A real estate agent once told me that he charges 6% commission because that’s what he was told is the commission he is to charge. It’s what every agent does. In a way, he was correct.

I was once an agent and it just never made sense to me. A home that sells for $500,000 pays a commission of $30,000. A home that sells for $250,000 pays $15,000. What did the agent who made the $30,000 fee do differently than the agent who made the $15,000 fee? Absolutely nothing. They both listed the home the same exact way.

Now, a seasoned agent will debate this and offer some sales school rhetoric. But I ask, does that make sense to you? Because my home is worth more I have to pay more in real estate commissions? For the same services? It’s time for a change in the real estate industry. A standard fee should be the new commission structure for selling properties. Though the National Association of Realtors would include the wording, “with exceptions.”

James Leslie
Alfred