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There are many ways to buy a home...one is the right way.

      Homebuyer Associates has come a long way since it was formed 14 years ago. We remain Wisconsin's largest exclusive buyer agent real estate firm and the four county area's only exclusive buyer agent firm.

      There is no misunderstanding about who we represent because we work only for you. There are no internal office conflicts of interest as there are in a traditional real estate
company where agents act as both listing/selling agents and
buyer agents. How can an agent claim to be a buyer agent
when his or her company's primary motivation is to sell homes,
lots of homes, for the highest price possible? An agent claiming
to be a buyer agent in such a company would be working at
cross purposes to the real estate company's primary purpose SELLING homes.
"How can an agent claim to be a buyer agent when his or her company's primary motivation is to sell homes, lots of homes, for the highest price possible?"
Michael D. Holloway

     At Homebuyer Associates our vested interest is to locate the home you want, on your terms, at the best price possible, obtain financing and close on schedule. Most consumers don't understand who works for whom in the real estate process. That's a financial mistake. Take the time to understand the real estate process and our role as exclusive buyer agents, then make the process work for you - not against you. You won't remain "one of those consumers" when you understand the real estate process. You will have become an enlightened consumer, a smart home buyer. Remember, in the traditional system, both agents work for the seller, and make more money if you spend more money. That doesn't seem fair, right, or ethical. We have a better way for you to buy a home and you can take comfort in that as a homebuyer. Let me explain....

You make money when you buy a home...not when you sell it.
A well planned real estate purchase can provide financial rewards for the future. A poorly planned
purchase will result in the loss of your hard earned dollars.
When buying a home, the single largest investment you will make in your lifetime, consult a full-time-buyer-agent. Talk to Homebuyer Associates.


Want a friend? Get a dog. Want to buy a home? Get us.

      I believe there is only one way to be a buyer agent and that's an exclusive buyer agent. An exclusive buyer agent works for you. In the traditional real estate system, you deal with agents who work for the seller, including the agent with the lawn sign and the agent who is a friend of a friend who shows you homes. Two agents, both working for the seller.

      A home is the largest single investment you will make in your lifetime. You should be represented from start (searching for a home) to middle (obtaining financing for the home) to the finish (closing the purchase). If you want a friend, you should get a dog, but if you want someone to represent your interests in the homebuying process, you should get Homebuyer Associates. For example:
      If you purchase a $125,000 home, two agents will split the commission paid by the seller. If the commission is 6% ($7,500), the agent with the lawn sign (listing agent) keeps $4,500 and the other agent (selling agent) who also works for the seller, keeps $3,000 - a process called co-broking in the real estate business. It's simple. Unless you have a signed contract with an agent, the agent works for the seller.
"I'm not going to
say anymore about exclusive buyer agency vs. buyer agency because that would insult your intelligence."
      We eliminate the selling agent and claim the the $3,000 on your behalf as our contract. We have a written contract with our clients so "we don't make more money if you spend more money."
In the past, there were listing agents and selling agents, both of whom worked for the seller, and Homebuyer Associates, exclusive buyer agents. Real estate companies, concerned about losing business, now allow their agents to be listing agents, selling agents or buyer agents. (Who claim to work for you, but work for a company whose primary goal is to sell homes for the highest price possible - huh?).
      A spokesperson for Wisconsin Realtors Association inadvertantly made my case for using Homebuyer Associates. Speaking of traditional agents he said: "during negotiations, the company cannot put the interests of one client ahead of the other in the same transaction." Then who does that company's "buyer agent" work for - you or his or her company's goal of selling homes?


Common Myths

Myth # 1:           Why pay a buyer agent when traditional agents can do the same thing?
      You will understand that you don't pay our fee directly when you take the time to understand the real estate process. Money which is going to be split by two agents (see page four) should work for you, not against you. When we meet I will explain our very simple proposition. We will give you a fixed contract. It's not a commission. We will take the portion of what is referred to as a co-broke and apply it against your contract. At Homebuyer Associates, we help you buy a home, not sell one to you.
      By the way, traditional agents can't do the same things we do. For example, a traditional agent can't tell you the home isn't worth the asking price. Good thing we can tell our clients, or one of our clients wouldn't have recently saved $42,000. The seller was asking $260,000. We didn't think the home was worth it. Our client purchased the home for $218,000.

Myth # 2:           Our company gets listings before other agents.
      Where to begin? Agents working in the four county metro area search the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for homes on the market. When a home is listed for sale, it must be placed in the MLS within 24- 48 hours. This stuff about some companies knowing about homes for sale before other companies is said for no other purpose than to create a sense of panic. We don't believe in panic. We search the MLS and For Sale by Owners. I call it the boring, methodical approach to buying a home.

Myth # 3:           We have an office in the area so we'll find your home easier.
      One word - technology. Traditional companies carry substantial overhead because they own offices throughout the four county metropolitan area. They claim this allows them to "know" an area. Technology. At Homebuyer Associates, research to locate homes and prepare market value analysis is now done by computer, not by an "office".

Myth # 4:           We don't sell homes so we can't help you if you must sell before buying.
      Talk to us, with our insight, we may actually save you money when selling.


Make your money work for you

      One of the most misunderstood concepts in real estate is how real estate agents are paid. If you understand the following, there will be only two reasons you don't use Homebuyer Associate's Exclusive Buyer Agent services - my personality or because we are not a large company. I'm not such a bad guy and I like the idea of personal service, so we'll remain a small company.
      Let me explain. When you buy a home, you indirectly pay part of the commission by virtue of the fact you are buying the home. The commission is going to be paid by the seller whether or not you use our services, so why not make the that money work for you?
      We replace the selling agent and work directly with the listing agent. We claim the $3,000 (column D) on your behalf because you are entitled to have someone work for you and protect your interests in the homebuying process. The seller pays the same commission and the listing agent splits the commission whether an exclusive buyer agent or selling agent is involved. For example, if our fee is $3,200 we take the $3,000 from column D and apply it towards your contract. The cost to you is $200.

A
Home Sale Price


$125,000 		B
Commission Paid
By The Seller

$7,500 		C
Listing Agent,
agent w/lawn sign

$4,500 		D
Selling Agent
any other agent

$3,000


       If you don't use our services, you should have an attorney and inspection, which will cost you $600. We pay for an inspection and represent you as Exclusive Buyer Agents part of our fee, consider any out of pocket cost to use our services against the money you would spend if you didn't use our services.
      Homebuying is an investment of money and time. Use your money and time wisely by making an informed choice - talk to Homebuyer Associates. Finally, while we don't sell homes, if you must sell before buying we will help you craft a plan so that you don't sell or buy from a position of panic. Call us at 961-7722 for an appointment or e-mail me at homebuy@execpc.com or visit us at... www.homebuyerassociates.com.