Unpopular opinion: the cheapest agent is usually the most expensive mistake you can make.
On a $500K sale, the difference between 3% and 2.5% commission is $2,500. That's the whole "savings."
Now compare that to what an experienced agent gets back for you at the table — catching the repair issue before it blows up your closing, knowing which offers actually make it to the finish line, keeping a deal together when it wobbles. Most deals wobble at some point.
It's not about what your agent charges. It's about what you net at closing. Those are two different numbers.
I've been doing this since 1991 — started alongside my dad, who opened this brokerage in 1965 — through enough market cycles (2007 included) to know what it looks like when a deal starts to fall apart, and what stops it.
A lower commission isn't a discount. It's a bet, and it's your money on the table.
Want to see what different scenarios actually net you at closing? Let's run the real numbers.
Doug Zeller
Broker, Zeller Real Estate. 35 years in the Sierra foothills. DRE #01128501. He signs every reply the same way: take care.
