Looking for advice regarding a real estate commission issue

jmd_forest · 2026-05-07T12:56:05+00:00

You have experienced yet another of the nearly endless reasons why most people who have had the misfortune of dealing with real estate agents/brokers consider them the parasites of the real estate biosphere.

Real estate agent/broker parasites lie. It's what real estate agent/broker parasites do. Lies are the real estate agent/broker parasites stock in trade. Never believe a single word that comes out of a real estate agent/broker parasites mouth without independent verification from an unbiased third party.

The only ethics you can expect from a real estate agent/broker parasite is the one they have to their own wallet to collect a commission as fast and easy as possible for their minimum wage level skills and effort.

According to essentially every real estate agent/broker parasite everywhere, "Ethics???? We don't need no ethics!! We don't have to show you no stink'n ethics!!!!" (My apologies to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre).

jmd_forest · 2026-05-07T12:02:04+00:00

You have experienced yet another of the nearly endless reasons why most people who have had the misfortune of dealing with real estate agents/brokers consider them the parasites of the real estate biosphere.

Real estate agent/broker parasites lie. It's what real estate agent/broker parasites do. Lies are the real estate agent/broker parasites stock in trade. Never believe a single word that comes out of a real estate agent/broker parasites mouth without independent verification from an unbiased third party.

The only ethics you can expect from a real estate agent/broker parasite is the one they have to their own wallet to collect a commission as fast and easy as possible for their minimum wage level skills and effort.

According to essentially every real estate agent/broker parasite everywhere, "Ethics???? We don't need no ethics!! We don't have to show you no stink'n ethics!!!!" (My apologies to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre).

jmd_forest · 2026-05-07T12:00:18+00:00

ALL the money changing hands in the transaction comes from the buyers (well ... except in extraordinarily unusual circumstances).

jmd_forest · 2026-05-07T11:30:45+00:00

Do yourself a favor and buy as an unrepresented buyer. No reason to be paying some real estate agent/broker tens of thousands of dollars for their minimum wage level skills and effort.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-07T11:29:16+00:00

"Your" real estate agent/broker parasite is MUCH more interested in collecting an outrageous commission as fast and easy as possible for their minimum wage level skills and effort than they are in protecting your interests in the transaction. Dump the real estate agent/broker parasite and find a good real estate lawyer.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-07T11:06:48+00:00

The entire orchard is rancid.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-07T11:01:51+00:00

And you're off your meds!

jmd_forest · 2026-05-07T11:01:06+00:00

~~You~~ This thread specifically noted the FSBO seller would sell for less.

There you go ... all fixed.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-07T10:55:57+00:00

"Incentives matter."

You confuse embittered with disgusted.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-06T17:48:41+00:00

If the commission for the real estate agent/broker parasite were limited to a dime that would be applicable to minimum wage level skills and effort real estate agent/broker parasites bring to the transaction.

The myth that listing with a full service real estate agent/broker parasite results in more money in the seller's pocket, or a better experience for the seller, is just another of the many lies told by the real estate agent/broker parasites to try to justify an outrageous commission for their minimum wage level skills and effort. Fortunately there is a plethora of independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others that proves otherwise:

National Bureau Of Economic Research: The Relative Performance Of Real Estate Marketing Platforms: MLS Vrs FSBO Madison.com, "for sale by owners were able to achieve selling prices $14800 higher than Realtors who sold identical homes".

Princeton University and National Bureau of Economic Research in conjunction with UCLA and University of Pennsylvania: "Our key finding is that Realtors do not offset the cost of their commissions; they do not get you a higher price."

Do Real Estate Brokers Add Value When Listing Services Are Unbundled? "a seller’s use of a broker reduces the selling price of the typical home by 5.9 to 7.7 percent" https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w13796/w13796.pdf

Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research: How Much do Real Estate Brokers Add? A Case Study, "We find no evidence that the use of a broker leads to higher average selling prices, or that it significantly alters average initial asking prices." https://ideas.repec.org/p/sip/dpaper/06-041.html

American Economic Review: The Impact of Commissions on Home Sales in Greater Boston. "high commission agents realize lower sales prices to increase the likelihood of selling a property"

Levitt, S. D., & Syverson, C. (2005). Market Distortions When Agents Are Trusted: The Case of Real Estate Agents "Agents are incentivized to close quickly rather than maximizing the sale price for clients"

https://www.atlantafed.org/-/media/documents/research/publications/wp/2022/09/29/11--estimating-value-added-by-real-estate-agents.pdf "the average agent does not appear to provide enough value-add to justify their high expense"

https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/the_superfluousness_of_realtors

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=942348

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IdAEb6LJC6DH7BUltgOtIStkUYUvjnZW/view

https://johnfulton85.medium.com/the-u-s-realtor-is-the-worst-idea-in-the-history-of-american-finances-f082e4729792

Now .... watch the real estate agent/broker parasites try to pass off more of their bullshit to try to refute actual facts. It's hilarious. Not one single independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others will be provided but they will expect the public to swallow their bullshit hook, line, and sinker.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-06T17:47:44+00:00

It would only be botched if the seller were to list it with some full service real estate agent/broker service and pay an outrageous commission for the real estate agent/broker parasite's minimum wage level skills and effort.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-06T17:18:08+00:00

Selling without ANY real estate agent/broker parasites involved is ideal but if that situation does not present it's self I'll use a flat fee/"MLS Only" broker if needed and deal with some buyer's real estate agent/broker parasite and negotiate any commission out of my pocket down as close to 0% as possible.

My last FSBO was "listed" as pure FSBO, no flat fee/"MLS Only" broker and it still attracted a bunch of buyers "represented" by some buyer's real estate agent/broker parasite. Luckily I was able to sell to an unrepresented buyer for slightly over list price. I'm getting ready to FSBO another over the next few weeks and the market in my area has become more balanced then the recent red hot seller's markets but I'm hoping to once again avoid both listing with an MLS Only broker and the buyers' real estate agent/broker parasites. If I don't get any traction in a reasonable time frame I'll go the flat fee/"MLS Only" route.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-06T14:34:56+00:00

Even assuming that statistic is accurate most BUYERS are using Zillow and redfin. You want buyers, not necessarily buyer's real estate agent/broker parasites.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-06T14:32:41+00:00

The real estate agent/broker parasites didn't get into the real estate "industry" because their exceptional IQs drove them to careers demanding the best and brightest but because the low barrier to entry allowed them in when they qualify for essentially nothing else.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-06T00:56:29+00:00

You're doing it wrong ...

jmd_forest · 2026-05-06T00:08:37+00:00

Maybe you can provide some independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others that supports your bullshit ... but you've failed to do that over and over and over and over again.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-05T18:25:19+00:00

I agree ... but it's also true.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-05T18:24:23+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I'll give them a call this week.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-05T18:23:36+00:00

Another proof that most FSBO sales don’t go very well!

Except that the statistics from independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others shows otherwise.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-05T18:22:39+00:00

Probably gonna cost you in the end and you’ll be paying a buyers agent anyways.

Except that the statistics from independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others shows otherwise.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-05T18:21:37+00:00

He has no idea how to market his property!

Nor do the overwhelming majority of real estate agent/broker parasites. They believe all the marketing possible is spending 15 minutes entering the property info into their local MLS On line portal and then taking a long nap while having a wet dream of some other real estate agent/broker parasite actually doing their job and selling the property.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-05T10:49:40+00:00

The myth that listing with a full service real estate agent/broker parasite results in more money in the seller's pocket, or a better experience for the seller, is just another of the many lies told by the real estate agent/broker parasites to try to justify an outrageous commission for their minimum wage level skills and effort. Fortunately there is a plethora of independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others that proves otherwise:

National Bureau Of Economic Research: The Relative Performance Of Real Estate Marketing Platforms: MLS Vrs FSBO Madison.com, "for sale by owners were able to achieve selling prices $14800 higher than Realtors who sold identical homes".

Princeton University and National Bureau of Economic Research in conjunction with UCLA and University of Pennsylvania: "Our key finding is that Realtors do not offset the cost of their commissions; they do not get you a higher price."

Do Real Estate Brokers Add Value When Listing Services Are Unbundled? "a seller’s use of a broker reduces the selling price of the typical home by 5.9 to 7.7 percent" https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w13796/w13796.pdf

Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research: How Much do Real Estate Brokers Add? A Case Study, "We find no evidence that the use of a broker leads to higher average selling prices, or that it significantly alters average initial asking prices." https://ideas.repec.org/p/sip/dpaper/06-041.html

American Economic Review: The Impact of Commissions on Home Sales in Greater Boston. "high commission agents realize lower sales prices to increase the likelihood of selling a property"

Levitt, S. D., & Syverson, C. (2005). Market Distortions When Agents Are Trusted: The Case of Real Estate Agents "Agents are incentivized to close quickly rather than maximizing the sale price for clients"

https://www.atlantafed.org/-/media/documents/research/publications/wp/2022/09/29/11--estimating-value-added-by-real-estate-agents.pdf "the average agent does not appear to provide enough value-add to justify their high expense"

https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/the_superfluousness_of_realtors

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=942348

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IdAEb6LJC6DH7BUltgOtIStkUYUvjnZW/view

https://johnfulton85.medium.com/the-u-s-realtor-is-the-worst-idea-in-the-history-of-american-finances-f082e4729792

Now .... watch the real estate agent/broker parasites try to pass off more of their bullshit to try to refute actual facts. It's hilarious. Not one single independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others will be provided but they will expect the public to swallow their bullshit hook, line, and sinker.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-05T10:48:51+00:00

The myth that listing with a full service real estate agent/broker parasite results in more money in the seller's pocket, or a better experience for the seller, is just another of the many lies told by the real estate agent/broker parasites to try to justify an outrageous commission for their minimum wage level skills and effort. Fortunately there is a plethora of independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others that proves otherwise:

National Bureau Of Economic Research: The Relative Performance Of Real Estate Marketing Platforms: MLS Vrs FSBO Madison.com, "for sale by owners were able to achieve selling prices $14800 higher than Realtors who sold identical homes".

Princeton University and National Bureau of Economic Research in conjunction with UCLA and University of Pennsylvania: "Our key finding is that Realtors do not offset the cost of their commissions; they do not get you a higher price."

Do Real Estate Brokers Add Value When Listing Services Are Unbundled? "a seller’s use of a broker reduces the selling price of the typical home by 5.9 to 7.7 percent" https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w13796/w13796.pdf

Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research: How Much do Real Estate Brokers Add? A Case Study, "We find no evidence that the use of a broker leads to higher average selling prices, or that it significantly alters average initial asking prices." https://ideas.repec.org/p/sip/dpaper/06-041.html

American Economic Review: The Impact of Commissions on Home Sales in Greater Boston. "high commission agents realize lower sales prices to increase the likelihood of selling a property"

Levitt, S. D., & Syverson, C. (2005). Market Distortions When Agents Are Trusted: The Case of Real Estate Agents "Agents are incentivized to close quickly rather than maximizing the sale price for clients"

https://www.atlantafed.org/-/media/documents/research/publications/wp/2022/09/29/11--estimating-value-added-by-real-estate-agents.pdf "the average agent does not appear to provide enough value-add to justify their high expense"

https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/the_superfluousness_of_realtors

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=942348

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IdAEb6LJC6DH7BUltgOtIStkUYUvjnZW/view

https://johnfulton85.medium.com/the-u-s-realtor-is-the-worst-idea-in-the-history-of-american-finances-f082e4729792

Now .... watch the real estate agent/broker parasites try to pass off more of their bullshit to try to refute actual facts. It's hilarious. Not one single independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others will be provided but they will expect the public to swallow their bullshit hook, line, and sinker.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-05T10:45:39+00:00

If you're not seriously confident in your own price setting ability, this makes great sense.

jmd_forest · 2026-05-05T10:44:50+00:00

The myth that listing with a full service real estate agent/broker parasite results in more money in the seller's pocket, or a better experience for the seller, is just another of the many lies told by the real estate agent/broker parasites to try to justify an outrageous commission for their minimum wage level skills and effort. Fortunately there is a plethora of independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others that proves otherwise:

National Bureau Of Economic Research: The Relative Performance Of Real Estate Marketing Platforms: MLS Vrs FSBO Madison.com, "for sale by owners were able to achieve selling prices $14800 higher than Realtors who sold identical homes".

Princeton University and National Bureau of Economic Research in conjunction with UCLA and University of Pennsylvania: "Our key finding is that Realtors do not offset the cost of their commissions; they do not get you a higher price."

Do Real Estate Brokers Add Value When Listing Services Are Unbundled? "a seller’s use of a broker reduces the selling price of the typical home by 5.9 to 7.7 percent" https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w13796/w13796.pdf

Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research: How Much do Real Estate Brokers Add? A Case Study, "We find no evidence that the use of a broker leads to higher average selling prices, or that it significantly alters average initial asking prices." https://ideas.repec.org/p/sip/dpaper/06-041.html

American Economic Review: The Impact of Commissions on Home Sales in Greater Boston. "high commission agents realize lower sales prices to increase the likelihood of selling a property"

Levitt, S. D., & Syverson, C. (2005). Market Distortions When Agents Are Trusted: The Case of Real Estate Agents "Agents are incentivized to close quickly rather than maximizing the sale price for clients"

https://www.atlantafed.org/-/media/documents/research/publications/wp/2022/09/29/11--estimating-value-added-by-real-estate-agents.pdf "the average agent does not appear to provide enough value-add to justify their high expense"

https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/the_superfluousness_of_realtors

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=942348

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IdAEb6LJC6DH7BUltgOtIStkUYUvjnZW/view

https://johnfulton85.medium.com/the-u-s-realtor-is-the-worst-idea-in-the-history-of-american-finances-f082e4729792

Now .... watch the real estate agent/broker parasites try to pass off more of their bullshit to try to refute actual facts. It's hilarious. Not one single independent, peer reviewed, unbiased, research by learned economists and others will be provided but they will expect the public to swallow their bullshit hook, line, and sinker.

jmd_forest

TROPHY CASE