I appreciate your responses---I'll try to fill you in on some clarifying information as concisely as possible without too many boring details and hopefully without confusing you too much further (But I'm not always so good at that, so please bear with me). The builder is one of the leading custom home-builders in our area. They build in their own subdivisions as well as on a buyer's own property, specializing in small acreages. My husband and I like their homes---one plan in particular---and became interested a few years ago in possibly having them build it for us on a small acreage---if we could find it (nice, affordable raw land to build on is getting more and more scarce in our area). For about the past year, their real estate agent has been helping us to look for the land. He has shown us about a dozen properties, including a couple of already existing homes on small acreages, as we try to determine a direction for our next home purchase in case that perfect piece of raw land just wasn't out there for us. Well, the "perfect piece of property" did actually come available a few weeks ago and he assisted us in writing the offer and in representing us as the buyers' agent in making the land purchase. Our offer was accepted this time---contingent on the buildability of the property. The builder did do the building feasibility study on the land on our behalf. So far, we have not signed a contract with them to build the home, though we have been discussing pricing of their plan on our lot---but we have not come to even a verbal agreement about that. To be fair to them, they have invested considerable time and effort and, as I write this, I can see why they are pressing for a signed commitment from us at this point----we've made no guarantee that we'll work with them, especially if we aren't in alignment on the purchase price and other details. I spoke with the agent by phone today, and he was fairly cheerful about the fact that we won't be signing a contract for the building before we sign at the title company tomorrow. We do realize that at this point there's no reason for them to be competitive in their offer, without anyone to compete against!! Since the bid is on one of their own plans, I'm pretty sure we would not be able to acquire a set of plans in order to get other competitive bids. It feels like we've put some carts before the horses and have painted ourselves into a bit of a corner. It's too late to get an attorney to assist us at closing tomorrow---which is now 7 hours away and will already have been signed by the time most of you are reading this. I'm not entirely sure how to proceed at this point....

First I'll take a moment to apologize to the OP of the Realtor Horror story thread. I think I instituted the hijacking because I had just had a LA refuse to answer my questions because I was unofficially (unsigned, never met, a few email conversations) sort of working with someone in Ohio (I'm in Nebraska, the LA was in Ohio) it was a simple yes no question. a Yes answer, I would have had the other agent drive by. Anyway.... I put my personal experiences below but if your asking customers their opinions on what a listing agent duties are - my opinion is: (1) to sell the house for the highest possible price in the shortest amount of time. (2) Be Proactive, your seller shouldn't have to ask you for every bit of info or service, especially since they probably aren't aware of all of them (3) Be efficient and accurate with all the paperwork to include doing their best to foresee and forestall anything that might result in future litigation. This includes gathering info ahead of time, thinking ahead about possible road blocks, to move things along faster to get to closing and at closing (4) Do what you can to help the process along by being flexible and going the extra yard to save a sale. Those are sort of big mission statements. To be successful at them would include some of those bug a boo's like answering anyone's emails and questions. Helping a buyer's inexperienced (hopefully not justlazy) realtor to save sale. Going the mile on marketing - in a recent conversation at work someone was relating how they had to keep pushing and reminding their LA to get their house on the Cable Channel, fix typos on the MLS, that sort of thing. This may mean either taking fewer clients or having some sort of reciprocal trust agent friends at the agency that help each other out in time crunches. Setting up an agent tour, newspapers, extra signs on cross streets, open houses. Giving out the hard advice up front - "you need to have an inspection and get some things fixed before this goes on the market" "don't sink more money into X, you'll get more of your money back if you do X". "You need to get your c*** off the lawn - I'll hire someone to do it for you if you won't and send you the bill". Have a good list of numbers for cleaners, organizers, handymen, hardwood floor refinishers, movers to help clients out. Tap into any formal or informal networks they have - and hopefully they cultivate these by being on the school board or toastmasters or in other professional real estate clubs or organizations. The flexible part is important - if the agent is unavailable - will they let the seller help out? Call in another agent? Can they delegate or will they let something slip by because they got caught up in something else. The first house I owned (southern Michigan) had been signed over to me by my very generous parents. It was a long term rental dive but still:) When I sold it I was extremely ignorant and the listing agent sold it to a client that she had all along who had been looking for exactly my property. Not really kosher on the pricing I'm thinking. This was 1993? At the same time I was buying in a nearby town. My buyer's realtor showed me lots of houses, I can't remember but I assume they were on some sort of lock box, never saw a listing agent anyway. Maybe they were all with her agency I don't know (remember I was very ignorant). I ended up finding the house I wanted myself, listed with a different agency. I think my realtor came with me to the showing but the listing agent showed it initially. I think sometimes who shows it or shows up is realtor availability and also back then technology in terms of lockboxes etc. was maybe not so common. Fast forward to 3 years ago here in Nebraska and my buyer's agent showed me everything. Lock boxes quite high tech. Never saw a listing agent. Eventually I ended up building and my realtor and I met with the builders (listing?) agent. He handled the "deal" part for the builder. Also - I signed agreements pretty much right away with every realtor (listing or buyer) I've ever worked with and they were usually at least 90 days. The reports of agents actually showing houses and doing things without a contract are a big surprise to me. Ill add that one thing a buyer's agent apparently needs to do is inform clients of any regional laws or etiquette they would like their clients to abid by - like I don't mind you calling listing agents with questions as long as you tell them your working with me. Or don't even bother there's a law against that (I can hardly believe that but maybe). Or I don't want you calling anyone you must work through me (in which case I'm out of there:)

I personally (which doesn't mean anything!:) would consider how easy or hard a sell the house will be as a negotiating point when it comes to commission. I.e. if I were a seller in a slow market but had a "hot" property aggressively priced to sell soon - I would imagine I might be able to use that as a bargaining point for a 1% less. Conversely if I were a realtor and someone wanted me to sell an overpriced slovenly mess, I'd stick to my 6% or whatever because I know I'm going to have to deal with it a lot longer. I'm not sure what your market is or how easily your house will sell. In addition to Roselvr's excellent list, I would certainly look at their listings on the MLS to see if the pictures are ok, the write ups well written and without mistakes. You might want to have it put in the contract that you get to review the MLS listing, pictures etc. before it goes on. There are intangibles, will they take input from you? Many will blow you off, just a little, they are used to dealing with nervous sellers. I had a perfectly nice, competent realtor but it just didn't seem as urgent to her that the pictures she took were barely ok and the pictures I had taken (several photography classes) were better. Or wasn't that timely in getting her pictures which were shrunk and turned around fixed. I was freaking because I think first impressions are important and of course all these things were wrong for the first week it was on the MLS. Last - these are really just my observations reflected through my world view and yours will be different. You can consider the age and gender you might want in an agent. I've had two young inexperienced agents and I feel I have now done my bit to pay back those who gave me a leg up in my field when I was young and inexperienced. I wouldn't say never to someone young and inexperienced but I'd think twice. I am starting to prefer male agents. Women still seem to handle all family emergencies etc. more than men and I have had them be unavailable at inopportune times because their realtor schedules are more flexible that the spouse with a 8-5 job (of course the gender could be reversed here), or in one case their new second husband with a regular job wants them to travel with them on weekends, or what have you. Personally I have liked some of the older, towards the end of their career agents. Some of them have gotten to the point where they tell you what they really think vs. what I call "professional speak" which often tells you nothing but is something they probably learn to do in seminars. Their time is more their own, sure they are often still working because they need to but sometimes also for the personal interaction and joy of it. I think most people probably communicate well with an agent in similar life circumstances.

Not everyone is good enough to do it themselves. Alot will waste their money trying, and go full service. You will need more time, and alot of patience. Some agents will avoid you, and some may send ringers. But if you frequent here, you may have the passion it takes. And you will save a BUNCH of money. I have sold 2 times with flat fee (FF) listings. I have also tried to buy FFs on 3 different occasions, but didn't win. These were great homes I saw on the net (4 bed, 3 bath, 3 car, big yard, good schools, etc.), and of course these went quickly no matter who listed them. A clean, well priced house sells itself. My agent never said a word about them being FFs when I told her I wanted to see them - maybe because we didn't have a signed agreement, and I could have cut her out (I wouldn't do that though). If she would have refused any - she would no longer have been my agent. Here is my advice on FF selling: You will need to be comfortable negotiating at a disadvantage with the buyers agent. Buyers Agents will use several tried and true tricks that you as a seller will not recognize like a seasoned agent. CMAs can be tailored low or high. Avoid negotiations with the BA directly if you can - use a fax or a friend to receive the offer as it will get emotional. Even discount agents will act as an intermediary in this day and age, even if it is just to fax in and out. Since the internet is so important now - get the best pictures you can, and make sure they are bright enough. Many monitors show perfectly normal pictures as dark. Of course you have to clean, declutter, depersonalize, deoderize, fix, etc. All of that should be a given when selling. Watch all the cable shows for cheap fix-ups. People don't want to do $#!+ anymore, so make it look good. The flyer must be professional looking. Keep it simple with concrete information like sizes, mechanicals, schools, upgrades, and new replacements (wood floors, gas fireplace, granite, new 16 SEER, ). Skip the flowery descriptions, and don't list everything. Go look a several flyers. Border it, and put a legal disclaimer in small print on the bottom to make it look professional (no discrimination by race, measurements are approx, etc.) Put the discount agents name and number on the flyer. Do not put FSBO or flat fee or "save by buying through us!" ANYWHERE on the document. Let your agent tell the interested party its FSBO, it will be a nice surprise (paid just the $395 vs. $7.8K on my first sale since the buyer went directly through me). Have the flyers printed at a copy place with some gloss, not on your computer. MOST IMPORTANT: DO NOT USE THE RED FSBO SIGN. Scares away a lot of people. Also, people with agents may feel guilty. Find a FF lister with a good sign - this is very important. If your only FF lister doesn't give a sign, then make one and ask if you can put their name on it as eg. FOR SALE, MLS# 12345,agent STEED SMITH, 555-1234. You must get a lockbox, and you must leave when an agent is showing. If a person is not using an agent, ask if they are approved, and get their mortgage co's number. If you are frail, then you may just accept buyers with agents only. And finally - price it right under the last comp, and always offer the full 3% to BAs. Keep it under a price point on realtor.com ($349.9K instead of $352). If you don't think the last comp is good enoug - THEN DON"T SELL NOW. As Nickleson once said, "You can't handle the truth." I also don't understand why offering an agent more is any better than lowing the price or offering allowances, but some feeble minded people can be intimidated by their agent so it may have some value. Thats all I have to say about that...