[C&CGray-AK]

My 2 cents...

I have tried to weed through the various writings by folks (mostly real estate companies, lawyers, NAR, and agents) to get an idea what this means to me as a future buyer of a house in the villages. There are pros and cons to the new rules but the outcome (who benefits) will really depend on if it is a buyers or sellers market.

In a sellers market, assuming there is not a need for an immediate sale, the seller has the advantage because they can filter out any offer which asks the seller to pay the buyer's fees. Why not maximize their profit: it is their house for sale and what I would do.

This leaves the buyer with three options: pay the agent/broker out of their own cash reserves, deal directly with the seller/seller's agent, or go elsewhere. Another option is to only buy houses listed on the Villages website and avoid all this for the buyer???

A buyers market would essentially just be like pre NAR lawsuit where the seller pays for all fees.

Personally, I have enough experience buying and selling houses I would feel comfortable with handling a purchase on my own. I would start with FSBOs, then focus on the Village's website listings, then deal directly with the buyer and bypass hiring any real estate agent. Or hire one for very limited aspects for a fixed fee.

I am sure there are a lot of factors for different folks and buyers & sellers will have to adjust to the new procedures. On the good side, it should create competition between agents/brokers which MAY reduce overall commission costs for buyers and sellers.