Buyer brokerage is really quite simple. In the greater Phoenix area, all builders cooperate with Realtors^®; therefore the Builder, Cooperating Agent, or Seller in the case of a "For Sale By Owner" credits the Buyer's Broker fee. There is no additional cost to the Buyer for this service. Think about it, no commission is due a Realtor^® until a purchaser buys; indirectly the purchaser has been paying the commission all along. It's kind of like-which came first-the chicken or the egg!

Let's use new homes as an example, if you go without a Realtor^® on your first visit, the Builders feel as though it was their advertising that got you there so the money that they would've used to pay for the commission will go towards their advertising like the AZ Republic which runs $10k+ each week. They don't alter the price because you don't have a Realtor^®. But the most important service a Realtor^® can provide is to protect you from the unknown and protect the return on your real estate investment.

There are no disclosure laws in AZ. Builders don't even have to tell you when they are building on top of contaminated ground water. The state feels that since we process our water for drinking, it's not an issue. We will eventually have disclosure laws and when the market is flooded with homes you'd better have something special so that your home will be chosen first.

There are many factors that influence value:

• Amenities
  
• Features
  
• Schools
  
• New Highways
  
• Future land use of surrounding parcels
  
• Shopping
  
• Medical
  
• Services
  
• Employment
  
• Airports
  
• Restaurants, culture, arts

Positioning, that's what I do. I help people to maximize the return on their real estate investments by educating them along the way. In over 24 years I have yet to sell a house, the house always sold itself. I am simply the best conduit of information enabling my clients to make the best buying decisions. 

- Lorrie Iantaffi, Broker of Real Estate Lifestyles, LLC.