Paying someone else for a job, even if they have done a good job, is never something to look forward too. The same is true with Playa del Carmen Realtors. Some consider real estate agent fees to be a necessary evil. Some simply cannot spare the time and resource to sell their home, or buy their home on their own. Most Realtors work hard for their commission; still it is difficult to see thousands of dollars leave your hands and enter the pockets of your Realtor.
Most real estate agents are paid through a commission plan that most often ends up being a percentage of the selling/purchase price of the home. Percentages for the commission rate will vary from real estate agency to real estate agency, but most neighboring agents will have comparable rates. A common Realtor fee is 5-7% of the selling price.
Once you do the math you will realize that 5-7% is a lot of money (enough in fact to drive people to do their own buying and selling despite the difficulty). However, it may console you to know that the Realtor is not the recipient of the entire commission amount. After you pay your Playa del Carmen Realtor the agreed upon percentage, the Realtor must then split their earnings with the agency they work for. If there were other brokers involved in the purchase or sale than these brokers will also get a cut of the sale. The agency that the broker splits his commission with (usually paying out 50%) is compensated for the real estate agent’s work space, marketing, support and other resources needed to help in the sale.
Although it is possible to find fees that are lower than 5% in Playa del Carmen, it may be difficult especially in markets with a lot of real estate business and little competition between agencies (no competition means little incentive to be priced competitively). Some agencies are open to negotiating prices. Below are two suggestions for lowering your Realtor fees.
1. Agents who do not have to give as much money to the agencies that they work for have more flexibility in negotiating price with you. When a Realtor works for a company that requires 50% of the commission it puts the Realtor in a difficult position to have to compromise the small percentage that she is actually going to end up with. Some real estate agents are only required to pay 15% to their agencies. These are the types of Realtors that are more likely to give you some kind of discounted price.
2. There are Realtor services that you can opt out of in order to save money. Marketing methods such as newspaper advertisements are rarely what ends up selling a house. Telling your agent that you are not interested in such low yield expenses saves the agency money that they can then pass on to you.
If you are still unhappy with what you can expect to pay a Playa del Carmen Realtor consider all of the costs that you would be incurring had you chosen not to employ a Realtor. Remember that when you sell your home on your own you are responsible for paying for all forms of advertising, you pay to get your home listed with a service, you pay for legal council, you pay for copies, office supplies and documentation. You sacrifice money and time that could be saved had you not needed to spend so much time selling your property or looking for a new property. Consider the time lost working and the time lost with family and friends because you are responsible for being present at open houses, meeting with potential buyers, inspector reviews, etc. If you do not follow all of the laws and file the appropriate documents you could also be facing having to pay a great deal of money in a lawsuit. All of the costs add up fast.
