Join a new generation of buyers saving thousands of dollars with zero commission and no agents. Buying a home without an agent doesn’t have to be scary. Realtyless walks you through every step of the buying process with local professionals so you can confidently buy your new home and save thousands of dollars.
We know you don’t want to buy just any home, you want to buy the perfect home for you. Realtyless helps you buy your perfect home on any platform.
Save 3% on your home by skipping the buyer’s agent and commission. Your savings will compound over a 30 year mortgage. You’ll have a smaller down payment and smaller mortgage payments every month. So there’s more money in your pocket to spend on things that really matter to you.
Savings based on 5% interest and 20% down payment
Save on your mortgage with zero commission
What will you buy with your savings?
For homes not on Realtyless, this article walks you through the process of buying an agent listed home. Join Realtyless for step by step help and bookmark this page for reference on the buying process.
Financing preapproval is the first step to buying a home. It’ll guide your search for homes you can afford and help secure your offer when you’ve found the right home.
Financing preapproval is commitment free. All lenders on Realtyless are local and independent. Realtyless does not earn a commission or fees from any lender.
Financing preapproval provides an accurate mortgage estimate based on your financial situation. A lender will review documentation for your expenses, income, and assets and confirm your ability to make mortgage payments.
Financing preapproval is the first step to buying a home. It helps you focus your search on homes you can afford. When you find the right home, you’ll be ready to submit a serious offer backed by verified financing.
Realtyless makes it easy to send your preapproval application to three local lenders of your choosing. This streamlined process makes it easy to compare rates and find the best financing option tailored to you.
Gathering a few income and expense documents before you get started will help you complete the preapproval application. You will need a copy of your current W-2 or proof of income, asset account statements, monthly expenses, real estate, and employment information.
You’ll complete the financing preapproval form just once and can send it to up to three local mortgage loan officers with just one click.
You can quickly and securely contact any of your selected lenders via the secure Realtyless message system.
Note: The lenders will generally complete a credit check before issuing you a preapproval. A credit check is coded as a hard inquiry on your credit score and may temporarily lower your score by a few points. The good news is your selected lenders on Realtyless all do a credit inquiry during a short period of time. The inquiries are typically grouped together as a single credit check which has less impact on your credit score.
Compare your preapprovals taking note of the preapproval amount, interest rate, term, fees, closing costs, down payment amount, and insurance requirements.
Select the preapproval that is the best financing option for you. The preapproval is commitment free. If you want to compare more options, you can continue searching for financing up until you find the right home.
Note: Your preapproval is based on a snapshot of your finances at the time of your application. Try not to make any drastic financial changes such as changing jobs or taking on additional debt. If you make drastic financial changes, you may not be able to receive the loan you were preapproved for. Preapprovals are generally issued for 3 months. If you need additional time to find the right home, you can request a preapproval extension from your lender or resubmit your application.
Setting up showings for homes outside Realtyless is easy. Just identify the listing agent, call to schedule a showing, and confirm the appointment.
Showings are a wonderful resource to find out more about a home. They’ll help you envision living in the home and provide details that you don’t see in the photography. You can request to view the seller disclosure during your showing so you are aware of any known defects about the house.
You can find the listing agent by looking for a section titled listed by/presented by on real estate websites. There, you can find the listing agent’s name and search for the phone number. It’s as simple as scrolling to find the agent and making a phone call to save thousands of dollars.
Find the listing agent on popular real estate websites:
Zillow & Tulia: These two sister sites provide only the listing agent’s name. You’ll have to do a little internet digging to get in touch with the listing agent but the savings are worth the effort. Just copy and paste the listing agent’s name and the city into your search bar to find contact information for the agent.
Redfin: Under the section titled “About This Home”, you’ll find the listing agent. There is generally a picture of the agent and their name. The name is a clickable hyperlink where you can easily find the agent’s phone number.
Realtor.com: Scroll to the bottom of the listing page to the section with the listing agent, brokerage, brokerage location, property ID, and data source. The listing agent is titled “Presented by” and usually has a hyperlink to the agent’s page. After clicking the hyperlink, you can easily find the agent’s phone number.
Consider: Make sure you are contacting the listing agent as many real estate websites make money by directing showing inquiries to buyer’s agents who have paid to advertise on their site. As a general rule of thumb, any request for your information, button to schedule a showing, or field to input a question will direct you to a buyer’s agent who has paid to receive your information.
Agents pay a lot of money for your information because your home search is extremely profitable to them. If a buyer’s agent shows you a house that you decide to purchase, they make around 3% of the sale price. We challenge you to do the math for the homes you’re looking at; a buyer’s agent commission typically equates to tens of thousands of dollars.
Now that you’ve identified the listing agent and their phone number, it’s time to call to the agent to set up a showing.
You’ll want to introduce yourself and let the agent know which property you are interested in viewing. Then, let the listing agent know you’re self-represented (not using a buyer’s agent) and that you’ve secured financing preapproval. Lastly, propose a few times for a showing and request access to the seller disclosure during the showing. The seller disclosure is a legal questionnaire completed by the seller that will inform you of any known defects about the property.
Buyer:
Hello, is this (Sarah Listing Agent)?
Agent:
Yes.
Buyer:
My name is (John Buyer). I’m interested in the property at (123 Property Address). I’m a self-represented buyer and have been pre-approved for financing. Is it possible to set up a showing on (Tuesday at 2) or (Thursday at 6)?
Agent:
Yes, I am available 2 o’clock on Tuesday.
Buyer:
Great! I will meet you at the house on Tuesday at 2 o’clock. Can you bring the seller disclosure for me to view?
Agent:
Sure.
Buyer:
Thank you!
Consider: The listing agent’s goal is to sell the house. They are not your best source for reliable information. It’s your choice if you want them to talk to you about the house during the showing or if you want to view the home quietly. Let them know your preferences when you meet them at the house. Just remember, the agent works for the seller and everything they say should be taken with a grain of salt.
Call the listing agent the morning of to confirm the showing appointment.
Buyer:
Hi (Sarah Listing Agent). This is (John Buyer) confirming our showing appointment at (123 Property Address) at (2 o’clock) today.
Agent:
Hi (John Buyer). Yes, I’ll see you then.
Scheduling showings outside Realtyless is as easy as calling the listing agent. You’ll save thousands of dollars in agent commission and have a stronger offer by skipping the buyer’s agent.
When you find the house you love, the next step is to submit an offer to purchase. For a home listed by an agent, many buyers choose to hire a state licensed real estate lawyer to draft the contract and help with negotiations.
A real estate lawyer will draft the offer to purchase with the information you provide including the address, buyer info, seller info, and purchase price. They’ll help with any legal questions you may have regarding the contract and property. They’ll also be available to help with negotiations. Your lawyer will submit your signed offer to the listing agent on your behalf.
Fees vary depending on which real estate lawyer you choose. Realtyless makes it easy to compare local real estate lawyers and find the one that best meets your needs. Around $500 is typical for purchase contract services.
As a self represented buyer, you don’t have to pay 3% of the sale price to a buyer’s agent. For example, there is a $15,000 buyer agent commission on a $500,000 home. Consider how skipping the agent commission can factor into your offer. You can save money by reducing your offer in the amount of the commission savings or write a more attractive offer by splitting the savings with the seller. Ask your lawyer for advice on specifying a reduced agent commission in the offer to purchase.
Realtyless makes it easy to compare and hire a real estate lawyer right through the platform. You’ll provide your lawyer with the information to generate the contract and can ask advice or clarification on any legal questions that arise through the secure Realtyless message system.
Consider: Buying a house is a large purchase. Consider seeking your own legal representation to ensure it is done correctly and in your best interest. The listing agent represents the seller. Be cautious of a contract created by the listing agent no matter how straight forward it may seem.
After you have an accepted offer, the last step to buying your new home is completing the closing documents. A licensed title agent will help complete the documents and verify the title to ensure the house can be sold.
A title is the legal right to the ownership of the property. The title and the record of the transfer will be recorded on a document called a deed.
A title agent will help complete the documents to transfer the title. They’ll perform a title search to verify the seller has the right to sell the house. They’ll confirm any debt, mortgage, or lien on the house is satisfied. A title agent will generally issue title insurance so you have piece of mind about your ownership of the home.
Realtyless makes it easy to compare and hire local title agents right through the platform. You can contact your title agent anytime through the secure Realtyless chat.
Step 1: Hire a licensed local title agent through Realtyless.
Step 2: Your title agent will ask you a few questions about yourself, the seller, and the home. They will also contact your lender to finalize the funding.
Step 3: The title agent will complete a title search and draft the closing documents.
Step 4: You’ll review and sign the closing documents and be ready to move into your new home.
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