Real-estate junk fees make home buying, housing market more expensive

  • 📰 BusinessInsider
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 51 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 24%
  • Publisher: 51%

Health Health Headlines News

An explosion of hidden 'junk fees' is making every home more expensive

"It just has to be looked at as a junk fee," Stephen Brobeck, a senior fellow at the Consumer Federation of America, told me."They can get away with it, so they charge it." When you enlist a real-estate agent to help you buy or sell a home, one of the first things you'll want to ask them is how they get paid. The vast majority of real-estate agents are independent contractors who rely on commissions to earn a living.

The size of the fee runs the gamut, though it typically ranges between $250 and $500, Brobeck told me. An agent in Las Vegas who recently switched brokerage firms and requested anonymity to talk about their fee structures told me he interviewed with seven brokerages when he was making the change. All charged an admin fee, usually between $400 and $600.

"Certainly they go toward the bottom line of any brokerage," Robinette told me."But it's just gravy. It's all about increasing the profit." A forthcoming agent will disclose any admin fee right at the beginning of the process. Often a buyer or a seller will sign an agreement with their agent that outlines the fees they can expect to pay — when they list their house, for example, or before they make their first offer on one. But that doesn't always happen, and the legal requirements can vary from state to state. Sometimes clients simply don't read through the documents they're signing.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 729. in HEALTH

Health Health Latest News, Health Health Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

ChatGPT and Generative AI in Banking: How to PrepareInsider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know.
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Wells Fargo customer lost $68K after being tricked by scammer: reportA Wells Fargo customer lost $68,000 after being tricked into making a wire transfer by a scammer, report says
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Eric Adams is handing out hundreds of free Apple AirTags in New YorkEric Adams is handing out hundreds of free Apple AirTags in a bid to cut the number of auto thefts in New York
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Billions of dollars of bad real-estate debt could mean big bank lossesInsider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know.
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »

Chuck Schumer says GOP debt ceiling bill won't pass, to be scrutinizedChuck Schumer wants to publicly eviscerate Republicans' debt ceiling bill, which he says has 'no hope of ever becoming law'
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »