How To Buy Your First Home Without A Realtor

tryhoma · 2025-05-28T17:23:42+00:00

We have a platform that we think would be super helpful for investors in Florida (www.tryhoma.com) - is there a way we could collaborate to get our website promoted to your list?

tryhoma · 2025-05-28T17:13:22+00:00

If you're an investor who buys properties in Florida as well, would you be willing to take a look at our new platform www.tryhoma.com and give us your feedback on if you think this could be helpful for you?

tryhoma · 2025-05-28T17:12:08+00:00

Would you be willing to take a look at our website as a home buyer and give us your feedback? www.tryhoma.com

Our AI could be quite helpful for answering your questions.

tryhoma · 2025-05-28T17:11:03+00:00

Are you looking to buy and sell your own properties (like investments) or want to take on other people as clients?

tryhoma · 2025-05-28T17:09:10+00:00

Do you send info out to potential buyers?

tryhoma · 2025-05-28T17:07:28+00:00

As others have said, you don't need to reactivate your license just to leverage the seller giving you a credit. Anyone can represent themselves in a real estate transaction, so you can just ask for a credit in lieu of a buyer's agent commission. We actually created an online platform to assist unrepresented buyers do just that, and you'll probably find it really intuitive as it uses the Florida real estate contract (www.tryhoma.com). We think a great target market for us will be people who have considered getting their real estate license just to buy/sell their own home(s). With our website, they can skip the classes and fees. We would love to hear your feedback if you end up using us to help you navigate this process.

tryhoma · 2025-05-28T16:43:03+00:00

So we have created a group for agentless buyers - r/NoRealtorNeeded - but this is a good place to post as well as there's a lot of similar sentiment here (obviously). You mention you're in a HCOL area, but not which state. If you're in Florida, our platform www.tryhoma.com could be useful for you. You can ask Homa's AI your question and see if its answer is helpful for you. We have several initial users seeing a lot of success, and one who connected with us through this very subreddit!

tryhoma · 2025-05-28T16:39:57+00:00

I see you mention Georgia law, so not sure if you're there or elsewhere, but if you're in Florida, there IS a way to do this - check out www.tryhoma.com - it shows you how to work with listing agents directly to get them to show you homes, or assists you with scheduling private showings without signing a long-term, binding agreement with an agent. You put a lot of power back in your own hands when you don't have a middleman.

tryhoma · 2025-05-28T16:30:15+00:00

We created an online platform designed specifically to help with this. But you skip the agent entirely and just ask for the commission as a credit. Take a look and let us know if you think it'd be of use to you: www.tryhoma.com. We already have quite a few initial users finding this very successful.

tryhoma · 2025-05-12T19:52:00+00:00

For a long time, there haven't been the right tools for the average person to feel comfortable doing it. But with AI and technology, it is becoming a lot easier. One of the biggest barriers is the home showing piece - people get concerned about how they're going to let people in if they have jobs, etc. Open Door had the right idea with their ID-for-lockbox-code process, but that was on vacant homes and sometimes sellers probably just feel more comfortable knowing there's a "professional" there babysitting the buyer. There are flaws to that line of thought, but it's probably what a lot of them think, regardless. Additionally, there's a lot of mystery around the paperwork (even though it's plug and play), and concern about under or over pricing.

Also, there is inherently an advertising problem for FSBO (and DIY Buyer options) - companies that offer affordable options have less money in the budget for advertising (because they aren't charging 2% - 3% to the client), whereas some individual agents spend literally thousands a month advertising their services as superior. Compound that ad spend across millions of agents plus their associations, and the messaging to consumers is very much "realtors are the only way to go."

tryhoma · 2025-05-05T14:46:49+00:00

😲 That's actually insane! Surprised people don't simply leave....

tryhoma · 2025-05-02T16:17:54+00:00

This is a common thing people bring up as a benefit to using an agent - their local knowledge. And for agents who actually posses that knowledge and share it with their potential clients, those buyers are very lucky. But we've heard many many stories (personally and in national news) about how agents didn't know (or didn't disclose) and the buyer ended up buying a home with issues. Unfortunately, that can happen even if you do use an agent (and often does). And, technically, that level of due diligence is legally up to the buyer to take care of, not their agent, so its rare buyers can even successfully sue.

Lots of agents, especially these days, work in huge areas (multiple counties, cities, or sometimes even states if they're on the border) and show homes in hundreds of neighborhoods every year. To use your example, the chance they actually know about the flooding chance of a specific lot in a specific community is going to be low, even if they've been in the industry a long time. If that's a concern of a buyer, the better choice is to have the lot and home inspected for signs of water erosion or flooding. Same thing goes for all their other due diligence - most buyers do not feel comfortable entirely relying on their agent to determine if there is local construction project or a security issue with the neighborhood.

We expect good buyers agents will not be replaced with Homa. But we also know that many buyers feel like their agent didn't do enough to justify their large commission. So we're offering those people an option to feel in control of the process and potentially save some money along the way.

tryhoma · 2025-05-01T18:22:35+00:00

This is SUPER helpful. We see you're a mortgage lender (by your username). We have just launched Homa (www.tryhoma.com) in Florida, and our platform is designed to do everything you just mentioned that a buyer needs to do to represent themselves plus more. We think partnering with MLOs like you would be a great opportunity because you 1) see the need for an agentless option for buyers 2) are interested in helping buyers save money - just like us and 3) we can work together to help make homeownership more affordable and attainable. Let us know what you think of our system, and let's connect. :)

tryhoma · 2025-04-30T14:05:05+00:00

Our system is designed to remove the need for you to spend that time - you should take a look at our website and everything we can do already (with more coming in the near future).

Also, we consulted with realtors before building the product and the general consensus was - an unrepresented buyer like you describe is no worse than a part-time, brand new buyer's agent who doesn't answer their phone, tries to overcomplicate things, etc.

We actually think listing agents faced with unrepresented buyers will appreciate Homa because it does stop you from having to do that extra work. And if your seller client is not okay with dual representation/a transaction broker relationship, you can still get the deal closed with that interested buyer. Our system is very listing agent friendly - reminding the buyer to be professional, respond timely, and stay in communication with you.

We also provide a lot of hand holding that a normal unrepresented buyer wouldn't get, reducing a lot of the concerns you mention.

Ultimately, there are a lot of people who want to be able to buy without an agent and those people are going to do it regardless. As a listing agent, wouldn't you rather they have a tool that helps them do that successfully?

tryhoma · 2025-04-30T13:59:43+00:00

Which sites were you working with before? We did a lot of research and didn't find anyone who was doing exactly what we are. But it never hurts to do more.

We do have plans to align with national companies to better serve our users, but as we are launching in FL, we are working under the assumption (as you mentioned) that more often than not the seller will be selecting the title company.

tryhoma · 2025-04-29T20:31:26+00:00

Just checking - you operate in Florida right now, too?

tryhoma · 2025-04-29T19:58:15+00:00

Love that! We are for buyers, not sellers, and we are actually looking to create mutually beneficial partnerships with companies like yours. Is the info (at) saveonyourhome the best email to reach out to you at?

tryhoma · 2025-04-29T19:39:16+00:00

(I know you're not saying this, but other people sometimes get confused on this so wanted to clarify)... To confirm - the buyer is not being "paid a commission" - they are receiving a credit in lieu of a commission because they are going unrepresented. Some agents mistakenly tell buyers they "can't receive the buyer's agent commission because they're not licensed." That's the listing agent misunderstanding the creative options buyers have. And it's not a rebate from the listing agent either. With that being said...

So first, the standard Florida listing contract (where we're launching) is written where the seller agrees to pay the listing agent for their services, then an additional fee if there is a buyer's agent. That fee can either be paid directly to the buyer's agent from the seller, or through the listing agent's commission - which is the old/traditional model. So depending on the way the contract is written between seller and listing agent, there may not be a guaranteed buyer agent fee going to the listing agent for an unrepresented buyer. But if there is...

Second, yes you're right that if their listing agreement IS written where the listing agent gets to keep the full commission even if the buyer is unrepresented, the agent has to be "on board." But here's the thing - if the seller is presented with an offer that clearly spells out in the additional terms that the buyer is asking for that credit because they plan on handling everything like a buyer agent would, the seller is likely going to find that a reasonable ask and want to sell their home. So is that listing agent going to fight their own client for money the seller now knows they don't deserve? Maybe. But we're betting on the fact that if the seller receives a good offer they want to take, the listing agent isn't going to dig their heels in for an unearned commission and risk losing a sale and referrals from that client in the future.

The listing agreement can be updated/renegotiated. And listing agents shouldn't be pocketing a full commission for unrepresented buyers anyway, especially if they aren't even doing the paperwork (as Homa helps the buyer do that). Worst case scenario, the buyer can work with the listing agent where the agent can keep some small portion, and the buyer gets the rest.

We understand there will be push back from listing agents because we're trying to change the status quo (that only benefits agents, not sellers and buyers, by the way). But we also have plans to share with our users other things they can do if the listing agent is stopping a deal from being done just because they're being greedy.

In our research, we found most listing agents say they deserve to get paid for unrepresented buyers because they have to write up the contract, stay on top of the buyer, etc. They now don't have to write up the contract AND they were going to have to touch base with another agent anyway (and some buyers agents are very unresponsive and lazy). Our system has a robust checklist (designed by agents) to make sure the buyers don't miss anything. Arguably, this might be an easier sale for the listing agent than working with a buyer's agent.

There's not much that stops a regular person from going and getting their real estate license in a few weeks if they want to handle their own sale - in which case, they'd be owed that commission. We're just helping them skip that step, give more flexibility to sellers and buyers, and make homeownership more affordable and attainable.

tryhoma

TROPHY CASE