Part 1 • Calgary Home Buyer’s Series
When buyers first start looking for a home, it can feel logical to keep their options open. You might call the listing agent on one property, another Realtor on the next, and someone else when a friend sends you a listing. The thinking is that more Realtors means more help.
In reality, it usually works the opposite way.
Your Realtor Learns What You Actually Want
Buying a home is not just about bedrooms, bathrooms and price.
The longer I work with a buyer, the more I learn about what really matters to them. Sometimes I can identify those preferences before they can even put them into words themselves. A buyer may say they liked a home, but after talking it through, we realize they disliked the lack of natural light, the busy street, the layout or the amount of work it needed. That helps me ask better questions and guide the search more effectively.
It is easy to look at a new listing and think, “This looks great,” without stopping to ask, “Didn’t I dislike this exact feature in the last house?” That kind of pattern recognition only happens when one Realtor is involved consistently.
If you are calling a different agent every time, each one is starting from scratch.
Loyalty Matters
Agents value loyalty.
When I know someone has chosen me as their Realtor, I am invested in their search. I am watching listings, researching properties, looking at comparable sales, booking showings and thinking ahead to what may matter when it is time to write an offer.
If I know a buyer is also working with several other agents and simply calling whoever is available, it becomes a very different relationship.
The clients who commit to working with me get my commitment in return.
Your Agent Does More Than Open the Door
Opening the door is one of the smallest parts of my job.
When you are my represented buyer, I can help you evaluate value, identify concerns, discuss strategy, structure an offer, explain conditions and negotiate on your behalf.
That is very different from contacting the listing agent directly because the listing agent represents the seller.
If you choose to proceed without your own representation, that agent is not there to advise you on what is best for you or advocate for your position. Their obligation is to the seller.
What About Buyer Agent Compensation?
One of the biggest benefits of having your own Realtor as a buyer is that, in many Alberta residential transactions, the seller pays the compensation offered to the buyer’s brokerage as part of the sale. In other words, buyers will often have their own representation without writing a separate cheque to their Realtor at closing.
That said, compensation is negotiable and it is not identical in every transaction. Your buyer representation agreement should clearly explain how your brokerage is being paid and whether there could ever be a difference between the compensation being offered by the seller and the fee agreed to in your representation agreement. RECA’s buyer representation agreement specifically allows the buyer’s brokerage to ask the seller or seller’s brokerage to pay its fee, while also addressing what happens if there is a shortfall.
There is also a common misconception that if you choose not to have your own Realtor, the compensation that may have been offered to a buyer’s brokerage automatically becomes a discount to you.
It does not.
The listing agent represents the seller and is there to protect the seller’s interests. They are not there to advocate for that compensation to be redirected to you as a buyer. Any change to the purchase price, compensation, or other terms would still need to be negotiated and agreed to as part of the transaction.
This is another reason I think buyers should understand the difference between being represented and simply dealing directly with the listing agent.
Choose Your Realtor, Then Let Them Do Their Job
There is nothing wrong with interviewing more than one Realtor. You should! Ask how they work, how they communicate and what they actually do for buyers beyond sending listings and opening doors. Once you find the right person, give that relationship a chance to work.
You do not need five Realtors competing for your business. You need one Realtor who understands what you are looking for, knows how to guide you through the process and is genuinely invested in helping you make a good decision.
Thinking about buying in Calgary and not sure where to start? I’m always happy to walk you through the process before you ever step inside a showing.
Erika Dix, REALTOR®
The Real Estate District