We negotiated 5%--in NYC no less, and probably could have done better. I don't need the nanny state to help me, and neither do you.
When we sold our house in Riverside, CT, we negotiated 1% + 3%. 1% to the listing broker, 3% to the seller's broker. Our listing broker admitted he basically would do nothing but put the house in the MLS, which cost a few hundred, and hold an open house for brokers, which took a couple of hours. He took a snapshot of the outside of our house for the MLS. His take: $6,850. But it was better than paying three times that. Our house took two weeks to sell, and the first weekend, there was a foot of snow, and no one could come to the house. Second weekend was Christmas. House sold between Christmas and New Years a year and a half ago. Would have sold in days if not for the weather and holidays...
I think many agree with this. The thread took a turn when some implied real estate agents don't work hard for their money.
That being said, nothing should preclude anyone from making any deal they want or from doing the work themselves.
Ditto 5%. And that's a split, between Buyers, and sellers. If the DDA sells it it's 4.
Most of the people complaining, I suspect are those that have seen the value of their home shoot up over the last 7 years.
Curious. That's exactly what we did when we sold our home in the Twin Cities. We negotiated a 5 percent deal and the real estate couple were happy to have it. They did both sides of the deal, by the way.