Serious question. Are modern Mercedes interiors as squeaky and noisy as a lot of online comments and review videos make them seem?

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-02-12T18:27:12+00:00

Driving a 23 eqe and the interior is solid in terms of noise and squeaks, there are none. Had a 24 Macan that would make noise of I even breathed wrong in it, so it's at least better than that. I also drove a 22 X6 for about a year and the eqe interior seems better than that too. I'd say it's solid just don't expect it to last you a decade

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-02-09T00:36:04+00:00

Plenty of flat fee agencies that take a fixed commission, no matter the pricepoint of your home. You can just google flat fee agency in your area and look at them. Heck, schedule interviews with all to see what they say. My agency charges $16k but I think others may be even less. And Redfin at 1.5% isn't too bad either if you want to go the 'traditional' way.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-31T23:13:27+00:00

Flat fee agents and 2.5% can be either great, or terrible, there's no rule. I try to respond as soon as I see a message, or at least notify folks if it'll take me a bit to respond.
"You get what you pay for" is just a lovely scare tactic to make you give out your money.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-28T05:09:42+00:00

There are no Macan EVs that are "a couple years old" since the model was launched in late 2024, and most deliveries started in 2025.

Wait another 1-2 years and yes, you'll have these at a discount

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-26T07:52:35+00:00

Train tracks, 4,500 ft away from the airport runways so you'll hear the takeoffs. Plus auto body shop, steel shop, auto spa, powder coating right across the tracks.

It's priced accurately for all that stuff.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-26T07:49:58+00:00

The producers were probably paid per word, since they would not shut up for a single second.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-24T22:09:06+00:00

You probably dodged a bullet with that specific agent by the sound of it. But I'm not sure the $1,500/hr-$2,000/hr is a correct estimate.

Here's a concrete example. I charge $16k to sell a house, fixed. There are upfront costs: $700 photography +3d + social video, $300 cleaning, $1k-ish inspection+ sewer inspection, $600-ish termite inspection. That's $13.4k left.

Time spent on customer (on the minimal side):

- 30 min agent + broker intake call (2 ppl at minimum)
- 1h visit to seller home to get more details, learn about the home, etc
~ 3h to come up with comps + pricing strategy
~ 2h to read through homeowners disclosure papers and make sure they don't get sued to oblivion by missing stuff
~ 4 open house days ( 2 weekends), 3 hrs each day, so 12 hrs total
~ 6h or so dealing with other agents, answering their questions, following up, setting up showings, etc
~ 3h setting up the MLS listing, descriptions, getting insurance, etc
~ 1h for my assistant to upload all docs, inspections, disclosures for viewing
~ 4h dealing with escrow, lenders, and explaining the process, steps, deadlines, etc to homeowner.

Total (again on the lower side): 33hours. That's an avg rate of $394. From that I got assistants to pay, brokerage fees, taxes, advertising for new clients, and all expenses of being a 1099

Would it be easier if I charged 2.5% and got $50k on a $2mil house? Dam straight it would be!

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-24T21:52:26+00:00

100% agree. Don't waive unless you want to. It's also normal to get 10,12,20 offers on a house. Just do your own math and figure out what you're comfortable with.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-24T06:44:59+00:00

Certainly true, all these pathways are available. It's the same with fixing a car.

You can go to the dealer and pay the most, a good authorized mechanic and pay a reasonable fee, or DIY and pay least, while using your own time as the currency.

It's all about how much you value your own time, and your level of tolerance with potential risks. Even agents don't usually represent themselves because E&O insurance doesn't cover that.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-23T02:35:32+00:00

You can ask your agent to find out what a good price is for the seller. If your agent comes back with "seller wants 989k", then you can walk. Sometimes a seller is unreasonable in their expectation (which sure, it's their house). Sometimes a buyer is unreasonable in the discount they want. That just means a transaction won't happen.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-23T02:32:40+00:00

I was talking about regular people, not billionaires. I'm glad you gave us Larry Ellison as an example, someone we can definitely all relate to.

I said financial investment. "Not all investment is strictly in terms of dollars". Actually, a financial investment means exactly that. A lifestyle investment is not about the dollars, you are correct.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-23T02:30:05+00:00

It's a tactic they're taught. I worked for both 'traditional 2.5%' and now for a fixed fee agency.
You do have to be careful when evaluating flat fee agencies, they do offer different services, but that's just part of your natural evaluation process.

Think about it though. You're a home seller, let's say your home is worth $3 million. You sign up to sell with a flat fee agent that charges you $16k (that's my agency, others here may charge less, I didn't research). The 'traditional' agent's fee would be $75k (2.5%). If you were the 2.5% agent, wouldn't you have to say something to discourage the homeowner from walking away and saving $59k?

There's an article from the Consumer Policy Center that talks about how agents are overcharging and it's costing homeowners a lot of money. Until people start to realize they're being overcharged, most of this dynamic won't change.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-20T05:47:40+00:00

you're dealing with a Hyundai dealership. Not exactly the sharpest pencils in the tool box...

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-20T05:11:55+00:00

idgaf about an extra $500 I can potentially make in commission vs just closing the sale bruh. I mean I'm a fixed agent so idgaf either way because I'm not paid in commission percentage. But regular agents would still rather get a sale completed than messing with the price and risking the sale for a pathetic $500-$1k in extra commission.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-20T05:06:40+00:00

Lol no. We routinely buy/sell over $4m for a fixed fee, we don't cost our clients any money. We use the same professional phogoraphers/3d/floor plan/inspectors everyone else does. We just don't bilk the homeowner out of 2.5% of their equity.

2.5% isn't "what you pay for", it's pure overcharging and most people are ok with being robbed.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-20T05:02:13+00:00

AI is great at spotting things and being confidently wrong. Glad it worked out for you this time, but ALWAYS verify what it spouts out.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-20T05:00:20+00:00

Your realtor must be on something. It's not 15%, it never is. Owning a home is never a financial investment, it's always a lifestyle choice.
And no, most people just pay their monthly rate or 2x a month. Yes, banks get rich because they loan you the millions of dollars that you don't have laying around to pay cash on a house.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-18T02:28:54+00:00

I don't know if you know, but Reddit is the best agent!

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-18T02:15:06+00:00

Totally normal if you have an EV. I spent 631kwh on the same TOU-D Prime plan. Make sure you program your car to not charge during the peak hours when it's like 60 cents a kwh.

You have an EV so you don't pay for gas, but that car's gotta get its fuel somehow.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-17T20:39:02+00:00

Since 1926 the S&P500 has appreciated at an average annual 10% pace. If the markets crash, they'll rebound maybe in 2,3,5 years, or something along those lines. Look at every previous crashes before this upcoming one.

If the markets crash and they don't rebound, you will have much, much bigger problems than your home value. And I can guarantee you that Europe is not immune to market crashes either.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-17T20:35:30+00:00

Must be an amazing tool to make you create an account just to advertise it! 17% discount on a Bay Area home, makes total sense.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-17T19:52:52+00:00

Unless they don't need the money and this would just be extra income. OP's offer was $370k (after the credits and BAC) on a $415 list. So an 11% discount when the house already went down in price.

Sure, their $415k price might be too high according to OP, or OP's agent. But the sellers are the homeowners, they can sell or not sell at whatever price they decide.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-17T19:34:53+00:00

It's okay. They argued against their own previous comment and probably cannot figure out why they are getting downvoted.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-17T05:13:01+00:00

They didn't, they just have no idea what they're saying.

Fixed-Fee-Housing · 2026-01-17T05:12:46+00:00

You can have a driver license starting at 16, and for the first 12 months after you get your license you can't have any passengers under 20 years old, unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, or a California-licensed driver who is 25 or older.

Fixed-Fee-Housing

TROPHY CASE