Realtors and lawyers are like snakes and whale crap but I’d rather deal with a lawyer.
The last three properties I’ve bought were using a lawyer and a title company and title insurance.
Last house I sold using a realtor and she probably earned her fee with an advertising push and marketing that got the house sold in a reasonable time in ‘16 before the insanity hit. Compared to then I’d now have made at least another 50% but that was then and this is now.
Today, I’d try self-marketing with a lawyer and title company as our place is probably worth close to $3 million (which I think is stupid money) and I have unsolicited offers several times a year. Not the bottom fishing brokers but real offers. It will be a cold day before I pay someone $180,000 to carry an offer. I am in no hurry to sell, have no place else at hand to go to and am patient. Someday it will be the kids problem.
If I sold my place, where would I go? There's no place affordable that I want. Anything I could afford would be a downgrade for no reason. I'm staying where I'm at until forced to or death.