Discount brokers merely play a numbers game, trying to get as many listings as possible at any price they can garner knowing full well that only a few listings will actually sell while many will not.

“I’ll charge you less if I sell it myself”. The possibility of that happening is very low. What incentive do they have when they could take buyers and sell them another house and get paid more while letting someone else sell your home? This is a very common hook. You will likely still end up paying the full commission rate without receiving the professional service your expect and deserve.

If an agent is so willing to give away their own money, how willing will they be to ask you to give away your money at the time of presenting an offer?

Some brokerage firms offer discounts out of desperation to get business because they have nothing else of value to offer. That kind of behavior is typical of someone with low self esteem. Is that the type of agent you want representing you?

Discount brokers are generally not well liked by most co-op agents and in many cases will show other companies’ listings first or not show a discount broker’s listing at all. No competent agent will work for less money than what their time and effort is truly worth. When was the last time you asked your boss for a pay cut in return for doing a good job???

Low commission brokers have no incentive to spend what little resources they have to advertise your listing and no capability to provide a comprehensive range of  marketing services necessary to attract qualified buyers.

Less advertising exposure means longer time spent on market waiting for buyers who are actively shopping somewhere else. The longer your property is on the  market the less it will sell for. Therefore, the money you think you are saving may actually cost you much more in the long run.

Brokers generally split commissions equally with other cooperating brokers. When commissions are discounted, the commission to the cooperating broker may be less than what most other brokers are offering other agents. Thus, the incentive to show your property is strictly limited.

Discount brokers generally have little or no office staff, keep short business hours, and stretch themselves so thin that they don’t respond promptly to your needs or to the needs of prospective buyers for your property.

Discount brokers can only spend limited time paying attention to all the details of a very complicated legal transaction and one of your biggest financial decisions ever. All too often the yard sign goes up and you never hear from them again. After all, they’re too busy out there playing a numbers game!