An agent is a person who looks for horses in the European market on your behalf, and for a buyer who is thousands of miles away, a good agent is well worth the fee they charge. Such an agent knows the language, can understand the state of the market without it being explicitly stated, manages to get access to horses that are never put up for advertisement, and takes care of the logistics involved in arranging viewings, vetting, and shipping, which are in fact difficult to organize from abroad. Having a reliable individual on the ground enables you to navigate a foreign and unclear market.
Regarding the cost involved, you can anticipate a commission of about 10 to 20% of the purchase price, and it may go higher if the search is particularly complicated or if more than one party is taking part in the work. This range is based on the way sales in fact take place. Generally speaking, the majority of good horses in Europe never make it to the open market; instead, they change hands in a quiet manner, and the fee covers the costs of gaining access and making use of the relationships that enable someone to approach an owner who isn’t advertising and to carry the sale through. What is more important than the precise figure is the following point: that you should know who is being paid and by whom.
The catch is that the agent world has a transparency problem, and it is worth understanding before you engage anyone. The problem isn’t that agents are sometimes paid by sellers; introduction and presentation fees are normal in every horse market worldwide. The problem is when you can’t find out. An agent who won’t put in writing what they’re being paid, and by whom, is asking you to buy blind. That, not the fee itself, is the source of most of the trade’s unhappy stories.
It’s simple and entirely reasonable to look after your own interests, and no reputable professional would have any objection to doing so. Whenever you hire someone, make sure you get the details in writing: namely, who the agent is acting for on your behalf during the purchase, how much they will be paid, and by whom. You should insist that any commission is stated in the contract. A professional will give it to you without hesitation. If anyone avoids answering the question, they have, in effect, answered it.
At NOVA Horse, this is the standard to which we hold ourselves. Before any action is taken, our role and our fee are set out; we establish the network that facilitates the quiet trading of quality horses; and we aim to match the horse with the rider rather than the sale, since only a happy buyer will ever recommend us to a friend. If this kind of assistance is what you are looking for, it is precisely the help we were designed to provide.