Am I a jerk for proposing this deal?

[Greg Downey]

I want to consider proposing this deal to our realtor. (short back story to follow):

We are selling our townhome that we bought with a 0% down VA loan in January of 2014.

We used our realestate agent to buy and want to use again her to sell.

Since she made a little over $10k on the purchase and are selling so soon, would it be inapropriate/jerkish to ask for her cut to be a little smaller on this sale?

What I was thinking is that if we sell the house for $330K, minus $6K for renovations to the home, $5K for closing costs, and $23,100, I can break even.

The largest cost there is the realtor fee. Would it be jerkish to ask for a flat 2% which would bring realtor fees to 17K? Or could I structure a deal where she gets a garunteed 2% and 3.5% if she can get $330k or higher?

Any other ideas?

Back story: we were planning on holding the property for 2 more years, but I have a miltary deployement this summer, and want to sell. We used the same real estate agent and she was really great and is kind of a friend. So, can I ask for a lower rate since we have brought her so much business?

Thanks guys,

Greg

[Bruce May]

@Greg Downey it's not wrong to ask her to cut the overall commission. It's done all the time and a total of 5% commission split between both agents can still be a fair amount for both agents. Most buyer's agents only get 3% not 3.5% so asking her to take 2% when you offer to pay the buyer's agent 3.5% will probably come across as an insult, plus your agent is the one who's going to be spending all the money to market your property.

When you approach your agent with this proposal just ask her "what can she do to help out with lowering the commissions on the resale," then shut your mouth and wait for her to answer. You might be surprised at what she says and may end up with a better deal than you expected.