I'm wondering if anyone on this board can provide some advice to me.
I am looking at purchasing my first home as a principal residence (I currently rent). I don't have a ton of knowledge about the real estate game, but I am not in a huge rush to purchase, and have the time to read and do research. I am frugal minded so I was thinking I could purchase without a buyers agent, however I was also considering using ComFree as a buyers agent. It looks like they keep a flat fee of the commission (2000$) and then split the remainder of the commission with you 50/50. They say they will do the follow for you: Build a buying strategy, send you email alerts and book showings of homes that meet your criteria, and help you decide on an offer strategy and help through negotiations.
I think the offer and negotiations phase is really the only one I might need some help with. I live in a fairly small town so I am able to refresh the realtor.ca page every day and analyze properties that come up for sale and whether I am interested. I also have my price range and desired area of town nailed down pretty well. I basically can sit and wait for the right place at the right price to come up for sale as I have at least a year to find a home.
Does it make sense for me to get ComFree to be my buyers agent, use no agent at all, or pony up the money to use a traditional real estate agent? Are there any books or websites about preparing an offer and negotiating that anyone would recommend?
