No Broker

Possibly. You can use that as a negotiating tool. But its no guarantee.

No, that's not true, unless there is something in the listing agreement to specify that non-co-brokered deals pay a lower commission. Otherwise, if it's the standard commission, the seller pays the full commission regardless of whether it's co-brokered.

When I sold my GV apartment it was a slow period, the agreement read 3% if the listing agent sold himself, 4% if it was another agent in his office, 5% if it was co-brokered. It was co-brokered.

gg29...that is the strangest question I have ever seen on streeteasy...what difference does it make whether the buyer is represented by a broker...make an offer without bringing up the broker fee but calculate it in your offer.

It does give you an edge, but there's no need to use it so bluntly. You'll just make an enemy of the broker, who will make sure that if bids are close, you'll lose.

Simply make an offer you're comfortable with. The broker will want you to get the apartment, because the commission doesn't have to be split. Then it becomes a negotiation between the seller and the broker, with the broker effectively working for you - either with simple persuasion or by lowering the commission enough to seal the deal for you.

Generally not, because the listing agreements are often written that when there is no buyer's broker,the sellers' broker takes the full commission. But as stevejhx pointed out, sometimes there's a "step" agreement -- which might give you a swing of one or two percent.

However, you don't know, going in, what commission agreement is in place.

Unless you are a tradesperson who literally negotiates all day long, it's generally worth ceding that one to two percent advantage -- which might not even exist -- to bring on board a buyer's broker who can do the negotiating for you.

I know that there are people who don't like to use brokers, but if you must forgo, it should be on the sales side -- where you are generally in a stronger negotiating position -- and not on the buy side.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

Ali: Can't the broker waive the 6% clause and cut the commission to close the deal if the bid and ask are close?

Broker can waive a lot of the commision if they get approval of their higher ups at the firm and if that's what it takes to make the deal. I have a work associate who was refunded 1.5% commision by his selling broker when he said he wouldn't accept the offer below ask if they did not lower the commission. Another work associate sold via broker only with the condition of reducing commission by 1%. A buyer without a broker should put in writing your offer assuming the broker gives 2 or 3% back to the seller (you decide). Then when the seller sees this stipulation he can pressure his broker the give him back some commission to make the offer more palatable.

The commission can be changed, but it has to be done in such a way that you're not seen as delivering a kickback -- which is illegal in NYS -- so yes, it goes through the brokerage house and its lawyers. We have heard of some houses that disapprove, and so take reductions out of the agent's hide, so a drop from 6% to 4% means the firm still takes its expected 3%, and the agent drops down to 1% -- depending on what kind of year they're having, those numbers may or may not work.

Finally, in a multiple offer situation -- and the last apartment I sold went into multiple offers so don't tell me it doesn't happen anymore -- you have to disclose to every bidder if the commission footings are unequal, to re-level the playing field.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

That you imply brokers are in full discloser mode in their discussions with eith buyers or sellers is laughable.