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Every time a For Sale By Owner hits my radar, I hear some version of the same line:
“We’re open to paying a buyer’s agent.”
Mike, if you bring us a buyer, we’ll pay you.”
On the surface, that sounds smart:
“Hey Mike, bring the buyer, we’ll save on listing commission, and everyone wins.”
But let’s slow that down for a second.
What you’re really saying is:
“I’m willing to pay a sharp buyer’s agent to bring a buyer…”
“…and then pay that same professional to negotiate against me.”
Read that again.
You’re paying someone to negotiate for the other side.
That is literally what a buyer’s agent does: they represent the buyer’s interests, push the price and terms in the buyer’s favor, and use every tool they have to get their client the best possible deal.
As a matter of fact; it’s their legal obligation, that is – to use your own information against you to the betterment of their client, the buyer.
So in that setup, the buyer has:
Professional representation
A strategist
A negotiator
A contract technician
And you have… Google, a couple of blog posts, and hope.
In the largest financial transaction most people ever make.
“But Mike, we just want to save on commission.”
I get it.
Nobody wakes up and says, “You know what I’d love? Paying more professional fee.”
On paper, “saving” 1-2% sounds great.
In reality, there’s a huge difference between:
Paying the least commission, and
Walking away with the most money.
Those are not the same thing.
You don’t deposit “low commission” in your bank account.
You deposit net proceeds.
And net is driven by:
Pricing strategy
Positioning and presentation
Marketing reach
Negotiation skill
Deal management (inspection, appraisal, timelines, emotions)
If you get any of those wrong, you can easily give up 3-5% (or more) of your home’s value just trying to “save” 1-1.5% on fees.
That’s the part nobody tells you.
What is a real professional actually being paid to do?
This is where people underestimate the job.
A strong listing agent isn’t just “putting a sign in the yard” and uploading to the MLS.
A real professional is being paid to:
Price the home strategically
Not just “what Zillow says,” but a pricing plan that attracts the right buyers, creates competition, and protects you from appraisal and negotiation issues
Set up the house so buyers beg to own it
Staging, photos, copy, video, timing so you’re not just presentable; you’re irresistible
Drive targeted exposure, not random eyeballs
Getting your home in front of qualified buyers who can afford it, want that area, and are ready to move now
Run the negotiation like a pro
From first inquiry to final signatures: price, terms, inspection, appraisal, credits, timelines, and all the “little” asks that add up to big money.
Manage the emotional chaos
Because buying and selling a home is emotional.
You’ve got family, work, kids, logistics, and stress. A good agent absorbs that chaos so you don’t blow up your own deal out of frustration or fatigue.
You’re not paying for signs and lockboxes.
You’re paying for a result.
“We know a guy who will do it for 1%”
This one shows up constantly:
“Well, our friend’s cousin said they’ll ‘do it’ for 1%.
Will you match that?”
My answer is simple:
“Match what, exactly?”
Do what exactly? I’m curious what “it” is.
At 1%, what are they actually doing?
Are they:
Building a full marketing plan, or just dropping it on the MLS?
Are they targeting the actual avatar of the person that is going to buy your home, and chasing them around the internet showing them your property while they’re actually searching for it? (Do you know how important this is?)
Creating high quality media, ads, and outreach, or just snapping phone pics and calling it a day?
Personally managing every step from pricing to closing, or just opening doors and hoping it works out?
If someone’s whole value proposition is, “I’m the cheapest,”
what they’re really saying is, “My only leverage is cutting my own fee.”
That might be fine for them.
For you, it’s dangerous.
Do you really want that person negotiating maybe your largest asset sale?
Because if they don’t value their own time and skill enough to charge appropriately, what do you think they’re going to do with your equity when things get hard and they just want a paycheck?
Are they going to recommend that you puke out your equity? Spoiler alert: yes they are.
They’ll start discounting you, not themselves.
Commission “savings” vs. real money in your pocket.
Here’s the real point:
You don’t win by squeezing your agent to the lowest possible number
You win by designing the process so the maximum amount of money ends up on your side of the table
That usually looks like:
Correct pricing (not underpricing just to claim a fast sale)
Strong positioning and marketing that creates demand
Confident negotiation that protects your price and terms
A tightly managed contract process so deals don’t die at inspection or appraisal
I absolutely respect the instinct to be smart with money.
I’m wired the same way.
But after decades in real estate and finance, I’ve rarely seen people come out ahead trying to DIY a complex, high stakes transaction while the other side is fully represented.
Your job is to take care of your family, your emotions, and your move.
My job is to take care of the strategy, the negotiation, and the thousand tiny details that protect your outcome.
If you’re going to write a check either way, it makes far more sense to pay the person whose entire role is to force as many dollars as possible into your pocket at closing, not the one whose main value proposition is, “I’m cheap.”
If you (or someone you know) is thinking about selling and wants to walk through what this looks like in real numbers and not theory, their house, reply to this email with “NET” and I’ll send a simple breakdown showing:
What a “cheap” plan likely nets
What a strategic plan could net
And where the real risk points are
No pressure, just information.
You should never walk into a six or seven figure decision with questions about the motivation of your representative.
