Broker commission, who pays?

Strange that everyone does it anyway...

here considerable legal development is still required....in my opinion, it is unjust enrichment - or something along those lines. The housing market in metropolitan areas is already difficult enough; no one should have to cash in several thousand euros for nothing or hardly anything.

Strange that everyone does it anyway...

Not strange at all in times of limited supply. Those who don’t participate simply don’t get a chance to buy. THAT is exactly the reason why it is only allowed under certain circumstances. Envelopes with cash as a "decision driver" are also not allowed, yet many do it. Running a red light is also not allowed...

Your comment is somewhat naive in that respect. ;-)

It's not strange, because you are finally informed - in writing. This has only been the case for a short time (2-3 years?). Otherwise, you can simply dispute the thing later... We also got a letter back then that we had to sign, explicitly stating that the agent received a commission from both parties. He, the agent, earned his money though, because he really took care of everything until the notarized contract was concluded, negotiated with the seller (successfully, so we practically had no commission plus 1000 extra). For the first time, I genuinely wished him his commission...

There still needs to be significant legal development here....In my opinion, this is unjust enrichment - or something along those lines. The housing market in urban areas is already difficult enough; no one needs to collect several thousand euros for doing nothing or almost nothing.

Precisely because the market has become difficult in many areas, a realtor is also appropriate here. And then there are more situations where you cannot do without a realtor. This does not mean the situation of a demolition house in the deepest Thuringia or Saxony. Thus, the realtor has the same legitimacy to exist as a tax advisor! Just think beforehand before questioning a profession.

Your comment is somewhat naive in that respect. ;-)

That has nothing to do with being naive. If it were contestable, someone would have done so already, just as people generally complain about the industry. After all, it is stated in the contracts.

We also received a letter back then that we had to sign, which explicitly pointed out that the broker received a commission from both parties.

It would have been the same for us. By the way, the "weird" was meant ironically.

In the end, we sold our apartment within 3 weeks via an online ad. Because for the effort involved, the total 7.14% commission that the broker would have received was really too much for us.

And on the topic of conflict of interest: The broker only has one interest, namely to sell the property as quickly as possible at the highest possible price for it. That usually aligns with the seller’s interests. But if you look at what most brokers actually do...