What is the address? We can skip the commission.

I see houses for sale in the classifieds right on this website. That can't cost much at all. I wonder if any are ever sold that way.

10 to 15 percent lower, really! Good advice. Everyone should panic and cut their price quickly and be 50-75k lower than everyone else? Realtors do add value. For me primarily on the buy side once my home is in MLS, zillow,etc and as I mentioned you can do that for $100 and then pay full commission or otherwise on the buy side.

Real Estate Agents are vastly overrated!

To get your listing, they typically suggest a price for your home which exceeds other similar homes for sale. When it does not sell within three weeks, they suggest you drop the price, sometimes markedly. They tie you into a one year listing so you cannot get out. In the traditional 6% formula, let's look at this more carefully. The 6% is typically split 3 to the listing agent and 3 to the selling agent. The listing or selling agent then each splits their 3 percent with their broker. So, a sales agent actually gets 1.5 % of the transaction...typically. So, when they suggest you drop your price by let's say $50,000, you wind up with 50 k less. For the actual agent, they lose $750. hmmm....

On another note, when houses cost $100,000, agents had to pay for newspaper ads and had to drive prospects around all day long. They paid their brokers for desk space, business cards and sometimes phone lines. Now, the agent simply enters the listing on the internet and waits till a prospect calls and says lets see a particular house. Even though the costs to the agent are significantly less now, the agent gets 6% not of 100K but 6% of 500K. hmmm....

So, there are multiple sources around where you can list your home for sale on the MLS for a flat fee (a couple of hundred dollars). If you are any good at negotiating (and most people are), why would you ever want to hire a real estate agent? Most agents are simply doing this as a side gig and have no real expertise. They don't have a strong education and would otherwise be selling used cars. In my years of buying and selling real estate, I have found very very few agents who I thought were honorable or trustworthy. Most just want to make a quick sale and get their money and run...and really are only focused on one thing, how can they get their commission quick!

Sorry to all you agents out there who have a different approach. But, this has been my experience with some of the best real estate brokers and agents around.

I guess I am going to get some flack now. So be it!

I agree!
 

No flack at all. I totally agree with your post.