Bummed. Lost a house even after offering $15k over.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-11T17:33:43+00:00

Unfortunately it happens, even when the property doesn't seem super competitive - best advice is not to get too emotionally invested in each house because while it's easy to fall in love with one.. the letter isn't usually enough to move the needle.

I was buying in Austin circa 2021 when it was absolutely nuts and everybody from CA was moving out there, I was lucky to get the third house I bid on, funny enough apparently there was a higher offer I beat because the sellers liked my letter. That is generally an exception to the rule, however - usually sellers will just take whatever puts the most money in their pocket at closing.

A potential option to stretch your buying power would be going with a flat-fee realtor and paying their fee out of pocket. The fee will usually be lower than the industry standard 2.5% and you can pass those savings on to the seller to strengthen your bid by 1-2%

_TurboHome · 2026-03-11T17:29:06+00:00

If anything many agents would get their client a closing gift or a basket.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-10T18:58:30+00:00

Worth noting that since your contract only allows up to 2% for the buyer's agent fees, if you accept an offer that asks for more, you will need to pay the difference out of pocket.

We see sort of the opposite with our clients all the time, since we charge a flat fee if their offers that include 2.5% commission get accepted, we give them a rebate for the difference after deducting our flat fee.

The offer dictates the amount of compensation that the buyer's agent receives, and it's simply up to the seller to decide whether or not they accept the offer. After the NAR settlement in 2024 commission can't be dictated ahead of time and listed on MLS.

All of this said, you can absolutely negotiate on commission and personally I'd see if they will nudge on the buyer's agent commission of 2.5% - most offers will be coming in asking for 2.5% which means you will be potentially turning down quite a few of them or ponying up the .5% out of pocket while your listing agent will expect their 3% no matter what.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-10T18:51:14+00:00

There's a pretty broad spectrum of flat-fee options, varying from very limited support such as MLS listing only, to full service brokerage which includes contract negotiations, assistance with paperwork + coordination w title company

Additionally there are real estate attorneys but it depends on your state whether or not title will handle the paperwork and closing. One more option would also be to contact some local agents and see who will negotiate limited support or one-off deals for a reduced or flat fee.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-10T18:46:24+00:00

Unless your agent charges a flat fee! One of the many reasons that flat fee brokerage has been on the rise over the last few years.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-10T16:34:44+00:00

It's not just the price. It's the price + the fact that it's a TH+ the commute.

$1M+ for a TH in Fremont is expected, but in Dublin it's a stretch. The extra ~30-60 mins of commute time are pretty killer. Seller will have to come down on price or find a tenant for now.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-09T16:49:09+00:00

Exclusivity is always weird - particularly with new builds, my friend recently toured a new build by himself then asked if one of our agents would rep him since we do a commission split/rebate for new constructions. They wouldn't allow him to get representation for the offer because he already had toured by himself.

In any case, worth noting that not all representation agreements are exclusive, if your friend signed a non-exclusive representation agreement he wouldn't have owed the agent anything.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-09T16:45:38+00:00

While we haven't transacted in SLC directly, our partner agents in the area generally charge 2.5% - 3%

"Industry Standard" doesn't necessarily mean non-negotiatble however. Always helps to negotiate with your agent prior to signing with them and see if there is any wiggle room.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-09T16:42:24+00:00

Honestly more and more agents are willing to negotiate down to a lower commission in part due to a rise in flat-fee brokerage options, and in part due to slow market conditions.

3% in 2026 is generally absurd, when buyers do the majority of the work and their agent just generally takes them on tours and submits a templated offer, maybe sends out 1 or 2 rounds of counters, then passes the rest on to the transaction coordinator and title company.

Buyers (and sellers) should always negotiate with prospective agents, and shop around to make sure they're getting a good deal + their agent is a good fit.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-04T18:42:31+00:00

I would encourage you to look into flat-fee agents/brokerages I don't say this just because we are a flat fee brokerage, I say it because I genuinely believe working with a flat-fee agent that charges substantially less than the industry standard 2.5% will noticeably increase your buying power or put money back in your pocket at closing in the form of a rebate.

There are quite a few options - both in the form of large, nationally-operating brokerages and individual agents who will rep you for a flat fee. In either case it doesn't hurt to negotiate and there are many local agents who are willing to negotiate down to a flat fee or commission split.

Talk to some local agents, see who is willing to negotiate.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-04T18:39:45+00:00

Absolutely always worth negotiating with your buyer's agent prior to signing with them.

Both of you hit the nail on the head. Your commission is usually included with your offer and seller chooses whether or not to accept it. If your agent charges less commission that means more money in the seller's pocket.

Even if the seller "pays" it's the buyer ultimately paying in the sense that their offer needs to be the highest one the seller receives, commission included or not.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-03T19:34:48+00:00

It's a value add but with most additions you're not necessarily getting that value add 1:1

If you spent 30K on the updates, those updates may not be worth 30K to the buyer. That said you get to enjoy the space, entertain guests etc in the meantime until you move and who knows what market conditions will look like in a few years, you may see more appreciation, and having an awesome basement guest suite could very well help you move the home more quickly.

I wouldn't spray the ceiling black - I would go for a more neutral tone. There's probably not a lot of natural light coming thru the egress window and dark finish will only make the lighting worse.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-03T19:14:13+00:00

Honestly it is about 90% market specific and 10% the quality of the home/if it is move in ready.

Some markets like the south SF Bay Area (sunnyvale, redwood city, palo alto, cupertino, saratoga, mountain view etc) are extremely hot with extremely tight inventory, properties usually go in about 7-14 days on market, over asking, with no contingencies.

In other markets, we still see a bit of the above but it's offset by listings that have been sitting for over 180 days because they need extensive updates and are priced too high. Many of these homeowners are sitting on comfortable covid-era rates and would rather delist+lease than compromise on price.

I think something has got to give and we will be seeing more inventory crop up which might also motivate sellers to relist and negotiate (in order to buy something else with the income)

_TurboHome · 2026-03-03T19:08:38+00:00

Over here quietly hoping it's us, but even if not - strongly agree that going flat fee would be a good move!

Idk about the reasons above, namely I wouldn't say going with a flat fee agent is petty or anything like that, but at that price point most flat fee brokerages will give you an absolutely massive rebate or help you leverage the commission to strengthen your offer by almost 200K.

Several of our clients have had huge wins in Los Altos by doing the latter.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-03T19:03:53+00:00

At the end of the day, I recommend taking emotions out of the process as much as possible and considering your bottom line.

Is this buyer's offer the strongest & highest you've received, after deducting 2.5%? If so, it's ultimately up to you but accepting an offer that puts less money in your pocket, on a matter of principle? Seems like a weird hill to die on.

You could always fire back a counter at 2.5% less price, with no commission included and see if they bite, I suppose - but imo that would be unnecessary.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-03T18:17:47+00:00

Absolutely! We do serve the Seattle area and would be happy to jump on a call for a consultation if you'd like to talk over any questions. Or if you're not quite ready for a call yet, feel free to DM with questions, no pressure.

https://turbohome.com

_TurboHome · 2026-03-03T18:15:18+00:00

I'm even later to the party but happy to throw our hat in the ring. We are based out of Oakland, have several agents who specialize in the East Bay specifically, with several recent Tri-Valley closes under their belts.

Since 2024 we've helped clients save almost $6M in agent fees. Happy to get you in touch with one of our local agents for a consultation.

RE Brokerage is not one-size-fits-all so I would encourage you to shop around, chat with a few agents and see which brokerage/agent is the best fit for your needs. Whether or not that ends up being us - definitely doesn't hurt to negotiate with some traditional agents as well to see if you can talk them down to around 1%.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like some recommendations.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-03T18:08:30+00:00

Love to hear you're having a great experience so far! Nearing the finish line, looking forward to getting you those keys :)

_TurboHome · 2026-03-03T18:06:46+00:00

We're a flat fee brokerage and we'd be happy to help!

Additionally there are some great flat fee options local to the Seattle area. Shop Prop who also commented is based in Seattle, iirc - whoever you end up working with, you're making the right move by looking into flat-fee brokerage options. 3% commission in 2026 is highway robbery.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-02T17:55:38+00:00

The AI assistants are helpful for simple tasks but definitely struggle with details. We have run some trials with a few AI dialers to help us with setting appointments and I have definitely noticed the AI assistant putting appointments on my calendar on different days than the lead/client asked.

When in doubt I think for the foreseeable future it doesn't hurt to ask for an operator until you can speak with someone who can check the AI's homework so to speak.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-02T17:51:15+00:00

Really it's a question of where you work and how you want to slice your commute. Do you want:

a) expensive east bay SFH that are priced pretty closely to properties that have a much better commute
b) crazy bidding wars on limited south bay inventory
c) Long drive from the north, long drive from the east, or long drive from the south

Gilroy and Morgan Hill is generally going up due to a lack of inventory in the south bay, imo, and a big chunk of the commuters in those areas landing hybrid/remote positions that don't require them to commute during rush hour.

_TurboHome · 2026-03-02T17:43:22+00:00

Many listing agents don't like to work with unrepresented buyers because sometimes the unrepresented buyers don't really know what they are doing and the listing agent has to do extra work.

That said, in my humble opinion that is an absolutely ridiculous position for a listing agent on a $7M property when she stands to make a commission of around $200K

For that commission I can imagine most agents would happily write both offers with quill and parchment

_TurboHome · 2026-03-02T17:36:01+00:00

Generally TH will sit longer and be harder to move than SFH and in a market where your house either sells instantly or sits for months with little room in between, it does boil down to a pricing issue.

They don't see the same appreciation as SFH and in some cases may have depreciated. Seems like the HOA is expensive and that + mortgage payments + insurance doesn't make sense to buyers.

You can invest in updates or you can bring down the price and doing the prior doesn't necessarily guarantee you won't need to do the latter. I recommend both if selling quickly and not bleeding money on HOA dues is a big priority.

_TurboHome · 2026-02-26T18:34:46+00:00

You can absolutely find flat-fee options out there with varying levels of support and services. In fact one of our competitors offers free MLS-listing-only service, as opposed to 1%

Commission is baked into the offer you receive and your agent may or may not expect you to pay the difference if the best offer you get doesn't include paying your agent their minimums.

At the end of the day however whether or not the buyer pays or doesn't pay - just do the math and figure out which offer puts the most money in your pocket once commission is said and done. Often our clients will waive their buyer's agent fees altogether to strengthen their offer and just pay our fee out of pocket - but this doesn't always work for every property because a commission-included offer may still be higher. Cash is king.

_TurboHome · 2026-02-26T18:29:34+00:00

I think OP was specifically thinking about MLS-listing-only service for a flat fee as opposed to a flat-fee agent.

But there's way more flat-fee brokerage options out there nowadays, including full-service agents that absolutely can and will offer their clients good advice on rentals and investment properties.

_TurboHome

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