LI House Hunters is an Exclusive Buyer’s Agency. How consumers buy and sell real estate has evolved to a new level because of internet technology. Today’s Buyer is more knowledgeable than ever! Buying a home is often the biggest purchase in your life.  Shouldn’t your Agent be fully representing and protecting you? Think about this for a moment…. If your lawyer was representing both you and the other person on the other side of the case, wouldn’t a serious conflict of interest occur? So when you are buying a property, why would you want your agent representing the Seller? A recent survey completed by the National Association of Realtors shows that over 40% of the buyers are now being represented in the real estate transaction. In some states that figure is now over 80%.  Considering the rapid growth of buyer agency throughout the country, it’s just becoming popular in NY. The CBR® Certified Buyer Representative designation, ABRM Accredited Buyer Representative Manager, ABR Accredited Buyer Representative designation assures you that the agent you hire has been trained and will perform to the level of a competent professional, working in your best interest in your real estate transaction. LI House Hunters is the only Long Island (Nassau & Suffolk)  Real Estate Firm dedicated to solely representing home buyers.*  Our goal is to help our clients find and purchase the best property that meets or exceeds their needs. This is done while keeping sensitive information including identity, income, occupation, financial status and buying motivations confidential, when appropriate, to protect you, the Buyer. We analyze market data accurately and disclose any physical, functional, and locational defects and/or deficiencies. We may also recommend not buying certain homes due to noted drawbacks. We advise our Buyers on offering the best possible price at the best possible terms, and then we utilize our negotiating skills to benefit YOU!  An Exclusive Buyer’s Agency is typically compensated the same way as any ordinary real estate transaction. The fee is disbursed at the closing through the proceeds of the sale. It doesn’t cost you anymore and it gives the Buyer added protection for your purchase. Whether you are a first-time home buyer or very experienced, you will value the difference in allegiance and advocacy when you hire LI House Hunters. LI House Hunters does list a few properties each year for our former clients and referrals who want us to represent them as sellers. The Benefits of a Buyer Brokerage is numerous. The chart below helps to more clearly illustrate how having a Buyer Broker relationship will put you in a superior bargaining position throughout the real estate acquisition process. Long Island House Hunters is responsible to our clients in providing these services. We are not salespeople, do not “push” certain houses that are for sale, and do not use sales pressures or selling tactics taught to the typical salesperson at many real estate seminars. Our Sales Associates are Certified Buyer Representatives (CBR) and/ or Exclusive Buyer’s Agents (EBA). We represent only our client’s best interest and assist our client in purchasing a property by providing straightforward advice, objective counseling, full disclosure and verification of all pertinent details of any property of interest. OUR MISSION It is the mission of Long Island House Hunters to consistently provide the highest quality, most innovative and exceptional real estate service available on Long Island. Our client’s needs always come first. It is our endeavor to always provide value that exceeds our client’s expectations.  We will be positive, helpful, and enthusiastic at all times. We will run a clean, organized, and efficient operation, and always adhere to the highest standards of integrity and ethical business practices. We will constantly strive to create, develop, and implement new ideas, strategies, and services that will benefit our clients. We will continue to seek continuing education in all aspects of our business to increase the service we offer our clients. CORE VALUES HONESTY & INTEGRTIY – at all times and in all situations EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE –  to become the standard bearers of unbeatable service in real estate. We keep our client’s #1 Goal our #1 Goal. OPEN COMMUNICATION – to always communicate with our clients and keep them informed every step of the transaction. We say we will do, sometimes more, never less. WORK ETHICS –  to always perform with confidence and professionalism. We strive to continually improve our services to exceed our client’s expectations.  We provide a passionate, ethical level of service to all of our clients. Buyer Broker facts on Website……… Will it cost me more money if I use a Buyer’s Broker?
No. It will probably save you money! We are Realtors® and are typically compensated the same way as any other Realtor. Our fee is included in the purchase price and dispersed by the seller’s attorney at the closing, the same way as seller’s agents are paid. How can you save me money? Since we work for the buyer, we are not trying to get the seller the highest price for their property.  We are working to get you the best price, and thus, will usually save you money over a traditional seller’s agent. This is part of our legal obligation to you. If you are paid a percentage of the sale price, isn’t it in your best interest to keep the price high? First and foremost, we have a contractual obligation to work for our buyer’s interest. Our agents always attempt to negotiate a lower price for you. As your advocate, our obligation to you is fiduciary in nature. Our firm is legally bound to represent your interests in all aspects of the home buying process. 
Second, for each $1,000 we save our clients (assuming our usual compensation of 2-3% of the purchase price*) our firm will forgo an additional $20-$30, which would then be split with our agent, each getting 1%-1.5%. For each $1,000 we save you, our agent’s commission on that savings is reduced by only $10-$15.  LI House Hunters will never put our business or our client relationships in jeopardy for a few extra dollars. We always act in our client’s best interest. Third, we have established our business and our reputation on satisfied customers. A job that is well done will lead to further recommendation and new buyer referrals. *Commissions vary – this is used for illustration purposed only. Do I need to sign a written Buyer Broker agreement? Yes, it outlines our firm’s duties to the buyer and discusses how the agency relationship works. It is very similar to a listing agreement when you are selling a home. As exclusive buyer’s agents, we use our expertise and knowledge to find you the most advantageous home at the lowest price and in the most efficient manner. It commits us to work for you as a principal/client-agency relationship, providing a much greater degree of representation and service. This agreement protects the buyer client and the buyer’s agent in a clear and consistent manner. LI House Hunters would be more than happy to email you a copy of this agreement for you to view.
How long is a buyer agreement for? It can be drawn up for any length of time, from one day to several months. Most clients prefer it to be from 60 -120 days, however, any time frame is fine. Do we owe you anything if we don’t buy a home? No. We are only compensated when there is a successful closing. What if we sign an agreement and later decide we don’t want a Buyer’s Broker? Our agreement states that if our client is not satisfied for any reason, or simply changes their mind, the agreement may be cancelled. If I skip using a Buyer’s Agent and go directly to the seller’s listing agent, won’t I save more money and have less confusion? Absolutely NOT.  The fee that we would have received, which you are paying for anyway as part of the purchase price, will just go to the seller’s listing agent and agency. They will collect double the money, and you will only get “dual agency” or no representation at all. The listing agency works directly for the seller’s interests with legal obligations to negotiate for the highest possible price at the best possible terms. The listing agency must disclose all of your personal and financial criteria, including income, assets, mortgage status, buying motivations, contemplated offers, etc. to the seller. We keep all of your information confidential. A seller’s agent is in violation of the law if they do anything to help or benefit the buyer. That means that the seller’s agent cannot give you any information that puts their seller client at a disadvantage. Other agents have told me that they are the only agent who can show the houses listed with their agency. This statement is NOT true. New York’s Department of State (DOS) has ruled that the buyer always has the right to choose their own real estate broker/agency. In 1991, New York enacted a law requiring a written disclosure form which states who the broker is clearly representing. This form must be signed at first substantive contact with buyer and sellers and, dual agency requires informed consent of all parties in the transaction. If the buyer chooses to be in a buyer agency agreement, any home listed by a real estate agent must be made accessible to a certified buyer’s agent. Therefore, a buyer’s agent can have access to show you many more homes than any ordinary seller’s agent. If I am looking in a certain neighborhood maybe I should go with a local agent who is more “familiar” with that neighborhood. NOT necessarily.  Please remember that traditional agents are trying to sell you something, so they may only tell you what you want to hear to make a quick deal. By law they cannot tell you “what is wrong” with any of their listings and neighborhoods, how to negotiate, if the price is too high, or any other information which may compromise the seller’s ability to sell at the highest possible price. Our agents have successfully closed on properties throughout Long Island (Nassau & Suffolk Counties). What if I have seen a property with a seller’s agent and now I want to use a Buyer’s Broker to buy that home? You would probably be better off calling us before you go to see the house. If you went to an open house, you may not be bound to that agent. However, if you called from a sign or advertisement, you may have to continuing working with that agent to purchase that particular property. There are many factors involved. Please call us for an assessment of you particular situation before you go any further. Please contact us if you have any further questions. We want you have a FULL UNDERSTANDING of the home buying process. nysar, realtor, multiple listing service, mls, rebac, mlsli, real estate, buyer broker, Melville, glen cove, li house hunters, lihousehunters.com, l.i. househunters, lihousehunters.mobi, real estate broker, real estate agent, houses for sale, properties for sale, visual tours, virtual tours, largest buyer agency on Long island, foreclosures, for closures, green, eco-friendly homes, estates for sales, luxury homes for sale, luxury home market, real estate agent for celebrities and stars, short sales, commercial real estate, commercial properties. Lora Cusumano Director of Sales & Marketing Licensed Broker New York & Florida CBR (Certified Buyer Representative) ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative) ABRM (Accredited Buyer Rep Manager) Direct Line: (516) 801-1059 Email: lcusumano@lihousehunters.com Languages Spoken: English, Spanish In recent years, Lora Cusumano left a highly respected real estate firm where she was a Top Producer and a member of an elite group of Specialists for the high end luxury market on the famed Gold Coast to become Director of Sales & Marketing for L.I. House Hunters.  Lora had the foresight to notice that the real estate market, which is evolving at a rapid pace because of technology, lacked Buyer Agency and proper representation of a Buyer in the purchase of property. Her favorite analogy while explaining what Buyer Agency is to potential client is: If you were getting a divorce would you have two attorney’s representing your future ex? So why wouldn’t want to hire an agent to represent you and your best interest when you are making the biggest purchase in your life? Lora states,” Buyer’s don’t realize that all compensation paid to the agents is coming out of the proceeds on the sale regardless of whether you are working with a Seller’s Agent or a Buyer’s Agent. You, as the Buyer, are actually providing the funds or proceeds at the closing table.”
Lora’s lends her strong business skills and charming personality to assist her agents and achieve the results you want while negotiating a home or marketing an exclusive listing. Once you meet her, you will see that she is not only disciplined, self-motivated and enthusiastic, but will do everything in her power in making your real estate experience a pleasant, time saving, and successful experience. Lora is an impressive negotiator and organized contract coordinator offering you hassle free closings. Lora is a Certified Buyer Representative and is affiliated with the Long Island Board of Realtors, the New York State Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. L.I. House Hunters has become the Largest Real Estate Firm Representing the Buyer on Long Island. Lora’s successful team of agents covers all of Long Island to Montauk Point and even into parts of Queens.  She has guided her team of Sales Professional to demonstrate the highest level of professionalism. She is a production leader committed to excellence. Lora is committed to saving her clients time, money and aggravation. Her clients’ personal and financial information is always kept in strictest confidence. She offers the highest standards of service with enthusiasm, dedication, honesty and integrity! Lora is always available to address any questions or concerns. Please do not hesitate to call or email. ***Lora is the 1st Broker in Nassau County & the 2nd Broker in Suffolk County to receive the ABRM National Designation!