Buyer Brokerage on Long Island is something that isn't practiced very often.  Many agents are unaware of exactly how buyer brokerage works and a lot of buyers certainly do not even realize it's existence. Those who know about Buyer Brokerage have many misconceptions about it. For example, they feel that they will have to pay a Broker above and beyond what they are going to pay for any home.  This is simply not true. Like any commission in Real estate, the transaction pays the commission.

I met a lovely couple this past weekend who have been searching for a home for quite some time.  They have worked with other realtors, but were unsatisfied with the level of service they were recieving.  Basically, the agents weren't supplying them with information that they were asking for, like comparables of similar properties in the neighborhood and comparables of homes that were updated.  The agents weren't wrong in not supplying this information, after all they were working with this particular couple in a "customer" capacity.  What this couple really wanted and needed was guidance and counsel from the agent, something that as a customer she could not provide.  However, this agent, because of her ignorance on the topic of Buyer Brokerage, did not provide this couple with the option of having them sign and become her client..or Buyer Broker Agreement. When I finally told her her options, why they weren't supplying the information and why I couldn't provide her the information she wanted unless we had a Buyer Broker agreement, she had said that she wished she knew that from the beginning because it would have made her experience to date a much better one.

I don't really know why Long Island has been so reluctant to do Buyer Brokerage. It's done everywhere else in the country including other parts of New York State.  I think if Buyers had someone advocating for them in the transaction they would feel .. well less like they were pushed iinto paying high prices or even overpaying.  Ask any buyer and most likely they already felt that their agent was representing them in the transaction , even though we give them a disclosure up front stating just the opposite.  Buyers are extremely vulnerable without the guidance and counsel of an experienced and knowledgeable agent to help them buy their next home. 

Agents on Long Island really do need to take the Buyer Brokerage Certification course, because the better educated we are, the better we can educate the public and join the rest of the country in embracing Buyer Brokerage.  And Buyers need to be aware of all the benefits of working with a Buyer Broker. I adress just that on my Buyer Services page, which up front confronts every major objection a buyer would have to Buyer Brokerage. I encourage all prospective Buyers to read it over, and I'll come in and do a presentation to show you exactly how Buyer Brokerage could work to your benefit.