Why Using a Realtor Isn’t Expensive — It’s Priceless
Yet every Realtor has heard it:
“6% is highway robbery!” says the person who just spent $47 on DoorDash to have a lukewarm $8 cheeseburger show up soggy at their front door.
“Your Commission Is Too High!”
Translation: “I don’t understand what you do.”
Because if clients really knew what goes on behind the scenes, they’d wonder why Realtors don’t charge more.
Picture this:
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While you were sleeping… an agent was on the phone for three hours with a seller who just lost his job and was contemplating his options—not just about the house, but about life. (There’s no manual for that in real estate school.)
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While you were at dinner… an agent was stuck in the middle of a husband and wife screaming about inspection repairs. She wanted a divorce. He wanted blood. Somehow, the Realtor got the deal to the finish line.
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While you were watching Netflix… an agent caught a wire fraud attempt mid-transaction. Four hours with banks, lawyers, and the FBI later, they saved the buyer’s entire life savings. Their commission on that heroic act? $0. Deal died anyway.
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At midnight… the lender called with a “small problem.” That “small problem” meant rebuilding the entire loan package until 3 AM for a deal that flatlined by 8 AM. Total hours worked: 19. Total commission earned: $0. Total therapy required: unlimited.
But sure, tell me again how Realtors “just open doors” and “make too much money.”
The $0 Salary Nobody Talks About
Here’s a secret nobody tells you: a Realtor’s salary is actually $0.
We don’t get paid hourly. We don’t get a salary. We don’t have PTO or insurance benefits. Realtors eat what they kill.
That means a Realtor can spend:
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6 months showing 48 homes,
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writing 9 offers,
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negotiating with 14 different agents,
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navigating countless inspections and appraisals…
And then hear the buyer say: “You know what? I think we’ll just rent.”
Paycheck for that? Zero.
Who Gets Paid vs. Who Doesn’t
Here’s the funniest (and most painful) part of the job:
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An appraiser appraises a home. They get paid—whether or not the deal closes.
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A home inspector inspects a home. They get paid—whether or not the deal closes.
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Even the termite guy gets his check for finding out that your “dream home” has a colony bigger than Disneyland.
And the Realtor?
We can spend six months working day and night, pour hundreds of hours into a deal, and if it dies at the finish line, we get paid exactly: $0.
We’re the only people in the entire process whose paycheck is 100% tied to making your dream a reality. Which is funny, because we’re also the ones juggling everyone else’s drama while trying to hold the deal together with duct tape and caffeine.
The Hidden Benefits of Using a Realtor
So what do you actually get when you hire a Realtor? Here’s the stuff that never makes it onto HGTV:
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Time Saver: Realtors juggle hundreds of details so you don’t have to. While you’re at work, we’re scheduling inspections, chasing paperwork, reading 47-page HOA documents, and fixing issues before they blow up.
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Market Expertise: We know which neighborhoods are rising, which are stalling, and which builder cut corners back in 2003. Google doesn’t tell you that.
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Negotiation Skills: That “extra $52,000” in a seller’s pocket didn’t just appear. A Realtor fought tooth and nail to make it happen.
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Problem Solvers: When deals get messy (and they always do), Realtors hold it together. Appraisal shortfalls, inspection nightmares, buyer cold feet—we’ve seen it all and lived to tell the tale.
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Network Power: Need a plumber at midnight? A stager by Friday? A title officer who can juggle chaos? Realtors have a Rolodex that solves problems fast.
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Protection: Realtors protect you from the things you don’t even know to be scared of—wire fraud, shady contracts, hidden property issues, scam buyers, and bad investments.
Realtors Don’t Just Sell Houses
This job isn’t about houses. It’s about humans in crisis who happen to need houses.
Realtors are:
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Unlicensed therapists.
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Midnight financial advisors.
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Weekend marriage counselors.
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Professional drama diffusers.
And every once in a while, in between all of that, they actually get to sell real estate.
So the next time you see a Realtor driving a nice car, remember: they earned it by being everything to everyone at every ungodly hour. And more often than not, they did it all for free.
Why The Agency
At The Agency, we understand that this business is about more than transactions. It’s about people, relationships, and navigating the toughest moments of someone’s life with integrity, strategy, and heart.
With a global brand, powerful marketing, and one of the most followed real estate companies in the world, we bring both the human touch and the international exposure that make all the difference.
So when it comes time to buy or sell, don’t just think of commissions. Think of what’s at stake. Because the right Realtor won’t just protect your deal—they’ll protect your future.
Wyatt Poindexter
The Agency Oklahoma - www.WyattPoindexter.com
405-417-5466
