Q: I was looking for a home to buy and came across a For Sale by Owner home. I told my Realtor about it and we made an offer. The owners want to walk away with a certain amount and we cannot change the offer. With the Realtor fees, the owners will walk away with less than what they want. My question is: If this deal falls through with our Realtor, can we go back and make an offer (on the same property) independently of the Realtor?

A: Well, do you have an agency agreement with that broker / agent? If you do, then you should work with them to complete the purchase. If not, then see if you can pay the agent / broker directly (instead of the seller) to get it done. I think (& believe) that any seller who would walk from a sale based on the commission is GREEDY & shortsighted – be very careful if you do work with them directly. No one would represent you & your interests (an oversight could cost you the house & / or a whole lot of money & time / aggravation). You, in this case, might want to get & pay for an attorney to represent you – but isn’t that where you are now, looking at money instead of your ‘end result’ ? Wouldn’t that cost you as much, if not more? This is NOT the time to be cheap!! Get your house, use your agent & if the seller does not want to cooperate – WALK! There are many places in this market who will give you & yours a Fantastic deal! Trust your REALTOR!!