The going rate was just 3% when the wife and I bought our current home over 20 years ago. It's easy to see how online forces will put downward pressure on those asking more.

It brings to mind what a salesman once told me years ago. "A percentage of something is better than a percentage of nothing."

I checked them out.........So much BS........in a nut shell, they take 2% and you have to talk your buyer into paying his realtor fees..........that is laughable.

Yes, it would be much better to sell it after you expire, rather than before you expire.........

It really depends on the person selling the house. If they are knowledgeable enough to know current values, weed through and negotiate with buyers, draft a valid sales contract and get everything to the title company then maybe not. Today's market seems easy for houses but getting the best sales price needs some expertise. Sometimes FSBO is like putting your phone # directly on Craigslist, you get every crackpot with a scheme calling you. That and most sellers are the worst sales people, that's why real estate agents do not want the owners there when they show a house.

"Edit - I work. I do not fix my own vehicles. I spend a lot of time & attention on my avocation which allows me little access to being a jack of other and most certainly of all trades. Some of yous can do it, but you may be better equipped than myself or just have more expendable time."

^^^This from Hud covers this topic and many more for me. I have only so much time and I dont spend it trying to learn how to do things that others know how to do. Exceptions to every rule, but generally this is how I roll.

Same as bankers, you either fit the parameters or you don't.

Without reading any of the topic. Whatever Texasdan says. Do the opposite.

Wish more brokers saw it as mutually beneficial. I’m appraising an approximately $5 million commercial site for a company in San Antonio now. Talked to a broker yesterday who had two slam dunk comps for me said he needed to pull his file call him back the next afternoon... I called this afternoon, same number I’m positive and it’s disconnected for some reason. I find a lot more brokers and agents like to say they don’t hate appraisers than actually do. He was friendly as all get out on the phone, but... I’ve been told no before, if he was t willing to help wish he would have just said so.

I will prolly expire early. Round-up you know. Selling my house would then left to Cathy.

My neighbor is about your age. He worked in agriculture most his life and swears it's the Round-Up that keeps him healthy. He suggests a dab behind the ears every few days to keep Covid away. You and him might get along, he grew up in Tennessee and is a cousin of Lester Flatt. He too picked cotton as a kid and likes to ramble about simpler times. He's a good man.

How come you’re not looking at the camera, Bill.

Was you thinking....if she keeps touching me like that we’re going to end up with another Cathy?

On a serious note, I think that’s a new picture and thanks for sharing. Beautiful American family!

Not knocking RE agents at all and have consistently used them whether selling personal homesteads or investment properties over the years. Y'all do serve a valuable purpose in most cases. However I have sold a couple FSBO, which also worked out good. But the last two personal homes I sold, both agents wanted me to ask roughly 15% less than I wanted to. I know real estate fairly well and felt I knew the current market. They argued and one almost backed out of the listing. But I insisted on my price being at least a starting point and felt confident. One sold at ask in 3 weeks and one over ask in 3 days. And this was 2007 and 2010 respectively, so not like today's crazy market where anything is possible.

Both were "astonished" that I got such a good price whereas I wasn't surprised at all. In fact, thought I might have left a little on the table. And these are both VERY established, experienced and well-known agents in my area, not some newbie or friend just getting started in the business cutting me a deal. At least in those instances, it would have cost me a bundle to listen to them and not listen to myself.

did he plow mules though? lol

Love the picture Bill, as usual.

You read their site wrong. Nothing against you but I’m not going to take advice from a realtor on why it’s a bad idea to not use a realtor. I’d be an idiot to follow your advise on this subject.
Like the other guy said, last house I sold I insisted on listing it for $45K more than what the first realtor suggested. She wouldn’t listen to me so I picked another one. Sign in the yard on Saturday to go live online on Monday. Had 3 offers Monday morning before it hit online. Sold it for $40K more than the realtor said it would sell for, to a cash buyer, before it was even listed on MLS and this was in 2105.
Realtors want to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money. I’m friends with several of them and they’ve explained how it all goes down. It’s a ripoff at best and a sham at worst.

Did you feel a desire to chop that cotton?

The Department of Justice actually encourage more competition for RE sales commissions, so they will be more competitive.

The DOJ? What the hell do they have to do with it? I could see HUD but the DOJ?

The DOJ has more important things to worry about than Real Estate Commissions.


Shouldn't even be on their radar

Taking more money from the people that earned it and redistubing it to leech voters is going to be on every Federal department's radar.

In true fireman fashion, you know it all and are the smartest person in here. No need for anybody else to comment.

Selling to a cash buyer has nothing to do with how a Realtor prices homes. That just means somebody dumber than you over paid. There is a reason the Realtors you hired suggested the price they suggested, and I’m sure it wasn’t because listing it higher was more work.

What if the realtor suggested you list at $350,000 based on her knowledge of the area and the comps, but you insisted you know it’s worth $390,000 and the realtor lists it for that. Here comes a buyer, y’all get a contract for $390,000 and then here comes the appraiser, appraiser says it doesn’t meet value. Your realtor argues with the appraiser but in the end he doesn’t budge and the buyer walks away. Who are you going to be mad at?

I’m sorry your friends aren’t good realtors, it’s true that most of them are lazy. I pride myself in the fact that all my business comes from referrals of past clients.

Price fixing comes to mind. Along with fraud. But what do I know