Some think that a buyer’s agreement only benefits the real estate agent but that is really not true. There is a legal difference between a ‘customer’ and a ‘client’.

Many buyers, especially first time home buyers, don’t understand that the seller’s agent works exclusively for the seller (and want to get the highest price for the home) so it is in your best interest to have a professional on your side – especially when it’s almost free!

Here’s are the big reasons to consider an exclusive buyer’s agent when you begin looking for your next home:

Receive a higher level of service. If you formalize an agency relationship with a buyer’s rep, you can expect to be treated like a client instead of a customer. What’s the difference? Clients are entitled to superior services, relative to customers.

Get more without paying more. In almost every case, home sellers have already agreed to pay a buyer’s agent’s commission. If they haven’t, you can ask your buyer’s rep to avoid showing you any such homes.

Avoid misunderstandings. A buyer representation agreement clarifies expectations, helping you understand what you should and shouldn’t expect from their buyer’s rep, and what they will expect from you, which usually centers on loyalty.

Agency relationships are based on mutual consent. While most representation agreements specify a time period, they can be terminated early if both parties consent. Most buyer’s reps are willing to end the agreement early if the working relationship isn’t going well.

Strength as a team. When a client and a buyer’s rep work together within a formalized agency relationship, a team is created, dedicated to helping the client achieve the best possible home-buying experience.

*OK, I was at the midnight premiere of the Muppet Movie—alone—because no one else would go with me. But the movie did serve as inspiration for the title of this post.

I am not a hemp-wearing tree hugger, but I do care for the environment. I’m not environmentally-friendly for business reasons, I do it for myself. It’s like a game to see how much “trash” I can keep out of the garage can or how I can reduce my monthly expenses.

Here are some of my tips to help make you green and save you green:

Print your showing information to PDF and use PDF Expert to view it (and write on it) on your iPad while showing buyers. You can even go a step further — do the same for your clients; hand them an iPad with all the MLS printouts, allow them to take notes and then email the document to them after showings.

Quit buying bottled water. Invest the $5 in a water bottle (without the straw please, that’s yucky) and fill it with water from your Brita Pitcher. Wash it and use it again! I bought some BPA-free, recycled, compostable water bottles with my logo. I fill them with distilled water (that I “brew” myself, I don’t buy it) and let them take the bottle at the end of our first showing. The second showing I have another set of bottles there, but I ask they leave the bottle so I can reuse it the next time. When they close on their home they get their bottles, and a Brita pitcher, as part of their closing gift.

Buy recycled, compostable, or reused promotional products. And get fewer, larger shipments to cut down on shipping costs and emissions to get them to you. I just bought pens made out of pop bottles and newspapers.

Pick a day of the week to stay at home. Catch up on paperwork, phone calls, file clean up, and whatever else you need. You’ll save the gas and you’ll force yourself to plan your other days around town a little better and cut down on back and forth driving.

Buy a Hybrid car. Always drive your clients with you.

Save all of your single-side printed paper. Use it as scrap paper or print on the other side. Once you’ve printed on both sides you can recycle it.

Take the “pretty” heading off of your MLS printouts. Replace it with just the facts. Your ink cartridges will go much further — and we all know how expensive those are!

Use Docusign, DotLoop, or another e-signature program to reduce printing out contracts (or having your clients do it).

Protect yourself against contractor scams that threaten to stick you with shoddy workmanship or take your money and run.

The vast majority of contractors are honest, hardworking professionals. Protecting yourself against the few bad apples requires checking references, having a solid contract, and being alert to the warning signs of these top five contractor scams.

Scam 1: I’ll need the money up front

This is the most common ruse reported to the Better Business Bureau. Your contractor explains that because he has to order materials and rent earthmoving equipment to get the job started, he needs, say, 30% to 50% of the project price up front. Once you’ve forked over the dough, one of two things happens: He disappears on you, or he starts doing slapdash work knowing that you can’t really fire him because he’s sitting on thousands of your dollars.

How to protect yourself: Never prepay more than $1,000 or 10% of the job total, whichever is less. That’s the legal maximum in some states, and enough to establish that you’re a serious customer so the contractor can work you into his schedule—the only valid purpose of an advance payment. As to the materials and backhoe rentals, if he’s a professional in good standing, his suppliers will provide them on credit.

Scam 2: Take my word for it

When you first meet with the contractor, he’s very agreeable about doing everything exactly to your specifications and even suggests his own extra touches and upgrades. Some of the details don’t make it into the contract, but you figure it doesn’t matter because you had such a clear verbal understanding.

Pretty soon, you notice that the extras you’d discussed aren’t being built. When you confront the contractor, he tells you that he didn’t include those features in his price, so you’ll have to live without them or pony up additional money to redo the work.

How to protect yourself: Unfortunately, you have no legal recourse because you signed a contract that didn’t include all the details. Next time, make sure everything you’ve agreed on is written into the project description. Add any items that are missing, put your initials next to each addition, and have the contractor initial it, too—all before you sign.

Scam 3: I don’t need to pull a permit

You’re legally required to get a building permit for any significant construction project. That allows building officials to visit the site periodically to confirm that the work meets safety codes.

On small interior jobs, an unlicensed contractor may try to skirt the rule by telling you that authorities won’t notice. On large jobs that can’t be hidden, the contractor may try another strategy and ask you to apply for a homeowner’s permit, an option available to do-it-yourselfers.

But taking out your own permit for a contractor job means lying to authorities about who’s doing the work. And it makes you responsible for monitoring all the inspections—since the contractor doesn’t answer to the inspector, you do.

How to protect yourself: Always demand that the contractor get a building permit. Yes, it informs the local tax assessor about your upgrade, but it weeds out unlicensed contractors and gives you the added protection of an independent assessment of the work.

Scam 4: We ran into unforeseen problems

The job is already under way, perhaps even complete, when this one hits. Suddenly your contractor informs you that the agreed-upon price has skyrocketed. He blames the discovery of structural problems, like a missing beam or termite damage, or design changes that you made after the job began.

The additional fees might very well be legit, but some unscrupulous contractors bid jobs low to get the work and then find excuses to jack up the price later. If you’re unsure whether your contractor is telling the truth about structural problems, you can get an impartial opinion from a home inspector, the local branch of the National Association of Home Builders, or even your local building department.

How to protect yourself: Before signing the contract, make sure it includes a procedure for change orders–mini-contracts containing a work description and a fixed price–for anything that gets added to the job in progress. The extra work, whether it’s related to unforeseen building issues or homeowner whims, can proceed only after the change order is signed by both homeowner and contractor.

Scam 5: I’ve got extra materials I can sell you cheap

This hoax is usually run by driveway paving companies, whose materials—hot-top asphalt and concrete—can’t be returned to the supplier. So the crew pulls up to your house with a load of leftover product and quotes a great price to resurface your driveway on the spot.

Even if it’s really a bargain (by no means a sure thing), taking them up on the offer is risky if you have no idea who they are and haven’t checked references. And if the driveway starts cracking next year, you can bet you won’t find this bunch again.

How to protect yourself: Never hire a contractor on the spot, whether it’s a driveway paver, an emergency repairman who shows up after a major storm, or a landscaper with surplus plantings. Take your time to check contractors out to make sure they have a good reputation and do quality work.

Doing home improvement jobs yourself can be a smart way to save money, but choose the right DIY projects or you’ll end up paying dearly.

More than 100,000 people injure themselves each year doing home improvement jobs. So add medical bills to your DYI budget, and you ending up spending the same, or more, than if you hired a pro.

We’re not suggesting that you call a plumber each time you need to plunge a toilet. But think twice about what DIY might really cost you. Here’s how to decide.

Stick to routine maintenance for savings and safety

Seasonal homemaintenance is ideal work for the weekend warrior because you can tackle these jobs when your schedule permits. Because these are routine maintenance projects, your savings will add up. Mowing your own lawn, for example, saves $55 to $65 a week for a half-acre lawn. The bigger the lot, the bigger the savings: with two acres, you’ll pocket around $150 per week.

When it pays:

• Snow removal

• Pruning shrubs

• Washing windows (be careful on that ladder)

• Sealing decks

• Painting fences

• Fertilizing lawns

• Replacing air conditioner filters

• Cleaning gutters

When it costs: Unless you have skill and experience on your side, stay off any ladder taller than six feet; according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, emergency rooms are filled with people with ladder injuries. The same goes for operating power saws or attempting any major electrical work—it’s simply too risky if you don’t have the experience.

Become your own general contractor

If you’re more comfortable operating an iPhone than a circular saw, you could act as your own general contractor on some home improvement projects. That means you hire, schedule, and pay the carpenters, plumbers, and other tradesmen yourself. You’ll save 10% to 20% of the job cost, which is the contractor’s typical fee.

When it pays: If it’s a small job that requires only two or three subcontractors, and you have good relationships with top-quality professionals in those fields, consider DIY contracting.

When it costs: When you don’t have an established network of reliable workers, time to supervise, construction experience to spot problems, and the skill to negotiate disputes between subcontractors, your project and budget are at risk.

Invest sweat equity on big jobs

Contribute your own labor to big jobs being handled by a professional crew and cut hundreds, even thousands, off construction costs. For instance, tear out kitchen cabinets and appliances before the contractor gets started, and you might knock $800 off the cost of your remodel. Make sure you negotiate cost savings with your contractor before pitching in.

When it pays: Jobs that are labor-intensive but require relatively little skill make perfect sweat equity jobs. Perform minor interior demolition, such as pulling up old flooring, daily job site cleanup, product assembly, and simple landscaping.

When it costs: If you get in the crew’s way, you may slow them down far more than you help. Make your contributions when the workers aren’t around; mornings before they arrive, or nights and weekends after they’ve left.

Add finishing touches

Unlike the early phases of a construction job–which require skilled labor to frame walls, install plumbing pipes, and run wires–many finishing touches are comparatively simple and DIY-friendly. If you paint a basement remodel yourself, for instance, you can save up to $1,800.

When it pays: If you have skill, patience, or an experienced friend to teach you, setting tile, laying flooring, painting walls, and installing trim are good DIY jobs.

When it costs: The downside to attempting your own finish work is that the results are very visible. Hammer dents in woodwork, or sander ruts in hardwood floors will annoy you every time you see them. So unless you have a sure eye and a steady hand, don’t perform the tasks that only a skilled tradesperson will get right.