Every year or two I review sales the previous year. I'm always amazed by how diverse the group of agents and brokers is who successfully help buyers and sellers move to the next stage of their lives!
For instance, 2017 saw 125 transactions close in Piedmont, as documented by the MLS. They totaled $273.5 million, a 24% increase over the previous year (good for City transfer tax revenue!). That means 250 "sides" were involved, typically with one agent on each side.
In five cases, the same agent managed both sides (and was ethically prohibited from advocating or working aggressively for either side--not a great place to be for typical buyers and sellers. I make it a policy to never represent both sides of a transaction).
Among these 125 transactions, 38 different brokerage firms were involved, and 112 different agents (by my best count--careful eyeballing). They are large and small firms, local and from further afield--through the tunnel, in Marin or the South Bay or sometimes San Francisco. Firms and agents you've heard of and those I have not.
In most cases, the buyer and seller were represented by different firms. In about 1/3 of the cases, the buyers and sellers were represented by the same firm (even if it's a Pacific Union office in Danville and mine in Montclair), but not the same agent.
And in case you're wondering, 13 of the sales involved a 3% fee to the buyer's brokerage (typically the same to the seller side, but the data technically doesn't say that in this file), but 110 transactions (88%) had a 2.5% fee, and one 2.25% and one a 2% fee.
Key takeaways:
--No one firm and no one agent "owns" Piedmont.
--More than likely, you will take an offer from an agent and brokerage that is not the same as that of the person representing you. And that's good--the definition of an "arm's length transaction."
Call me for more detailed analysis of pricing trends among the market's price bands, and early reviews of impacts of the new tax legislation.
For instance, 2017 saw 125 transactions close in Piedmont, as documented by the MLS. They totaled $273.5 million, a 24% increase over the previous year (good for City transfer tax revenue!). That means 250 "sides" were involved, typically with one agent on each side.
In five cases, the same agent managed both sides (and was ethically prohibited from advocating or working aggressively for either side--not a great place to be for typical buyers and sellers. I make it a policy to never represent both sides of a transaction).
Among these 125 transactions, 38 different brokerage firms were involved, and 112 different agents (by my best count--careful eyeballing). They are large and small firms, local and from further afield--through the tunnel, in Marin or the South Bay or sometimes San Francisco. Firms and agents you've heard of and those I have not.
In most cases, the buyer and seller were represented by different firms. In about 1/3 of the cases, the buyers and sellers were represented by the same firm (even if it's a Pacific Union office in Danville and mine in Montclair), but not the same agent.
And in case you're wondering, 13 of the sales involved a 3% fee to the buyer's brokerage (typically the same to the seller side, but the data technically doesn't say that in this file), but 110 transactions (88%) had a 2.5% fee, and one 2.25% and one a 2% fee.
Key takeaways:
--No one firm and no one agent "owns" Piedmont.
--More than likely, you will take an offer from an agent and brokerage that is not the same as that of the person representing you. And that's good--the definition of an "arm's length transaction."
Call me for more detailed analysis of pricing trends among the market's price bands, and early reviews of impacts of the new tax legislation.
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