Answers by Zoltan Peresztegi

Worth flagging for anyone reading this now: the question is from May 2021, and the rules changed materially in August 2024. Some of the answers above describe the old system. The one sentence answer has not changed: there is no standard commission, there never was, and any agent who tells you there is a going rate is either mistaken or shading the truth. Rates are set by each brokerage and are negotiable between you and your agent. They cannot lawfully be set collectively across the industry, which is an antitrust matter, and that is precisely what the litigation was about. What has changed is the plumbing, and this is the part worth understanding. Before August 2024, a seller and their listing agent agreed on a total fee, and the offer to pay the buyer's agent was published in the MLS. Buyers rarely saw or negotiated any of it, because it appeared to be coming out of the seller's side. Now, offers of compensation to a buyer's agent cannot be published through the MLS. And a buyer generally must sign a written agreement with their agent, stating that agent's fee, before touring homes. So the buyer side is now an explicit negotiation between the buyer and their own agent rather than something arranged over their head. Practically, for a seller, you negotiate what you pay your listing agent, and separately you decide whether you are willing to contribute toward the buyer's agent fee. Many sellers still do, because it widens the buyer pool, but it is now a deal-by-deal decision rather than an automatic one. For a buyer, you agree your agent's fee up front, then you have three ways it can get paid: the seller offers to cover it, you request it as a seller concession in your offer, or you pay it yourself. Most deals still land on one of the first two. Structures you can ask for, since almost nobody knows these are available: a percentage, a flat fee, a tiered percentage that rises if the agent exceeds a target price, or in rare cases hourly. Ask. The worst outcome is a no. Two things I would tell anyone on either side of this. Cheapest is not the metric. A percentage point of a fee is small next to what a mispriced listing or a badly handled inspection negotiation costs you. Ask what the fee buys, specifically, in marketing and in negotiation. Get it in writing before anyone starts working. That protects both of you. I am a real estate professional in Los Angeles and the South Bay. Happy to talk through how this works wherever you are, and to connect you with a strong local agent. Zoltan Peresztegi, Los Angeles and South Bay real estate professional

Short answer: as a buyer, almost never skip it. A home inspection is a few hundred dollars that can save you from a five-figure surprise, and it is the cheapest insurance in the entire purchase. Here is the nuance, because I know why you are asking. In competitive markets, buyers sometimes waive inspections to make their offer stand out. I understand the temptation, but waiving means you are buying blind: the roof, the sewer line, the electrical, the foundation, all unknown. If you feel you must compete on this, there is a middle path many buyers miss, an information-only inspection. You still inspect and learn everything, but you agree not to ask for repairs. You keep your eyes open while still writing a clean offer. A couple of things worth adding: - Add specialists where the house warrants it. A general inspection is the starting point; on older homes I would also scope the sewer line and look hard at the roof, electrical panel, and HVAC. - Sellers benefit too. A pre-listing inspection lets you fix or price issues on your terms rather than during a stressful escrow renegotiation. - Use it to plan, not just to panic. Even a clean inspection tells you what to budget for over the next five years. The only buyers who can reasonably consider skipping are all-cash buyers who fully understand and accept the risk, and even then I usually advise against it. I am Zoltan Peresztegi, a Realtor, SRES, and Palos Verdes and South Bay specialist in Los Angeles. If you are local I am glad to walk you through it, and if not I can connect you with a strong agent from my network in your area. Zoltan

The goal of prep is simple: help buyers fall in love in the first few seconds, online and at the door. Here is where your effort pays off, roughly in order: - Declutter and depersonalize. Pack away the excess and the personal photos so buyers can imagine themselves living there. This is free and it makes rooms feel bigger. - Deep clean. A spotless, fresh-smelling home reads as well-maintained. Do not skip carpets, windows, and grout. - Neutral paint where it is tired. Fresh, neutral paint is one of the highest-return dollars you can spend. - Curb appeal. Trim, mulch, a clean entry, and a fresh doormat. The first photo and the first impression are the exterior. - Handle the small stuff. Leaky faucets, sticky doors, burned-out bulbs. Individually minor, collectively they signal neglect. - Then professional photos. Once it is prepped, great photography is what actually markets it, since buyers decide from the listing images first. Just as important, where NOT to overspend before selling: - Major renovations right before listing rarely return their full cost. A brand-new kitchen usually does not pay you back dollar for dollar. - Highly personal upgrades. Let the buyer choose their own big finishes. - When in doubt, ask an agent what buyers in your specific market actually reward, since it varies a lot by area and price point. A pre-listing inspection is also worth considering, so you find issues before a buyer does. I am Zoltan Peresztegi, a Realtor, SRES, and Palos Verdes and South Bay specialist in Los Angeles, and steering sellers toward the high-return prep and away from the money pits is a big part of what I do. If you are local I am glad to do a walkthrough, and if not I can connect you with a strong agent from my network. Zoltan

Yes, and you should. But there is an important split here that the answers above skip past, and it has changed since this was asked back in 2017. Interviewing several agents: absolutely, do it, and two to four is a sensible number. Nobody will be offended and any agent who is offended has told you something useful. Working with several at the same time: that is where it goes sideways, and it is worth understanding why. There is a concept in this business called procuring cause. It decides which agent is credited with bringing a buyer to the property that they eventually buy. If three agents have been sending you listings and one of them showed you the house you end up purchasing, there can be a genuine dispute about who earned the commission. You are usually not the one who pays for that fight, but it can absolutely delay or complicate your closing, and it puts you in the middle of something you did not sign up for. There are two specific traps. Open houses. If you walk into one alone and sign the register, the agent hosting it may later claim they introduced you to that property. If you already have an agent, say so at the door and write their name on the sheet. New construction. Sales offices almost always require your agent to register you or be present on your very first visit. Walk in alone and you can permanently lose the ability to have your own representation on that purchase, and the builder's sales rep works for the builder, not for you. The other thing that has changed since 2017: an agent now generally needs a signed written buyer representation agreement with you before they can tour you through homes. So the "casually work with four agents" arrangement you were imagining is largely not how it operates anymore. What you can still do is interview four, sign with one, and negotiate a short initial term so you can leave if it is not working. Ask for that specifically. A good agent will agree to it. How I would actually run the interviews. Ask each one what they would tell you NOT to do, ask how they handle it when an inspection comes back badly, and ask for two references from clients whose deals did not go smoothly. Anybody can hand you three happy references. The useful information is in the hard ones. One more note for anyone finding this later: the market and the commission rules have both changed enormously since this was asked, so treat any specific figures in the older answers here with caution. I am a real estate professional in Los Angeles and the South Bay, so I am not the right agent for the Harrisburg area, but I am glad to help you find good candidates to interview there. Zoltan Peresztegi, Los Angeles and South Bay real estate professional

Great question, and with a long thread here already, let me give you the short list of what actually moves your final number, ranked by return. - Price it right on day one. This is the single biggest lever. The most showings and the best offers come in the first two weeks, so a home priced correctly out of the gate usually sells for more than one priced high and reduced later. Overpricing quietly costs you money. - Prep and present. Declutter, deep clean, handle the small repairs, and invest in professional photography, since almost every buyer decides from the online photos first. This is cheap money for a real return. - Consider a pre-listing inspection. Knowing your issues before a buyer does lets you fix or price them on your terms instead of scrambling during escrow. - Negotiate net, not just price. The highest offer is not always the best one. A slightly lower offer with fewer contingencies, a clean appraisal-gap position, or a flexible close can net you more and close more reliably. - Time it if you can. Local demand and season matter. A good agent will tell you whether waiting a few weeks helps or hurts in your specific market. One thing sellers forget: your net is what matters. Ask an agent for a net-proceeds sheet, and if you have significant gain, ask a CPA about the primary-residence exclusion. I am a real estate professional, not a tax advisor, so that piece is a conversation for them. I am Zoltan Peresztegi, a Realtor, SRES, and Palos Verdes and South Bay specialist in Los Angeles. If you are in my area I am glad to build this plan with you, and if not I can connect you with a strong listing agent from my network. Zoltan