Realtor or None? Your Experience, Please

I would use a realtor. Besides as the buyer you won't be paying any realtor commissions. The seller will pay those commissions and can negotiate as they please. Most likely these sellers don't want to pay the commissions but I don't see the benefit for you. Good luck.

If a seller told me they wanted to keep realtor's out of it, I would be seeing brightly red waving flags.

Maybe it's innocent and they just want to save money but there are serious i's to dot and t's to cross.

If you are not a realtor and not experienced with real estate, you could potentially be walking into a financial disaster.

Worst case, pay a lawyer to represent you, get an inspection, survey, make sure you have a valid home comparison to see what the value truly is.

This is a huge financial decision and you need to thoroughly educate yourself before you make this transaction.

Personally, I'd walk away if a seller said that to me.

A clear title to the property, verified by a realtor and conducted through a title search.
A proper boundary and property line, verified by a survey and property records.
Clear tax history, with all taxes paid, verified by a records search.
A property inspection (for termites, faulty wiring, etc) done by a certified home inspector.
Knowing what the fair market value through "comps" (comparable nearby property sales)
Protection against any legal action that the seller might consider in the future.
Making sure all the documents are properly drawn up and filed in a timely manner.

Those are some of the things that a professional, licensed, bonded realtor who is a member of a professional realty board in good standing can assure you of.

I'm not a realtor, but these are just some of the things we've learned when purchasing a house, using a professional realtor.

These are just my unprofessional opinions. I know that by not using a realtor, you can both save some money on a commission payment to the realtor. But it's kind of like being in a minor car accident, where the other guy says "hey, let's settle this privately. Here's $500 for your bumper because we don't want our insurance rates to go up, right?", because it just looks like a dented bumper. You take the $500, he drives off without any ID being exchanged, and then find out that your axle is bent, and your neck and arm start to hurt. At the hospital, they find that your arm is broken, and your neck has whiplash and you're going to need physical therapy. And there's thousands of dollars in repairs that your car is going to need, and you resort to putting homemade signs up on telephone poles that ask if anyone witnessed the accident, and it's all a huge pain.

I so wouldn't buy any property without a realtor to help me.
When we bought our house (new construction) we thought it was a great 4 bedroom house.
Our realtor caught something in the paperwork where the septic system was sized for a 3 bedroom house.
The builder felt one room was an office but any room with a closet is considered a bedroom and he was wrong.
Well, long story short - they had to fix (right size) our septic system for no additional money.
They added another tank and 4 additional drain field lines.
It took them 3 months - we were permitted to live in the house while they fixed it - and they had to regrade the drain field twice before the county inspectors approved it completed.

Honestly we never would have caught this problem without our realtor - and we would have had serious problems and expenses down the line when we eventually sell the property at a later date without having this fixed up front.

A realtor checks about any liens against the property and many other things that you really need to find out about before you sign on the dotted line.
Buying property without a realtor is like buying a pig in a poke - you're not really sure what you're getting.

ask why they don't want realtors involved. Are they trying to save on commissions? Some realtors will cut their fees/commissions. You just need to ask.

If they will not allow an inspection or expecting an all cash offer? I would run.

An inspection is a MUST on ANY property purchase. I don't care if they had one done in the last 3 weeks. I'm going to hire someone to come check it out.

Ensure that the closing is going through an real estate attorney and that the deed is checked and clear for you to purchase. Check the land values and the HOAs. Ensure they are not past due and what you get for it.

We bought our first house without a realtor. It was a for sale by owner. We hired a home inspector and the owner made a few repairs as a result of the inspections. The seller hired an attorney to handle the paper work. It was pretty routine and we didn't have any issues but as the saying goes...buyer beware! Best of luck!!!

FYI...realtor fees are paid by the seller, not the buyer. Since the house is only worth what the house is worth they can try to increase the price to account for the realtor fee but that doesn't mean they will get it. I see a lot of value in having a realtor represent you.

I have done it both ways. But when I closed without a realtor, I paid a lawyer $400 to write the offer contract and represent me at the closing. He wrote the offer, reviewed the contract, made sure all the fees were assigned appropriately, etc. Turns out they tried to have us pay a fee that should have been on their side of the ledger. The attorney caught it and he more than paid for himself.

Assuming you are getting a mortgage, the bank will require all the inspections, title searches, title insurance, etc, (and even if you are not getting a mortgage, you should insist on all those things, and your offer should be contingent on them) so those are not affected by the presence or absence of a realtor.

Some realtors charge 6% of the sale of the home, others 1% to 3%. Ask why they don't want a realtor. When Tyler and I sold our home in California before we moved here to Georgia, we used a realtor and negotiated his commission to 3%. We had already had a home inspection done and fixed whatever flaws he found and welcomed the buyer to have one.

Get an inspection. That's a must. If they won't allow an inspection? That's a huge red flag for me.

You need to have an attorney to review the contract, research the deed and land plot to ensure it's clear and no liens. If it's a condo, they will have to check the HOA and other city fees to ensure they are up-to-date and in good standing.

If you are buying a condo, you should check the amenities at the place for any infractions they might have, especially a pool. Is it being maintained? If there is a gym, are the items in good repair?

There's a lot that goes into it. Make sure you know what you are buying!

For all the reasons stated below, I would not agree to buy without professional support. You can use a realtor or a lawyer. I would not take a chance.

60+ years ago, my parents sold property without using a realtor. I was very young then. My memory is that the sale went through their bank. I don't know what services the bank provided or if banks provide the same services today. I remember the buyer paid the mortgage to the bank. Twice the bank for closed and my parents had to take the property back.

You are the buyer. My folks were the seller. I don't know if my parents experience is helpful.

My sister and her husband just sold their own home. They didn't want to have to pay a realtor. It was on the market for some time but they did get pretty much what they wanted for it.

The other party did have a realtor and that realtor insisted on an inspection. That inspector found quite a few things wrong. My sister had no idea on some of it. They had written that the pool was as is. They just had a new liner put in and it was serviced by that same company. It's under that companies warranty.

They had to pay several thousand dollars for the repairs and then that other person's realtor asked them to pay all sorts of closing costs and other things.

WIthout having a realtor's advice or background they weren't sure what they should or shouldn't do.

IF I were selling a house, and had been through that before with a great realtor, then I might consider selling it myself.

BUT I wouldn't buy a house without having one due to all the loopholes and legalese in contracts. The whole "extra" possible charges or fees or anything is possible issues would have me never do this without a legal representative.

I would think their ultimatum would let me know they're wanting to hide something that a realtor would know to not do.

They just want to save money by not listing with one, but you will still need all kinds of inspections and the like so it is easy and safer to at least go through a title company that can help with the paper work. Some things are worth the extra money being paid, JMO.

If you decide to go it on your own make sure you get your own inspections/inspector and not theirs, and that you look for any past leans or debts on the property, ect.

Lots of Real Estate attorneys also have a RE license. Look for one of those to use.

The sellers can either choose to do business with you or not.

I would be very wary of it! If one of the parties are a realtor, then maybe it might work.

Don't use a realtor then, hire a real estate lawyer. You pay them, not the seller, so that should be the end of the issue.

Always get a complete inspection - everything from roof to foundation and everything in between. If a seller balks at that, walk away from it because they are hiding something.

I would purchase or sell with a realtor. You want to be sure that you are paying market value (or below) and you will want a title search along with a good home inspection. You will also want a sellers disclosure, the seller has to let you know all about the house (if there is/was lead paint, termites, or any other damages including a death in the home or drugs).

A good realtor will help with any HOA, co-op information as well, a lawyer will only look over the paperwork to make sure it is a legal sale and maybe a title search (you don't want any unpaid bills left for you).

You could ask the realtor to take a parcial commission like 3%, that you will cover so that the seller won't get scared off. I think if they really want to sell they would be open to it, if not they are probably hiding something.

Basically, it is better to have a realtor do these things for you so nothing gets missed and you are protected.