As real estate agents adjust to the big changes brought about by the settlement of the commission case, a new report from the discount broker You are smart Real estate reveals one thing that hasn’t changed: Americans still trust full-time real estate agents to sell their homes.
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of recent home sellers say agents are the best way to sell, and 77% prefer full-time traditional agents—beating all other options, including FSBO and iBuyers, by a wide margin.
Clever’s findings were compiled from a survey of 1,000 Americans who have sold a home in the past five years. Of the 73% who say they prefer to use agents, 67% believe estate agents are still the best and 6% favor discount agents.
Of the pool surveyed, 42% have sold since late 2022 as rising mortgage rates cool the post-pandemic market. The majority of recent home sellers prefer full-time estate agents, with 77% choosing this method to sell – almost eight times more than those who chose ‘For Sale By Owner’ (FSBO) transactions (10%). .
Not only is this method popular, but it is also well regarded; 76% of sellers who work with an agent feel that their services are worth the cost. That’s despite a recent research report from Atlanta Fed found that most real estate agents get the same price results, and although there are agents who consistently exceed prices compared to others, they are very rare.
Clever Research comes out as agents and brokerages are adjusting to the seismic changes in real estate, ie National Association of Realtors (NAR) The commission case and changes related to business operations, as well as several years of low current home sales.
In August, directly after the NAR deal went into effect in most markets, Redfin reported that the average US real estate agent paid a 2.55% commission to the real estate agent hired by their buyer, down from an average of 2.62% in January. In late October, the narrative changed; Redfin reported that commissions paid to real estate agents representing buyers remained unchanged. Some agents and buyers told HousingWire that their commission split has increased since the deal was announced.
The changes have not had an impact so far on NAR membership or 2025 membership estimates. NAR treasurer Greg Hrabcak assured members during the NAR NXT conference that the organization continues on a strong footing, no increase in dues is planned and the final level has been maintained.
Hrabcak found budget cuts across the NAR to have minimal impact on services and a “straightforward approach” to meeting payment obligations. Membership numbers also remain strong, with a reported 1.526 million in October – the fourth largest ever – and a predicted 1.4 million members in 2025, a smaller 8% decline than many had expected.
Corporate finance buyer, iBuyer Distrust
Only 3% employed discount agents, 5% sold to cash buying companies, and only 2% used iBuyers as Opendoor or Giving pad.
Retailers recently have a less positive view of buyout companies, with 38% seeing them as the worst way to sell. About 35% of those who have sold to cash buyers and 33% of iBuyer users would choose a different method if they could. Almost two-thirds of respondents (61%) go so far as to call money-buying companies “scams.”
Some sellers (65%) stated that their cash-in experience resulted in them closing within a month and 31% sold without listing their home.
Companies that buy cash are attractive to sellers with property problems, the report revealed, as 54% avoid costs such as maintenance or planning. Although 74% would consider this option, motivations differ: 36% prioritized the highest offer, 8% value speed, and 27% saw it as a last resort.
About 1 in 4 sellers (24%) view the FSBO listing method as the worst way to sell a home. While 46% believe FSBO is the most profitable and 51% see it as the least expensive option, it comes with significant challenges. Two-thirds (66%) say it is the most difficult route, while 55% call it the slowest.
“[RealTrends] found [in polling] that more than a third of all sellers are considered for sale by owner before they go with an agent,” Steve Murray, founder of RealTrends and a HousingWire coordinator, said in September. “Why would they do this? It turns out that people find that using an agent to deal with the hassle and possibility of making a stupid mistake is better than doing it themselves. “
According to a Clever survey, traditional real estate agents are considered the easiest (58%) and often the fastest (40%) way to sell, despite being seen as the most expensive by 69% of sellers.
Despite their popularity, real estate agents face some criticism: 36% of sellers feel pressured to accept lowball offers, 12% report agent mistakes during the sale, and 13% find their real estate agent more trouble than help .
Although traditional and discount agents offer similar services, the differences between them are very important to sellers. About 76% would consider a regular estate agent for their next sale, compared to only 25% of a discount agent.
However, 60% of sellers are open to trading other real estate agent services to save costs. Many are willing to give up hosting open houses (26%), pricing strategy and market analysis (13%), or negotiation support (11%). However, concerns about marketing support persist, with 71% believing that discount retailers provide less than traditional agents, although this varies from agent to agent.
Despite these opinions, most sellers who have used both would recommend it: 83% of traditional agents and 56% of discount sellers.
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