Real Estate commission Negotiable?

Lower commissions? Not if you want your home to sell. Think it through -- it doesn't make sense.

I agree that a lot of bad agents are starving in a buyer's market and discounting their services, but do you really want a discount agent who can't even stand up to the seller on their commission rates negotiating a contract for you?

Worse yet is most sellers in this down market are willing to pay 3 percent to the buyer's agent but try to get a discount from the listing agent.

THINK ABOUT IT.

If you are starving and you only get paid 1 percent or 2 percent for selling your listing, aren't you going to be tempted to take a buyer from a sign call or your advertising on the home to a different home that is paying 3 percent rather than your listing, which pays 1 percent to 2 percent?

I think we all know the answer. It is sad but true, but it does happen.

I know every good Realtor out there is now mad at me for bringing this up, but someone has to say it.

Good agents charge full commissions and get the job done, (some discount agents may) think it is a numbers game and don't worry about their clients: "just keep listing and something will sell."

The answer is to hire a top listing agent who can show you that he or she is successful even in a buyer's (down) market. Look at the number of listings they carry compared to their sales. You want a good ratio of sales to listings.

A good agent should be charging more in this market because expenses have doubled or tripled and the time on the market is longer, resulting in more advertising and carrying cost. The time to enter a listing has tripled with the advent of the Internet. A good agent should be listing your home on a minimum of four to five different search engines instead of just the local multiple listing service.

Bottom line is that most homes are NOT selling and if you have to sell in this market, you should be hiring the best, not the worst.