You Can Act As Your Own Real Estate Agent — But Should You?
You can be your own real estate agent, but that doesn't mean that you should. We'll detail nine reasons why you shouldn't attempt to sell your house solo.
You’re ready to list your house for sale and are crunching some numbers. The national average real estate commission is 5.8% of the home sale, and half of that figure goes to the listing agent. You could save some cash if you sold your home without an agent … So, can you be your own real estate agent?
Yes, you can be your own real estate agent by selling your home “for sale by owner” or by obtaining a real estate license. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), only 6% of homeowners sold their homes without an agent in 2024.
But just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should. Selling your own home comes with major responsibilities and significant risks — which is why most FSBO sellers earn less on their home sale than sellers who enlist a real estate agent.
To explore the matter, we dug into transaction data and spoke with top real estate agent Anthony Marguleas, who works with over 65% more single-family homes than the average Los Angeles agent. Here are nine reasons why you shouldn’t try to be your own real estate agent:
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1. You’re statistically likely to sell your home for less
Yes, you can be your own real estate agent and sell your home. But it’s a major risk — statistically, FSBO sellers sell their homes for less money than sellers who partner with a real estate agent.
NAR reports that the typical FSBO home sold for $380,000 compared with $435,000 for agent-assisted home sales.
These stats reflect all real estate agent-assisted sales; when you zoom in on the difference a top real estate agent makes, the sale price gap widens. HomeLight’s data reveals that the top 5% of agents sell homes for as much as 10% more than the average agent. “A good agent gets more,” Marguleas agrees.
Not only would you be doing all that work for virtually no savings, but you could be leaving money on the table if you sell your house yourself instead of using a top agent.
Your house is one of your most significant assets — why wouldn’t you want an experienced professional representing you?
