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Are real estate agents really worth the commission, or can I just buy a home on my own?

I’m wondering if working with an agent actually adds value, or if I could save money by handling things myself.
Asked By Sean W | Needles, CA | 10 views | Buying | Updated 2 days ago
Answers (4)
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Pro
70 Answers
Josephine & Raj Sharma

Legacy Homes Realty

(148)

While you can buy a home on your own, a good real estate agent typically adds value by helping you find the right property, analyze pricing, negotiate better terms, navigate contracts and inspections, and avoid costly mistakes often saving you more money and stress than the commission would cost.
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Semi-Pro
36 Answers
Phong Tran

Real Broker

(4)

You can buy on your own, but a good agent usually earns their keep—especially with pricing, negotiations, contracts, and catching issues before they cost you money. Also, in most cases the seller pays the commission, so you’re not really saving much going solo. You only skip an agent if you’re very experienced and comfortable handling risk, paperwork, and negotiations yourself.

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Rising Star
25 Answers
Ryan Reed

Century 21 Homestar

(19)

Yes, you could handle things yourself. But do you really know what those things are? From the very beginning, working with an agent actually means you have professional representation in the transaction. And that is huge. An experienced agent is your fiduciary who handles negotiations, inspections, escrows, lending, and more on a daily basis, and can absolutely add significant value to your purchase while doing the “heavy lifting”.
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Rising Star
10 Answers
Tracy Perusse

Coldwell Banker Realty

(9)

“I think it’s a fair question—selling on your own can work in certain situations. The real question is whether it actually nets you more money and less stress in the end. If you have the time to prep, get home marketed, take calls, showings, negotiations, paperwork, disclosures and know how to qualify a buyer then pick the right escrow/title company - maybe it's worth a try. You could try on your own and see how it goes.

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