You certainly don't need to be with an agent to drop in on an open house—and visiting a few can help you refine what you're looking for, which in turn helps your future agent help you.
REALTORS® are negotiation experts. If you buy a home without an agent, you'll have to negotiate and decide how much to offer on your own. This may cause you to unknowingly overpay for your home – or lose out on one you want.
Do you have to have a realtor to buy a house in NC? Fortunately, NC is a dual agency state, meaning home buyers don't legally have to work with an agent who has a relationship with the seller. Whether you are buying or selling, you should work with your own agent if you plan on using a realtor.
Real estate sales usually involve professional realtors who earn commissions when a sale closes. But buyers and sellers have no obligation to use a realtor. Generally speaking, parties to a real estate transaction have three options: (1) realtor representation; (2) self-representation; and (3) lawyer representation.
You must use a title company or an escrow agent to facilitate closing in North Carolina, even if you're selling without a realtor. Although North Carolina doesn't require sellers to hire a real estate attorney, you may want to hire one to draw up your sales contract and make sure you comply with local laws.
As an FSBO seller, you will have to take on all the responsibilities that a realtor would, and you might need a good amount of knowledge of home selling. Working with realtors may make your life easier, but it definitely not essential. The average realtor commission rate in North Carolina is between 5.01% and 6.19%.
If you buy a home without an agent, you'll have to negotiate and decide how much to offer on your own. This may cause you to unknowingly overpay for your home – or lose out on one you want.
The Brokerage then pays out to both the realtor and the buyer's realtor. In that case, if there is no buyer's realtor, the entire commission goes to the seller's agent. Generally speaking, the seller's agent ends up doing a lot of work for the unrepresented buyer.