The Real Estate Buyer's Bill of Rights

The Real Estate Buyer's Bill of Rights

The four important items listed below constitute what I call a "Buyer's Bill of Rights"

• You have a right to choose your own buyer’s agent and to be represented in a transaction by your own agent.

• You have the right to know about all the Madeline Island homes and properties that are currently available for sale, not just the listings that a listing agent wants to tell you about.

• You have the right to request a home inspection before you commit 100% to buying a home.

• You have the right to work with a full-time real estate professional, not a part-timer or a hobbyist or a seasonal agent who works four or five months per year.

I recall speaking with an area agent last autumn who boasted to me that he was able to keep both sides of the commission in a recent transaction because he managed to talk the buyer out of working with a buyer's agent. That’s sad, because using a buyer’s agent wouldn’t have cost that buyer a single cent in this situation. A good agent, an ethical agent wouldn’t pull the wool over your eyes in order to make a few extra bucks.

When you visit our Island and find yourself dazzled by all the scenic beauty and you begin to consider the idea of owning a home or cottage here, stop for a moment and consider the value of working with your own agent. It might not be the best idea to just walk into a real estate office and begin looking at homes with the listing agent. Remember that a buyer's agent looks after your interests, not those of the seller. It's your right to be represented in a real estate transaction.