Buying a House

Working with a dedicated buyers’ agent is one of the best decisions you can make when venturing out to purchase your next home. Selecting the right team to represent you in this huge undertaking is vital to ensuring you get the best end result.

Buyers: Here’s how we get paid, and what that gets you

How we get paid

Many agents avoid discussing how they’re paid when working with buyers—some even claim their services are “free” because their commission comes from the seller’s proceeds. This is not only misleading, it’s simply not true.

Here’s how buyer’s agent commissions actually work: Under current laws, a seller cannot pre-determine what a buyer’s agent will be paid for bringing a buyer to their property. Instead, when a buyer chooses to work with a Realtor, they must enter into a written agreement that outlines the terms of that relationship. This agreement is customized to each buyer and specifies that the buyer is responsible for compensating their agent. It also confirms that the Realtor is acting as a fiduciary—legally bound to represent the buyer’s best interests—and defines the term of the agreement, typically ranging from 30 to 90 days.

Think of it like hiring a contractor for a home project. You’re paying for expertise, time, negotiation skills, contract knowledge, professional insurance, market insight, and so much more. Finding the right home can take days—or it can take months—but we’re with you every step of the way, working to secure the best outcome on your terms.

And if you decide not to purchase a home? We don’t get paid. We invest our time, resources, and energy upfront, fully committed to helping you succeed—knowing that our compensation only comes if and when you do.

What that gets you

A good buyers’ agent will do hundreds of things (yes, really) for you, but at the highest level they will help you gain two things:

1. Confidence in your decisions
   Our team brings the knowledge and insight you need to truly evaluate the homes you’re considering—well beyond just touring properties or comparing past sales (though we do that, too). We know how to dig into seller disclosures and inspection reports, reading both the fine print and between the lines to identify what really matters. We help you distinguish between minor issues and major red flags, so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.

2. The best deal you can possibly get.
   In short, our goal is to save you money—and help you make the smartest investment possible. While the price you choose to offer on a home is always your decision, our job is to guide you there with the right context and insights. Forget relying on what Zillow says a home is worth; the true value comes from your agent’s deep knowledge of the property, the local market, and strong negotiation skills.

   Crafting the right offer is both an art and a science. Real estate, like anything else, often comes down to what you negotiate. From counter-offers and contingencies to timelines, repairs, and everything in between, we’ll navigate it all on your behalf to secure the best possible outcome.

Buyer Client Reviews

Alyse recently helped us sell our starter home and upgrade to a forever home. Our experience with Alyse was nothing short of the best. She was always available and willing to help us by phone call, text, or email. Alyse went above and beyond for us everyday. She is very well versed in writing strong offers and will show up for you and handle small business details. I really can’t recommend Alyse highly enough. Choose her to be your Realtor! You will not be disappointed.

- Chino Hills Seller, Corona Buyer

Alyse was absolutely everything we could have asked for in a realtor and more! We started looking to buy when the market was crazy so knew we would be up against some insane offers.
Alyse went to every showing with us and would give us helpful tips and things to look for as home buyers (i.e. looking at the windows and seeing if they are older or newer will help us understand if insulation would be better or worse). We appreciated this so much as 1st time home buyers. We would book 5-6 showings a day and hit them back-to-back. After the day, we would tell Alyse which ones we liked, and she would spend the time to research comps for us.
Our schedules were crazy so we usually weren't available to talk about the offers until 9 or 10pm at night, and she would always accommodate. She would spend time with us on the phone walking us through comps and strategizing our offers. But never once did we ever feel like she pressured us into going higher than what we were comfortable with, or submitting on a home we didn't love.
After around 50 home tours and 11 offers later and getting beat out my buyers putting in all cash offers or going $100k over list price, we found the one! Alyse helped ensure we had a seamless 15-day escrow (I said it was a crazy market!). She answered both my husband and my questions throughout the search process, regardless of how annoying I felt or how far from "realtor" questions they felt. The listing agent loved her as well as her communication was top-notch and our offers were written so cleanly thanks to her.
I cannot recommendation Alyse enough. If you want to feel like you're getting a realtor that cares about YOU as a buyer, give Alyse a shot. I cannot imagine listing or buying another house without her.
- Mission Viejo Buyer

Alyse was professional during every step of our sale and purchase. She simultaneously handled both transactions on our behalf. She priced our house perfectly, advised us what to do to make it show well, and advertised is professionally. We had multiple offers in the first four days! She explained the terms of the buyer’s contract line by line so that we were comfortable with what we were signing. She was in touch at all times! At the same time she assisted us finding and purchasing our new home. She negotiated on our behalf an amazing price in an up market. We highly recommend Alyse.
-Signal Hill Seller, Long Beach Buyer

We have used the Buy Sell Love SoCal team on two transactions. With the sale of our home Danielle was patient, reliable and professional. She was great about communicating with us and keeping us informed. On our purchase Julian worked so hard showing us multiple properties and putting in offers with our best interest in mind. He was so patient and understanding. We were able to find the perfect house that we were meant to be in. We are so thankful for their hard work, passion and now their friendship. We will continue to refer the Buy Sell Love SoCal team to our family and friends knowing that they will be in great hands!
- Chino Hills Seller, Eastvale Buyer

Alyse helped me find my first home for me and my pup! She was a great resource in the areas I was looking at, which was always helpful in understanding the surrounding cities. I was in no rush to find a place and she was super respectful of not being pushy and just going with the flow but all the while being available whenever I reached out. Once a place was found, she was super helpful in helping me understand the buying process and what would be expected along the way. From putting me in contact with a mortgage broker, walking me through the offer process and all the way through handing over the keys, she was terrific to work with! I would definitely recommend her to any friend/family member looking to buy and/or sell in SoCal!
- La Mirada Buyer 

John went above and far far beyond to help us buy our home. Our escrow got put on hold when the seller tried to cancel 3 days before closing. Had I been using any other realtor I would not have my dream home right now. John's patience, persistence and extreme work ethics are the reason we were able to close the sale only 8 days past our original close date. His entire team immediately got involved in our sale to ensure that it happened. This is an amazing group of professionals to work with. They will do whatever they can to make your dream of owning a home a reality. To be completely blunt if you chose to work with anyone else you're making a huge mistake. This is the best team you could ever possibly hope for when looking for your new home.
- Corona Buyer 

Alyse was great to work with. She was very responsive to our questions and gave great guidance on our home search. She was happy to visit homes for us due to your work schedules, and send us additional pictures and videos. Once we did find a home, she was able to work with the seller's realtor to get a deal done before the open house. Overall a great experience with Alyse as well as her team. They are experts in their field.
- Laguna Niguel Buyer