The Real Estate Euphemism Pocket Translator

I don't know how many "For Sale By Owner" sellers want to spend 2 to 3 hours at the kitchen table with a prospective buyer. I REALLY don't know why a buyer would do it. The world the above poster lives in is honest. I have found that even when sellers ARE honest they don't always reveal all that a buyer would want them to if they only knew.

Most buyers already skip buyer agents. They use agents from the same company that listed the house who CALL themselves buyer agents but in fact are AT BEST dual agents but sometimes specifically working as an advocate for a seller. I know sellers would rather not have a buyer using an agent that is advocating for the buyer. Price negotiation is basically a zero sum game.

That there is more to it than that, though, is proven by the list of euphemisms that the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUYER AGENTS ( http://www.naeba.org ) has compiled. Seeing what is behind the words can save a buyer from making a serious mistake.

True Exclusive Buyer Agents (by definition) work for companies that never list homes or work for sellers. There is a reason that law firms don't represent both side in a conflict. It is called 'conflict of interest'. That is the same reason Exclusive Buyer Agents (like NAEBA members) chose the Exclusive Buyer Agent business model.

-- Paul Howard,Broker, NJHomeBuyer.com Realty, Cherry Hill NJ

Paul Howard of NJ 8:46AM September 16, 2008