Do I Really Need My Own Realtor in Ahwatukee, or Can I Save Money by Going Through the Seller's Agent?

This is one of the most common questions I hear from buyers right now, and I hear it more than ever here in Ahwatukee and the Southeast Valley. Since the real estate industry's very public shake-up in 2024 with the NAR settlement, buyers are asking questions they never thought to ask before. I think that is a good thing. You should understand how this works, so let me give you the real answer.

You can contact the seller's agent directly. Nobody is stopping you. But "can" and "should" are very different questions, and once you understand what happens when you go that route, most buyers realize that skipping their own representation is not the money-saving move they thought it was.

When a seller hires a listing agent, that agent has one job: get the best possible outcome for the seller. Best price. Best terms. Least risk. That is the fiduciary duty, a legal obligation to act in the seller's best interest above all else.

That agent is not your agent. They are not there to tell you the home is overpriced. They are not going to volunteer that the roof is nearing the end of its life, or that three comparable homes in Mountain Park Ranch sold for less last month, or that you have more negotiating leverage than you think. Their job is to protect their client, who is the seller.

This is not a criticism of listing agents. It is how agency works, and it is exactly why you need someone in your corner doing the same thing for you.

When a buyer contacts a listing agent directly and that agent agrees to represent both sides of the transaction, it is called dual agency. Arizona allows it, but it comes with significant limitations, and those limitations matter to you as a buyer.

In plain language: the agent can no longer fully advocate for either party. They cannot advise the seller to hold firm on price while telling you the home is overpriced. They cannot negotiate aggressively for you while protecting the seller's bottom line.

Think of it this way. Imagine hiring a lawyer to represent you in a dispute, then finding out the same lawyer also represents the person on the other side. You would fire that lawyer immediately. Dual agency is not quite that extreme, but the conflict of interest is real and it affects how your transaction unfolds.

Some agents handle dual agency with complete integrity and full disclosure. Others are more focused on collecting both sides of the commission than on protecting you. You often have no way to know which kind you are dealing with until something goes wrong.

This is the assumption most buyers make, and it is where the "I'll save money" logic breaks down.

In many cases the listing agent keeps a larger portion of the commission that was already negotiated when the seller hired them. You do not automatically receive that savings. The seller might, but that is a negotiation between the seller and their agent that you have no visibility into or control over.

Even if some savings were passed along to you, weigh that against what you give up. A buyer's agent who is fully in your corner, who knows the Ahwatukee and Southeast Valley market, catches problems before they become disasters, negotiates on your behalf and guides you through every deadline, is not a luxury. On a purchase of this size, the value of that representation is far larger than a marginal saving.

I want to be specific, because many buyers genuinely do not know what representation includes, especially buyers relocating to the Phoenix area who are not familiar with how Arizona real estate works.

Before you ever write an offer, a good buyer's agent is researching comparable sales so you understand true market value, reviewing the property's listing history for red flags, asking the listing agent questions they may not volunteer answers to, and helping you understand what a realistic offer looks like in current local conditions.

Once you are under contract, your buyer's agent is managing your timeline: every inspection deadline, contingency period and lender milestone. They coordinate with your lender, review inspection results with you, advise you on what to ask for and what to let go, negotiate repairs or credits, and act as a calm buffer between you and the seller so the process does not become emotional or adversarial.

At closing and beyond, a good agent reviews your settlement statement, flags anything that does not add up, and stays available after you have moved in.

None of that happens when you go direct to the listing agent. You manage all of it yourself, in a transaction you have likely done once or twice in your life, while the other side of the table has done it dozens or hundreds of times.

Fees have always been negotiable. What changed is where the conversation happens.

Since the NAR settlement, a listing no longer shows in the MLS how the buyer's agent will be paid. Instead, when I write an offer for you, I attach a Seller Compensation Addendum (the SCA), the Arizona REALTORS form that asks the seller to pay the buyer's agent compensation directly.

In the market we are in right now, sellers are working hard to secure an offer, and many are willing to do what they can to get one. That can include covering buyer's agent compensation. It is a request, it is negotiated each time, and it is never assumed. It goes in with the offer as part of the offer package, so compensation is negotiated together with price and terms, not as a separate conversation afterward. We will not know what the seller is willing to offer on compensation until we receive their response to the offer.

The way I think about it: it is my job to be a good negotiator on your behalf. That includes negotiating my own compensation with the seller's agent and the seller.

Before we tour homes, you and I sign a buyer representation agreement that spells out what I am agreeing to do for you and how I am paid.

I want to be fair, because I said I would give you the honest answer.

There are limited circumstances where contacting a listing agent directly can be a strategic choice, not as a way to save money but as a negotiating signal. In a competitive multiple-offer situation, some buyers work directly with the listing agent to simplify the deal for the seller and potentially strengthen their offer. Some sellers respond well to that simplicity.

Even then, you are making a calculated trade-off: you give up advocacy for a possible competitive edge. An informed adult can make that decision consciously. It should never be a default assumption that going without representation saves you money or protects your interests.

The seller has a professional advocate working exclusively for them, who knows the property, knows the market and knows how to protect their client's position at every step.

The question is not whether you can buy a home without your own representation. It is whether you want to walk into that situation without anyone in your corner. If you are buying in Ahwatukee, Chandler, Gilbert or anywhere in the Southeast Valley and want to understand your options before you start touring homes, I am happy to have that conversation. No pressure, no pitch. Just a clear explanation of how the process works and how I can help you navigate it well.

This describes my general process and is not legal, tax or lending advice.