Go with it. Agents are inclined to fight back against client requests for a-la-carte pricing, but giving into those demands may be the easiest way to collect a full commission.
“I offer all my sellers the option of selling their home themselves after establishing a CMA value,” writes one anonymous commenter in the REP forum. “I offer mere posting at $755 to post on MLS and let them deal with the buyers and agents themselves.”
That service, the sales rep explains, is a great way to prove the true value of his or her services: some 90 per cent of those clients who opt for a mere posting eventually ask the agent to sell the home at full commission. Still, those other clients still need someone to serve their particular needs.
“In my belief there is about 15 per cent of the population that makes their buying decisions based on price alone,” writes Bill Hubbard in the forum. “These folks have one question: How much? There must be a real estate model to look after these people. Just like there must be a real estate model to look after the people who ask, ‘What am I getting for my money?’.”
As altruistic as it sounds, agents who are able to prove their worth will succeed in charging a full commission. For those remaining sales reps who choose instead to cut commissions or offer a lower level of service, well, there’s a market for them too.
“The real estate business has evolved and will continue to evolve to cater these sets of consumers,” Hubbard writes. “There is lots of business out there for us all. The consumers decide which business model is right for them.”
