[quote=patientrenter]george, I hope you get some good advice here from the experts. But you are planning to spend at least $2 million on one item, and you don’t want to engage a professional for a fee to help you make the best decision? Penny-wise, pound-foolish, perhaps?[/quote]
Home purchase contracts are really quite simple and to a great extent standardized. I’ve worked with and developed contracts that are far more complicated and bought and sold a number of homes in the past. If I get involved in a weird deal I’ll consult an expert. I’ll probably shop for a regular agent as we get closer to our target date, but they will have to match the $37,500 kickback (25% commission on $2.5M) or be pretty damned impressive. On the selling side I am much more inclined to use an agent as they bring a lot more value to the table in terms of sales skills, contacts and protecting me from seller liabilities.