Craig Blackmon, Seattle real estate innovator and practicing real estate attorney, has written this "How To" guide for buying a home without using a real estate agent. You'll save up to 3% of the sale price, and get superior legal representation to boot. This series gives you all the insight you need to find and buy a house (or condo, or townhome, or raw land...).

In Step One, you'll learn about how to find the listings on the internet, and how to tour the houses of particular interest. 

Craig Blackmon, Seattle real estate innovator and practicing real estate attorney, has written this "How To" guide for buying a home without using a real estate agent. You'll save up to 3% of the sale price, and get superior legal representation to boot. This series gives you all the insight you need to find and buy a house (or condo, or townhome, or raw land...).

Why skip the services of a real estate broker? Because pretty much all buyers today search the listings themselves on the web. You don't need to hire a real estate agent to find your next home - the internet, after all, has changed things. And if you're doing the work in finding a home, shouldn't you get some credit?

Once you've found a home, it's time to negotiate a contract. Which is exactly what lawyers do. So hire a lawyer instead of an agent. If the you don't have an agent, the seller doesn't have to pay a commission (usually 3%). So you can offer 97% of list price, and to the seller it's a full-price offer. With average house prices in Seattle above $600k, that's close to twenty grand in savings. Sounds like a new bathroom...

Read this series and you'll learn how to find and buy your next home (or second home, or investment property) while saving serious money. And since you end up with a lawyer for the necessary legal services rather than a Realtor, you get superior service as well.

These days, buyers do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to finding the house they want to buy. And why not? The listings are all over the internet, with hi-def pictures, immersive video tours, and tons of information about the home, schools, etc. 

If you're thinking of buying, you may have wondered: Why does the buyer's agent get 3% anyway, if I'm doing a bunch of the work? Isn't that pretty much what they've always been paid? 

Thankfully, there is an alternative. Start here if you're interested in saving a ton of money when buying a house - and getting superior legal representation to boot.