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What does a buyer’s agent do — and do I need one?
A buyer’s agent is the licensed realtor who works for you on a purchase: they find and tour homes with you, price-check the ones you like, write and negotiate your offer, watch the contract deadlines, and walk the deal to closing. Most buyers use one because the local knowledge — which streets hold value, what a house should actually sell for — is the part you cannot google. Through the Realtor Referral Hub you are matched free to a local buyer’s agent in your metro, and the only fee in the system is the standard 25% referral fee between brokerages if your purchase closes.
What they do, step by step
Search and tour.
They pull the homes that fit and walk them with you — in person, or by video if you are buying from out of town.
Price and offer.
They check what nearby homes actually sold for, then write and negotiate your offer on your instructions.
Contract to closing.
Inspections, deadlines, lender and title coordination — they keep the file moving until the keys are yours.
Who pays them?
A buyer’s agent is paid out of the transaction at closing, under the terms you agree with them up front — ask them to walk you through it in plain words before you sign anything. In this network, being matched costs you nothing and the agent paid nothing to receive you: nobody bought your name.
Ask the desk instead
More questions
- How does a realtor referral work?
- Does it cost anything to be matched with a realtor?
- What is a referral fee when buying a house?
- How do I find a realtor in a new city?
- How do I find a realtor to sell my house?
- Where can real estate agents exchange client referrals?
- How does a realtor claim a city territory for referrals?
- Is there a cloud brokerage for realtors in Missouri?
- How do I join the Realtor Referral Hub brokerage waitlist?
- What happens after I request a realtor match?
- How do I buy a house in another state?
- Can I buy a house before selling my current one?
- How do I sell a house from out of state?
- What does a listing agent do?
- How much does a realtor cost?
- I’m moving for a job — how do I find a realtor in my new city, fast?
- What is a relocation realtor?
- How do I find a realtor for a military move (PCS)?
- How do I find a realtor in a small town or rural area?
- Do I have to sign anything to be matched with a realtor?
- What if the realtor I’m matched with isn’t a good fit?
- What questions should I ask a realtor before hiring them?
- How do I find a realtor as a first-time home buyer?
- Can a realtor help me find a rental home?
- How long does it take to get matched with a realtor?
- How do realtors get client referrals from other cities?
- How can I get more real estate referrals without buying leads?
- What is Referral Chase?
- How do I join the Realtor Referral Hub?