I don't know how it works in the US, but in France, when you buy an apartment or house, you pay about 8% to the state (notary / attorney fees), that participates in the inflation I guess
It has always seemed wildly inefficient to me. Especially the “buyer agent” who gets a couple percent entirely for escorting the buyer through homes and submitting an offer.
My seller’s agent, on the other hand, was super useful and irreplaceable except by another smart human. I felt like he got us top dollar for the house based on how he renovated, staged, photographed… much more money than we expected.
Also, my experience was I set a budget, put my stuff in truck, left my house a dirty mess, handed the agent my keys, and left town. Then he did all the renovating/etc, posted it, collected offers, and we got paid.