broker
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broker
A person who professionally arranges contracts for others, especially when buying or selling real estate (real estate agent), insurance (insurance broker), or securities (stockbroker).
Der Makler hat uns mehrere Wohnungen gezeigt, bevor wir die richtige gefunden haben.
The broker showed us several apartments before we found the right one.
The word 'Makler' (broker) is derived from the verb 'makeln' (to broker/mediate). The ending '-er' is typical for job titles of people who perform a certain activity, as in 'Lehrer' (teacher) from 'lehren' (to teach).
Er hat sein ganzes Leben lang mit Aktien gemakelt.
He traded stocks his whole life.
Since 'Makler' (broker) is a general term, it is often made more precise by a compound word. The most common types are 'Immobilienmakler' (real estate agent), 'Versicherungsmakler' (insurance broker), and 'Börsenmakler' (stockbroker).
Ein Immobilienmakler hilft beim Kauf und Verkauf von Häusern.
A real estate agent helps with buying and selling houses.
When using the services of a broker, people often use the verbs 'beauftragen' (to commission/hire) or 'einschalten' (to involve/bring in). You can also simply say 'zu einem Makler gehen' (to go to a broker).
Wir haben einen Makler mit dem Verkauf unseres Hauses beauftragt.
We hired a broker to sell our house.
A 'Makler' (broker) normally does not work for a fixed salary, but receives payment for a successful brokerage. This is called 'Provision' (commission) or 'Courtage' (brokerage fee).
Die Provision für den Makler beträgt drei Prozent des Kaufpreises.
The broker's commission is three percent of the purchase price.
representative / substitute
A Vertreter acts on behalf of a party, for example a company or a customer. A Makler, by contrast, professionally mediates between the parties involved and does not have to represent either of them. Use Vertreter for acting on someone’s behalf, and Makler for facilitating a contract.
Der Makler brachte den Eigentümer und den Kunden beim Verkauf der Wohnung zusammen.
The broker brought the owner and the customer together to sell the apartment.
Der Vertreter des Unternehmens stellte dem Kunden die neuen Produkte vor.
The company’s representative presented the new products to the customer.
