Ever since I bought my first house I have always hated the concept of realtors. Maybe before the internet it made sense because it wasn't easy finding houses. But what value does a realtor actually bring in the age of Zillow, Redfin, etc...
Also - the percent structure has never made sense to me. Why should a realtor make more money just because the house is more expensive? Does a realtor really deserve to make 60k on a 2 million dollar home sale? Did they really bring twice as much value as a 1 million dollar home sale?
I'm not saying that realtors don't have _any_ value. Yes if you are unfamiliar with an area it is nice to have someone who is familiar with the area help you look for a home. But with the internet this is nowhere near worth points of a sale of a home.
And yes, they can negotiate for you - this has value too... But is the delta of their negotiation skills worth 6% of the home value??
When I sold my home I was also frustrated. I remember when I looked for a realtor to sell my home they tried to convince me they have additional avenues they would sell beyond what me listing myself could do. "We will get your home on our LinkedIn page! On our monthly magazine!" Really? Have you ever heard of anyone buying a home from a LinkedIn page?
Also - the percent structure has never made sense to me. Why should a realtor make more money just because the house is more expensive? Does a realtor really deserve to make 60k on a 2 million dollar home sale? Did they really bring twice as much value as a 1 million dollar home sale?
I'm not saying that realtors don't have _any_ value. Yes if you are unfamiliar with an area it is nice to have someone who is familiar with the area help you look for a home. But with the internet this is nowhere near worth points of a sale of a home.
And yes, they can negotiate for you - this has value too... But is the delta of their negotiation skills worth 6% of the home value??
When I sold my home I was also frustrated. I remember when I looked for a realtor to sell my home they tried to convince me they have additional avenues they would sell beyond what me listing myself could do. "We will get your home on our LinkedIn page! On our monthly magazine!" Really? Have you ever heard of anyone buying a home from a LinkedIn page?