[old and tired]

Bottom line is, most agents earn their pay by doing better for the client than theclient can do for himself.

Here's a true story for you. I owned a rental property (a row home) that was going to start needing repairs soon. With prices up, I decided to sell. Someone two doors down, living in an identical home, also decided to sell. They used a realtor. I sold myself. I sold mine a month before he did. We both had bidding wars on our properties and he ended up getting $10,000 more as a selling price than I did. Truth be told, his house was in slightly better condition, so it didn't surprise me one bit.

But by avoiding commissions, I got $11,000 more than he did at closing. Of which, I owed $800 to a real estate attorney. In this market, I really think you have to be incompetent, unpresent, crazy, or lazy not to sell your own properties yourself.

[old and tired]

I've just been reading your posts. I see you are an agent. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I would have chosen my words more carefully, if I had known I was speaking of your livelihood. I do think there is plenty of need for real estate agents. Many senior citizens or just plain old gullible folks could fall prey to investment schemes if they try to sell their own homes. Real estate agents are a safety against that. Also, marketing a home can be a difficult task in some neighborhoods. And of course, there are plenty of people who don't want to be bothered with the legwork involved in looking for a property.

I am opposed to the government mandating a fee for any service a private citizen provides.

[JimRed]

In this market, I really think you have to be incompetent, unpresent, crazy, or lazy not to sell your own properties yourself.

There are folks who are capable of doing it themselves and getting the same results without paying a fee; more power to them. But there are lots more who make mistakes which cost them big time!