A real estate associate is more than just a "sales person." They act on your behalf as your agent, providing you with professional advice and guidance to help you buy or sell a home. While it is true they get paid for what they do, so do other professions that provide advice, guidance, and have a service to sell --such as lawyers, accountants and property inspectors to name a few. The Internet has opened up a world of information that wasn't previously available to homebuyers and seller. The data on listings available for sale is almost current - but not quite. There are times when you need the most current information about what has sold or is for sale, and the only way to get that is with a Realtor. If you're selling a home, you gain access to the most buyers by being listed in the Multiple Listing Service. Only a Realtor is licensed and is a member of your local MLS can get you listed there - which then gets you automatically listed on some of the major real estate web sites. If you're buying or selling a home, the MLS is your Realtor's best tool. However, the role of a real estate associate has changed in the last couple of years. In the past, Realtors were the only way home buyers and sellers could access information. Now Realtors are evolving. Because today's home buyers and sellers are so much better informed than in the past, expertise and ability are becoming more important. The professional real estate associate is becoming more of a "guide" than a "salesperson" and is your personal representative in buying or selling a home.

You might want to consult a couple more Realtors on the market value of your home. Most of the estimates should be in the same ballpark. It could be that your friend is being more honest with you about the value of your home and the other Realtor gave you a higher number because he already knew you expected it. This is called "Buying a Listing". Or it could simply be that your friend is a good friend, but not that great of a Realtor. Mixing business and friendships is always risky to the friendship. On the other hand, if your friend is truly competent and was providing wise advice, she may be offended if you ignore the advice and choose another agent.

If you have to ask this question, you probably don't have the necessary knowledge to properly represent yourself. The seller pays the real estate commission, not the buyer, and real estate commissions are already set in the listing contract. It doesn't cost you anything extra to have your own Realtor represent you because the seller is already paying for it. If you don't have your own Realtor, the Seller's Realtor will often represent both you and the seller or just represent the seller. This means the Realtor either has divided loyalties or is working for the seller, not you. In this situation, since there is only one Realtor to be paid, sometimes you can get a reduction in price by getting the Realtor to accept a lower commission from the seller. However, you have to realize that you are interfering in what is essentially an agreement between the Realtor and the seller -- and something that has already been negotiated and agreed upon. The seller can net the same gain on a lower price if they have to pay less commission. At the same time, the Realtor is not going to be willing to cut the commission totally in half because - since you don't have an Realtor - they are going to be doing the work that your Realtor would normally be doing such as verifying mortgage pre-approval and all legal conveyancing.

On most transactions, there is usually a listing agent and a selling agent. The selling agent is sometimes referred to in media as the buyer's agent, because he works on the buyer's behalf and it is easier than explaining each time that the "selling agent" is not the listing agent and is actually the buyer's agent. However... There are some agents that market themselves as "buyer's agents," "exclusive buyer's agents," buyer's representatives," and so on. Mostly it is just marketing. At the same time, part of it is because they want to accentuate the reasons a buyer should not go directly to the listing agent when they purchase real estate. This has to do with agency. See, if a buyer goes directly to the listing agent, they are dealing with an agent that has conflicting responsibilities. Their job is to get a good price for the seller and they may not zealously represent the interests of the buyer. Those who market themselves as "Buyer's Agents" indicate they are only working for the buyer in a real estate transaction. The commission is still paid by the seller, no matter what they say in their marketing (with rare exceptions). They either get paid directly by the seller or set up the transaction so that the seller provides a "credit" to the buyer for how much the real estate commission is -- then the buyer pays the commission.

If you want to purchase that property, the only ethical thing is to purchase it through that Realtor. Otherwise, you could set up potential conflicts between your previous Realtor and whatever new Realtor you may choose. You see, if your previous Realtor finds out you purchased the home with a new Realtor, he may want to claim all or a portion of your new Realtor's commission especially if a Buyer Brokerage Agreement was signed. You may be able to resolve the issue by letting your current Realtor know you have misgivings about their expertise and ask if a more experienced Realtor from his office can be aboard as your advisor, too. That is the only ethical way I can think of to handle your situation. It isn't "your" ethics I mean, but the ethics of the two Realtors. One Realtor isn't supposed to make an offer on a property you have already previewed with another Realtor. It happens, but it isn't ethical without some sort of disclosure and agreement between the parties.

Realtors are all different in their style and how they deal with people. Some are formal and some are informal. That doesn't necessarily have anything to do with their knowledge and ability. Go with who you like and who you trust. Like any business or personal relationship you know when you have found the right individual!

The terminology used to identify real estate professionals varies a little from province to province. Brokers are generally required to have more education and experience than real estate salespersons or agents. The person you normally deal with is a real estate associate. The sales associate is licensed by the province, but must work for a broker. All listings are placed in the broker's company name, not the sales associate's. A broker can deal directly with home buyers and sellers, or can have a staff of sales associates working for him or her.

All listing contracts have expiration dates. When is yours? If it is not coming up soon, tell the Realtor and/or his Broker that you want to cancel your listing. Sometimes they will let you cancel easily, if there has been a change in your circumstances. It is always best to COMMUNICATE. Once there is an open discussion then things can be handled appropriately one way or the other.