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Comment by noveltyaccount | Hacker News Reader

I still don't see why your experience means the pay should be percentage-based. Why not a flat fee? Why not hourly? Or a base fee plus hourly? The advice the realtor gave you was obviously valuable - but it shouldn't vary if you were purchasing a $100k house or a $2MM house.

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The market for a $2 million house is going to be much smaller than for a $100k house. That big ass house can sit on the market for a lot longer, and have much pickier buyers. Houses like that also get a LOT more marketing. Would you spend 6 months unpaid working for a $3000 commission, or would you rather only list cheap houses that turn around more quickly for the same price?

Besides, if you can afford a $2MM house, please don't tell me you'd also be crying about paying a percentage.

I still think you're describing hourly work for the challenges of selling a $2MM house. Charge the seller hourly for open houses, pass through marketing expenses, etc.

At least I think we can agree that buyers and sellers should have choices! Today it is difficult to find anyone who doesn't play by the 6% rule, and realtors like keeping it that way.

I don't know about the person you are replying to but I don't have any problem with a flat fee becoming the norm.

I was just commenting on that even buying a home I would want a realtor, which many people here believe they don't need.

I was replying to ApolloFortyNine. I definitely agree an agent who knows what they're doing can make a difference in the sale and have happily paid realtors in my life as well. I don't agree that that advice is somehow variable relative to the price of the sale.

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