Real estate agencies used to be useful and necessary for many, in order to guide the buyer through the procedure of buying an apartment, writing a contract, court certification and registration. Now, these jobs are mostly "transferred" to notaries, and the services of agencies are still paid for by those who want them, but also by those who do not need a mediator. Namely, it is difficult to find an apartment without the number of a real estate agency behind an ad in a newspaper or on portals. That is why some citizens who wanted to buy an apartment that was announced by an agency complain that they paid too much and received too little.

The commission of two percent of the price of the apartment is paid to the agency by both the buyer and the seller. This, as the agents themselves say, is a matter of agreement in every market, so there is no regulation that would regulate that amount. Some customers, however, feel that this service is overrated. They especially point out the problem that the buyer must pay for the service to the same agency, even though it was hired by the real estate seller, and he only found an ad on the site.

"For the apartment we found in the ads, it turned out that the agency was an intermediary, and through them we got in touch with the pensioner who hired them, because she didn't even know how to do it herself, and maybe she didn't even want to deal with it. as buyers punished that we have to pay two percent, even though the agency did practically nothing for us. We gave them 2,000 euros just because they placed an ad instead of the seller ", says the Belgrade woman AM

The Deputy Group of Real Estate Brokers of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Nenad Djordjevic, says that it is common on the market in Belgrade to pay 4 percent for brokerage fees, of which 2 percent are paid by the buyer, and the same by the seller of the real estate.

"Everywhere in the world there is a common brokerage fee in a local market, city, or region, which depends on market conditions and is expressed in relative terms. In the US, it is 4 to 10 percent, in countries in our region such as Croatia from 4 to 6 percent, in Slovenia 4 percent. In Serbia, as in all other market economies, there is no regulation governing the amount of brokerage fees, "says Djordjevic.

Commission from both buyer and seller - "bingo"
Appraiser and real estate agent Milić Đoković believes that it is important to point out that the agent sells information, not the apartment, and that the price is actually negotiable and the security that the buyer gets. He notes that the agency has not been there before only to check the papers, but also to listen to the buyer's requests, find an adequate property, save time and negotiate the price.

It happens that there is a problem of who will give in and in such situations the role of "matchmaker" is precious and depends on whose agent is better. "We managed to achieve a better amount for the buyer or the seller, depending on when I worked. There will always be a need for a good trader, so I think that the role of an agent is not lost," says Djokovic.

However, he notes that he is against the same agency representing both the buyer and the seller, and he explains this vividly with the words that you cannot be on both the youth and the groom's side.

"Such situations in the real estate market are called 'bingo' and are not so common. The fact is that a potential buyer saw the agency's ad and if he called the phone number, he became a client. It is the agency that connects the buyer and seller." It happens that people will not pay, even though they found out through the agency that the apartment is for sale, but the fact that they called the agency is enough proof in court, because they have call identifications, "says Djokovic.

Clients, however, believe that the buyer and the seller are usually connected by an ad, which can be placed without an agency. It is especially disputable, many believe, that the same commission is paid by those for whom the agent really asked for an apartment or buyers, as well as those who only saw the agency's ad and contacted him because that apartment suits them.

"The advertisement we responded to could have been given by the owner of the apartment, he was a little more informed. When I asked the agent what I get for the money I give for the commission, I was told that he would be with us during the whole process. but it turned out to be completely unnecessary, "AM said your experience.

She says that the agency wrote the contract on the sale of the apartment, but she notes that the notary public, who solemnized the contract for 250 euros, could also have written it.
If only we had gone to the notary without an intermediary and he had written the contract himself, it would have cost several hundred euros, instead of several thousand euros, as we gave to the agency. And then we learned that the notary, not the agency, teaches "The necessary documentation for the registration of the apartment, as well as the documentation for the payment of the tax on the transfer of absolute rights, which in Belgrade is always paid by the buyer of the apartment.

She believes that the owner of the apartment would have had up to 70 percent less costs if she had not hired an agency. He notes that he might be able to raise the price of his property by a thousand or two thousand euros, if the buyer had not been forced to pay a commission to the agency. 

I sold my own apartment. I placed an ad and went to the notary with the buyer and finished everything there, without an intermediary. Most can, ”says A.M.

She thinks that it is completely unbelievable that a buyer who does not ask for a mediation service has to pay for it.

"I understand that someone doesn't live in Belgrade or doesn't have time to show buyers the apartment he is selling, so he hires an agency. But if I just find an apartment in an ad, given by the agency instead of an uninformed seller, why do I have to pay for someone else's ignorance?" this Belgrade woman wonders.

"Customers transfer stress to intermediaries"
Nenad Djordjevic, Deputy President of the Real Estate Group, says that agents are traders who, by providing brokerage services, sell or lease real estate owned by the client, but points out that the broker must perform a number of actions to successfully do business, not just announce the property and show the apartment.

"From the receipt of real estate and concluding a brokerage contract, to the successful realization of the work for which mediation is usually spent, a lot of time passes. The mediator invests a lot of work to successfully realize the business. real estate, to constantly professionally improve and monitor changes in regulations, and to perform all actions prescribed by the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, which relate to monitoring and recognizing the party and assessing its risk, "explains the Deputy Real Estate Group.

He believes that there is no question that the job of an intermediary becomes superfluous with the introduction of notaries, as some real estate buyers claim.
"Regardless of the fact that notaries are responsible for legal security, the intermediary as a trader must determine whether there are possible obstacles to the successful conclusion of a legal transaction before placing goods on the market or advertising, and to eliminate them by hiring a lawyer who provides services to his agency." , says Djordjevic

He also states that the mediator participates in the negotiations between the buyer and the seller, and that it depends on his negotiating skills whether an agreement on the purchase price and other conditions of sale will be reached and the deal will be successfully realized.

"During the negotiations, all parties involved in them transfer their emotions and stress to the mediator. credit to the buyer, organization of relocation and other things ", states Djordjevic.

However, the buyers say that they do not need an agency for that, but a lawyer, when the party can hire for only 100 euros

source:euronews.rs