgia area by receiving a rebate of commission. In a real estate purchase where a home is listed with any real estate agent in the MLS, then there is a commission paid by the home seller at the time of closing; this includes single family residences, townhomes, condos, lofts, bank owned properties and foreclosures. If the home buyer does not have their own buyer’s agent -- who may be a Realtor® also -- then the listing agent (seller’s agent) generally retains all the commission; however, through competition in real estate, a buyer's agent can rebate, or discount, part of the commission directly to the buyer -- and this lowers the home buyer's transaction costs.

Example #1: a home is listed for sale at $225,000 with a *6% commission paid by the seller to sell the home. A home buyer, without their own real estate buyer’s agent, makes an offer directly to the seller’s agent of $200,000; the seller makes a counter-offer of $205,000; the home buyer agrees. At closing, the seller’s agent will earn $12,300 ($205,000 X 6%); this commission is usually based on the final negotiated sales price. What’s more, throughout the entire real estate transaction, the home buyer is left own his/her own to navigate all the details. Alternatively, the buyer can hire a real estate attorney who is, from my understanding, paid directly out of the buyer‘s pocket -- whether the buyer actually buys a home or not. Why does a buyer need representation? The seller's agent represents the seller's best interests; protect yourself. In addition, a buyer should not confuse a closing attorney with a buyer's attorney; a closing attorney represents the lender, not the buyer. In the aforementioned scenario, the home buyer did not receive a discount on brokerage fees (real estate agent fees).

Example #2: that same home is listed for sale at $225,000 with a *6% commission. In lieu of going it alone, the buyer engages a buyer’s agent to promote their interests; there is no direct out-of-pocket cost to the buyer for this service. The buyer’s agent will look at the sales data to determine a good offer to make, plus look at any additional information that would be adverse to the buyer’s interests. But to keep it simple, let’s say the buyer makes the same offer of $200,000; the seller then makes a counter-offer of $205,000; the home buyer agrees. At closing, the commission is split amongst the real estate agents; the seller’s agent will earn $6,150 and the buyer’s agent will earn $6,150 for working on behalf of the buyer. Then, as an incentive to the buyer, I -- the buyer's agent - will discount that commission to the buyer through a *cash back rebate. In addition, I will only promote the interest of the home buyer to assist in avoiding pitfalls that generally take experience to identify. Read more about a buyer's agent. Read about how a good buyer's agent seeks to catch mortgage-lenders that manipulate loan costs and identify potential costly defects in home building materials.

As you can see, the buyer potentially fares better with example #2; read the testimonials over the years. Purchasing real estate in the Atlanta, Georgia area requires experience -- and a dedication to the home buyer to maximize the purchase.

How can the cash-back rebate (discount) be used?

1. The funds from the rebate can lower the interest on your loan (buy-down for the full 30 years)
2. The funds can reduce your sales price.
3. The rebate funds can pay closing costs.
4. The rebate-funds can be issued to the buyer after closing in the form of a check.

How much will the rebate be at closing? Multiply the sales price by the percentage on the right side of this page to determine your discount; it's generally worth thousands.

Will the buyer still receive other incentives, discounts and seller-paid closing costs? Yes, my rebate to the home buyer compliments all other negotiated incentives, including the government's home-buyer $8,000 tax credit.

Do you charge the buyer to be the buyer's agent? There is no direct charge to the home buyer, inasmuch as I am compensated at closing by receiving a portion of the sales commission; of which, the buyer receives a rebate.

Consult with your mortgage lender to determine how you can use these rebate-funds in connection with your loan. Keep in mind, you are still entitled to all other incentives, promotions, seller assistance, government rebates and all negotiated items too; this rebate is simply an additional discount to home buyers of real estate in the metro Atlanta, Georgia area by using Stephen Graham as their buyer's agent, and who is a Realtor®. 

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Discount Real Estate Agent - Atlanta, Georgia, Realty Professionals, Inc, Realtor®