Is there a difference between a commission rebate and a listing agent deciding to waive part of the buy side real estate commission? Short answer: yes.
I recently had a potential client decide to work with the listing agent directly to try to buy a home in Colorado. The buyer was comforted by the fact that the listing agent said she would reduce the commission the seller’s would owe, presumably yielding a better deal to this buyer…much like a buyer rebate, or commission rebate, could.
But when that necessitated the listing agent becoming a transaction-broker for both the seller and the buyer, putting in her in a position to receive commission on “both sides” of the deal…it didn’t work out as good as the buyer had hoped. Thee buyer ended up calling me back, and that buyer is likely to be ensured of getting into their dream home for thousands less they would have if they had decided to work with the woman who had listed the home!