Why do you ask?

This puzzles me. I showed a home last night to a lady who is thinking about writing an offer on the house. Her own home just sold, and she has limited time to move out. We're getting ready to go out to the driveway when she asks, "So what commission do you have on this house?"

When I was young and living at home, if I had asked someone a question like that, my mother would have scolded me up one side and down the other. That's just like asking someone "How much money do you make?" 

Before I go on, let me remind everyone that the SELLER pays the commission to the agent. The SELLER. That's right, SELLER. I can't say it enough. So regardless of the price offered to purchase a home, it's not the buyer, but the SELLER who pays.

So, back to my buyer. I explained to her, "the commission on the house is an agreement between myself and the seller. Why would you ask that question?"

She smiled a funny kind of smile. "Well, if you won't tell me, I can always contact another real estate agent who can tell me that from the MLS." 

So I'm really puzzled. This sounds like a challenge! Why does my commission have anything to do with whether or not she will buy this house?

If you have a thought on this, please post a comment below. I'm curious for your feedback.

This post was written by Carol