How to get your 1% or 2% rebate
1% Rebate
This service is the same as what you would get with any good agent who works with you. We show you the properties you want to see, handle all the paperwork, and give you a 1% rebate. Please note that this rebate may be affected by the value of property, travel distances, and amount of time spent searching, but we can confirm your rebate at the beginning of the process.
2% Rebate
You do the initial legwork and identify a house you want to make an offer on. We write the offer and handle all the negotiations and paperwork. An agent representing a buyer normally gets 3% of the purchase price. We give you 2%, and we keep 1%.
We are available 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer questions by phone. All MLS listed properties are available for public view on various MLS websites and the links we have available on our Property Search page. Not only can you be completely self-sufficient in your search by utilizing the tools on this website, but you have a better idea of what you want than a typical agent selecting properties for you.
New Homes / Working with Builders
Getting your 2% rebate when buying a new home is the easiest of all. We have a special section devoted to new homes on our website at New Homes. There are complete instructions for making sure you get your rebate as well as links to all the major builder websites.
How to search for & find your perfect home
We have some great resources on our website for finding out more about neighborhoods, schools, or a particular property. Browse Neighborhood Information Links, and Tax Appraisal Districts and get familiar with the information available.
Search for properties online using local Property Search options on our website, or use Realtor.com. If you are looking for a home in DFW or Austin, our custom property search allows you to save the results of your searches and pick up where you left off simply by logging in. You can also program it to send you emails to alert you of new listings that match your criteria.
When you come across a house you want to see, call the listing agent for a showing.
Etiquette and legalities of getting a listing agent to show you a house
In Texas, an agent has no claim against you or anyone else for any commission or compensation just for showing you a house. In other states (like Florida or California), the "threshold rule" applies, which means the agent who "took you across the threshold" first can have a right to the commission.
According to Texas real estate law, you are not represented by an agent until you have a written agreement with that agent. That means a Listing Agreement if you are a seller, or a Buyer's Representation Agreement if you are a buyer. If you are a buyer and sign an offer to purchase a property with an agent, but never signed a representation agreement, then that agent is representing you for that one property only.
It doesn't mean anything if you are intending to work with a particular agent, or if you merely spoke with an agent you may consider working with. Buyers who are thinking about using our rebate plan sometimes tell us they don't want to lie, and are having problems getting agents to show them properties if they tell them we are their agent. The truth is that we are not your agent until you sign a representation agreement. If an agent asks you if you have an agent, the most appropriate response is (if you have nothing signed with us): "We don't have an agent at this time, but are considering having someone represent us."
That simple sentence gives them more incentive to show you the house, because they may have a shot at representing you in your quest of finding your ideal house. At the same time, it shouldn't be a shock to them if you end up choosing a different Realtor. (Hopefully that will be us.)
Most properties are listed with a 6% commission, and the listing agent is guaranteed to make at least 3%. Even if you plan to use another agent, the listing agent should still show you the house not only because 3% should be more than adequate compensation, but because of their ethical obligation to do what is in the best interest of their seller.
If you ask a listing agent to show you one of his listings, you are providing him the opportunity to gain your business, not only for the 3% listing portion, but for the full 6%. He could provide you with such great service that you decide to use him instead of us, which you are free to do. But there are plenty of greedy and lazy agents out there who would rather do nothing and let another agent show the house, because they still make 3%. (Why can't such agents let the seller show the house and save 3%, like we do?)
One buyer we know of was so frustrated with an agent refusing to show him a house that he went and knocked on the seller's door and asked the seller to show him the house. (As Realtors, we can't recommend that you resort to this.) You can imagine how the seller was not thrilled to hear this about his agent, and rightfully so.
To summarize, it is true that we are not your agent until you sign a representation agreement. If you are asked if you have an agent, the most appropriate response is (if you have nothing signed with us): "We don't have an agent at this time, but are considering having someone represent us."
Occasional Questions
If we deal directly with the listing agent, wouldn't they be willing to give us 2%? Or wouldn't the seller get a discount if we dealt with the listing agent or talked to the buyer directly?
99% of the time, the buyer's agent's share of the commission is 3%. If you buy a house directly through the listing agent, all of that 3% will go into their pocket, along with the other 3% they are probably getting for listing the property (total of 6%). Even if you deal directly with the seller, the standard 6% listing contract states the listing agent still gets the full commission. No discounts for the seller finding the buyer, even if the buyer is his brother and the agent did absolutely nothing other than sign the listing agreement. To see the terms of 99% of all listing agreements, see the standard Exclusive Right to Sell Listing Agreement. The other factor is that almost all the big brokers don't allow their agents to do the kind of discounting we do. And even if they were allowed, it still wouldn't work because after the agent split the 3% with their broker, there wouldn't even be enough left to give you 2% anyway, even if they agreed to work for free! For a better understanding about how commissions are shared between brokers and agents, see How commissions are divided between brokers and agents.
Can we get the rebate with one of your listings?
Almost all of our listings provide that the sellers can avoid any commissions if they find a buyer on their own. As a service to our sellers, we refer buyer inquiries directly to the sellers if the buyer does not have an agent. If they make a deal, we don't charge any commission. This allows the sellers to drop their price by the amount of what the commission would have been. The result is that you don't get a rebate from us, but will very likely get at least that amount of a price reduction from the seller.
What if there's just no way for us to get inside to see a particular house?
Give us a call and we'll help you.
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Buyers
