Letters to the Editor

Re: 'New broker model: An alternative to the alternative' (Jan. 30)

Dear Editor:

This model on the surface seems legit but what happens if the buyer does choose another lender? Will they still buy the rate down? I doubt it. It sounds like it is "free" only if the buyer uses the company that Sawbuck is partnered with.

Is it credit-based? Will a non-"A" paper client get the same benefit as an "A" paper client?

Skirting RESPA scrutiny does not seem like a good thing for any client, and having a seller pay the buyer's closing costs is something that should be negotiated by the agent and expected by the seller as a cost of selling in this current market.

Isn't "free mortgage" and "free settlement services" an enticement to a buyer to do business with that brokerage? Is the client entitled to know how much Sawbuck is receiving from its affiliated partners?

I do agree that there are way too many real estate agents in the country.

The current conditions are dictating that if you do not know and understand your market and what it takes to buy and sell real estate then you will fail in the business. Good agents who take care of their clients will prosper in any market, and the ones who do not should exit and let the people who are capable handle the single biggest financial undertaking that most people will ever do.

Michael Espiritu
Broker
Copeland Wealth Management
Redlands, Calif.

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