Passage 2 Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage. The first thing you need to know about real estate ( 房地产 ) brokers( 经纪人 ) is that they typically ( 通常 ) work for the people selling the home -- not you. The usual practice ( 做法 ) is for the seller to hire( 雇佣 ) a broker, who then takes over marketing the home and finding buyers. For this, brokers usually are paid around 6% of the sale price, for which they make efforts to find the seller the highest price they can. That sounds simple enough. But as you begin to drive around town with experienced brokers, you'll quickly find that they act like they are, in fact, working for you. You will probably be ready to tell a broker the highest price you are willing to pay for a house. The broker has a duty( 责任 ) to tell those details ( 细节 )to the seller, which could hurt you in any deal. Also, don't feel obliged ( 有义务的 )to buy a home through one particularly helpful broker. Use several to have the widest selection of possible homes. You don't need to use a broker at all if the house you want is being sold by an owner himself. Indeed, you'll have a lot more room to negotiate on price if the broker's 6% fee( 费用 ) is absent( 免除的 ) from the deal. It's also not that difficult to sell your house without a broker, though it means a great deal of time and energy( 精力 ). In the past few years, so called "buyer's brokers" have become more popular in certain parts of the country. Unlike( 与 ...... 不同 ) traditional real estate agents, they work for -- and are often paid by -- the buyer. They are supposed to help assure( 保证 ) you get the best deal. They can be invaluable if you are moving to a town or part of the country you are unfamiliar with or have little time for house-hunting( 找房子 ). Like a regular broker they are a font of listings.