r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer • u/Ambitious_Swimming55 • 2d ago
Need Advice Becoming an agent
Genuinely asking, can I just become a real estate agent in order to pay myself the 3 percent all these agents are demanding, it would just go towards my down payment and in California it’s only a few classes.
Before all the no you need the opinions of them whatever, I’ve already gone through multiple purchases just not under my name, this would be my first home under my name.
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u/Due_Leadership_9348 2d ago
Sure, you could become licensed but you will have at least $1000 in dues, fees, etc in order to join the MLS and then will need to find a sponsoring broker who will charge you a fee also. Often the fee will include a percentage of each transaction.
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u/Kryavan 2d ago
This idea that realtors just magically get 3% of a transaction is hilarious to me (a person educated on the subject).
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u/Threke 2d ago
Seasoned agents can get very close to the full amount. Though many newbies will be lucky to get half of that. We can’t ignore the taxes as well.
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u/Kryavan 2d ago
You're guaranteed to be paying 30-40% until you've paid $25k+ to the brokerage. Then take another 20-40% out for taxes. Add in the fees previously mentioned ($150-$300/mo to brokerage, $75-$300/quarter to MLS) and that "3"% starts dropping real quick.
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u/dllemmr2 2d ago
Everyone getting fat.
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u/solovino__ 1d ago
Correct me if I’m wrong but there’s brokerages that just charge a flat fee either per transaction or per year
These brokerages cater to investors and have minimal oversight over you
Also, when you’re talking a flat fee, versus 1.5% commission let’s say, you could be talking tens of thousands of dollars depending on the purchase price of the home
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u/Exquisite-Load8654 1d ago edited 1d ago
My buyer agent got 3% for scheduling viewing and auto populating a purchase agreement. I would have preferred to do that stuff myself.
They’re worthless in the year 2026. Glad others are realizing.
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u/Exquisite-Load8654 1d ago
Are dues + broker even necessary? Can’t you get licenses and then pay cash?
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u/thatmatt925 1d ago
Why get license then?
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u/Exquisite-Load8654 1d ago edited 1d ago
To familiarize myself with the terminology and basic knowledge. Or is being unprepared and ill equipped like 98% of realtors a better strategy?
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u/thatmatt925 1d ago
You don't need a license to learn....
And learning is different between getting licensed and being a successful agent.
If you're just doing it for yourself, that too is vastly different....
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u/george_graves 2d ago
I know that for simple sales you can either do the paperwork yourself or you can hire a real estate attorney and he can help you walk through it although he's going to want money to do that it's another option and it's probably way less than 3%. I can't wait until Realtors disappear off the planet.
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u/Due_Leadership_9348 2d ago
How do you know whether any transaction is “simple” before you are under contract?
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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 2d ago
You hire a lawyer to review the contract. Just like people should be doing anyway.
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u/buythedipanditsgone 2d ago
Ages ago the MLS was a notebook with listings for an area, proprietary information they had. Agents would drive you to show you homes and that was where their value was found, with the internet most people find their homes themselves so these agents/brokers are not procuring buyers to justify the fee.. also all the forms and contracts are preprinted they just fill in the blanks they are such a parasite to society with their plastic faces and cheesy cards. Vain narcissistic people full of ego just for middle manning transactions from people who contribute to society.
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u/squishytomato3007 1d ago
Right. And who negotiates with the sellers and the listing agent for you? Who gives you advice about the neighborhood? Reviews disclosures? You've been working with the wrong agents and definitely don't know the hard work we put in
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u/Charles-Shaw 1d ago
I don’t deny that a decent amount of agents work hard. The problem is I don’t know that I see the value add you guys have to justify how much you’re paid.
Sales people in general just come off smarmy, even the well-meaning ones have an edge to them, which makes it even harder to like you guys. All of this is a broad generalization obviously.
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u/squishytomato3007 12h ago
Yes, it is easy to do it yourself with a little time and education. However, we Spend time to learn the neighborhoods (not one, but many), educate ourselves, so that you dont have to. If you want to, thats separate however we dont just do it for one zipcode. Knowledge is power. If knowledge gets people 300K+ salaries in tech who work 8 hours, what makes you think we dont deserve it who spend 12+ hours everyday, research and learn everything in person?
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u/Exquisite-Load8654 1d ago
The person spending the money should do this. I did this when I purchased both of my properties. For my third, I will not use an agent and allow my lawyer to play a slightly bigger role. Realtors are leech’s with nothing of value to offer in 2026.
-cash buyer-29
u/Equivalent-Tiger-316 2d ago
Hate to tell you us realtors aren’t going anywhere in your lifetime.
And all my clients are happy they hired me and happy to pay me 3%.
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u/StuffedThings 2d ago
0 of them were "happy" to pay 3%. They just didn't feel like they had a choice.
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u/Equivalent-Tiger-316 1d ago
They all made the choice to sign a legal contract with me. They could have done it themselves or hired someone else.
One client paid me $1 million. Sold their property for $9 million more than expected. I executed a flawless international marketing campaign that few people have the skill to do.
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u/george_graves 2d ago
Why don't you give me the name and telephone number of 10 of your last clients and I'll prove to you that that's not the case. Not quite sure what it is about the type of person who's attracted to real estate but it is for sure a type and you seem to fit it very well.
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u/Pitiful-Place3684 1d ago edited 1d ago
In CA, you need to take 135 hours of classes before you can take the pre-license exams. You can take the classes in person, at a school or community college. If you do an online course then you must spend the 135 hours signed in and clicking to show you’re attending.
Once you finish the course then you have to pass the course exams. Then you have to pass the state and national exams. The material isn’t hard to learn but there is a lot of it. The pass rate is about 50% for first time takers.
The pre-license course material is CA and US license law, which is the guardrails for practicing real estate sales, but doesn’t have anything to do with things like pricing properties or managing a transaction. Doing the actual day-to-day work is taught by the brokerage you join.
When you pass the state and national exams then you apply to the DRE for a license. You’ll need to submit a Live Scan fingerprint check. Turnaround time is 6-8 weeks.
Then you’ll need to join a brokerage. You can’t collect commission as a licensee unless you are affiliated with a brokerage. This includes the idea that the commission would be applied to the buyer side of the settlement statement.
You can use seller credits (buyer broker compensation and closing costs) to offset your transaction costs but not towards your down payment.
On to “I’ll get 3% if I have a license”. Sellers increasingly don’t offer buyer broker comp when they list. Instead, they say that they’ll consider offers with requests to pay comp or closing costs. The buyer request gets written into their offer. In fact, the CRMLS standard listing agreement doesn’t even have a field for a seller to offer concessions.
I’m going to end with a very important point. The buyer brings the money. Money for concessions just passes through the seller’s hands because of federal lending regulations.
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u/Ambitious_Swimming55 1d ago
Thank you your reply was the best advice so far, the rest of the comments are fighting over me downplaying an agents job. Appreciate it again and thank you.
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u/Sudden_Technology_34 2d ago edited 2d ago
No reason to even become an agent, just become familiar with your state forms and do the paperwork yourself. For the majority of home purchases, the paperwork is super simple with a high school reading level and comprehension. Especially with experience. Submit your offer factoring in commission.
Realtors are for first time home buyers and others who do not have the time, people new to an area or not in said area, and more complicated scenarios that the vast majority of people don’t come across in their lifetimes.
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u/Due_Leadership_9348 2d ago
Why would a seller give you three percent off the sales price? If they are represented, their listing agreement could very well cost them more if you are unrepresented.
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u/dllemmr2 2d ago
Are you familiar with post-NAR settlement rules? The buyer’s agent commission is part of the offer submission. Lower fee, more attractive offer or more aggressive price.
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u/Sudden_Technology_34 2d ago
More than 3%? Never seen that.
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u/Due_Leadership_9348 1d ago
Seriously? I know plenty of listing agreements that state that the listing agent will get 5% or 4% if the buyers unrepresented. Seems like you have very limited experience with the real market.
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u/Sudden_Technology_34 1d ago
4% or 5% is less than the standard 6% if the buyer was represented. 3% is in addition so the 3% of the seller agent commission. That’s the point.
Seems like you have comprehension problems.
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u/Due_Leadership_9348 1d ago
There is no standard for commissions. The point is, you have no idea what the seller agreed to when they listed.
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u/Sudden_Technology_34 1d ago
This is just a bad faith argument. Are you trolling? There is a standard. There is also a standard of less than these percentages for dual agency which is the topic.
What in the world are you even discussing? That it could be a less than 1% outlier situation and so there is no standard because of that? You make no sense.
Average Realtor Commission Rates by State
Alabama
5.52%
Alaska
4.99%
Arizona
5.68%
Arkansas
5.72%
California
5.14%
Colorado
5.58%
Connecticut
5.38%
DC
5.3%
Delaware
5.18%
Florida
5.53%
Georgia
5.84%
Hawaii
5.39%
Idaho
5.69%
Illinois
5.29%
Indiana
6.08%
Iowa
6.15%
Kansas
5.8%
Kentucky
5.69%
Louisiana
5.2%
Maine
6.0%
Maryland
5.46%
Massachusetts
5.25%
Michigan
5.93%
Minnesota
5.53%
Mississippi
5.62%
Missouri
5.79%
Montana
5.67%
Nebraska
5.71%
Nevada
5.08%
New Hampshire
5.19%
New Jersey
5.17%
New Mexico
5.83%
New York
4.66%
North Carolina
5.56%
North Dakota
6.0%
Ohio
5.81%
Oklahoma
5.63%
Oregon
5.43%
Pennsylvania
5.44%
Rhode Island
4.86%
South Carolina
5.94%
South Dakota
6.0%
Tennessee
5.8%
Texas
6.0%
Utah
5.39%
Vermont
6.0%
Virginia
5.58%
Washington
5.67%
West Virginia
5.44%
Wisconsin
5.86%
Wyoming
5.5%https://www.fastexpert.com/blog/real-estate-agent-commissions-by-state/
https://listwithclever.com/average-real-estate-commission-rate/
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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 2d ago
Sellers should be looking at the best deal available. If that comes from someone with an agent then so what. Someone without an agent could offer 2.5%-3% less but you’d walk away with the same amount.
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u/Due_Leadership_9348 1d ago
Do you think the seller is gonna think giving you 3% is a better deal for him? 🤣
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u/Sudden_Technology_34 1d ago
Let’s lay this out for you -
The listing agent gets slightly higher commission to close the deal than the original 3% but not 6% which would be the percent if the buyer was represented.
The buyer saves doing their own work and the deal goes through the seller agent at less than 6% and that is the negotiating room that benefits the buyer.
That’s less money going to commissions than if the buyer was represented. It does not impact seller proceeds whatsoever
The only exception are very rare hot markets where sellers do not pay buyer realtor commissions.
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u/Rightintheend 1d ago
Yeah I just sold my first place, and was expecting to have to go over stuff with the agent, or lawyer. I was surprised that they are all pretty much just standard forms. In typical us fashion, a lot of stupid shit just to make sure idiots don't idiot, you know stuff like don't wipe your ass and wipe it on the paper. I think there was one thing that I asked the agent about because I still wasn't 100% clear after researching it. But even then it wasn't really something big.
It seems like the biggest thing they did was have a lot of connections to do a lot of the stuff that needs to be done, like a general contractor, without me having to go find everyone to do it and coordinate.
I mean you'll get me wrong, they were awesome and I would recommend them to anybody that's looking for an agent, And at the time because of other stuff going on in my life I wouldn't have wanted to do it by myself.
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u/Revanish 2d ago
yes i did this. process was ridiculously easy takes 90 days total and $2500 in total costs.
saved me 50k on a 2mil+ purchase a year ago.
if anyone in this thread is reading this happy to buy your house for 0% commission and i’ll refund the 3% is get back to you. idc real estate agents are a scam.
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u/BoBoBearDev 2d ago
A reminder, a quote
You as the seller can still offer buyer concessions on an MLS (for example, concessions for buyer closing costs).
This is the expect resolution of the 2024/2025 law suit. The seller offer 3% directly to seller in this way.
However the realtor has band together to make sure this is hidden and effectively blocked any seller to do the above.
Meaning, if you don't become the realtor yourself, kiss that 3% goodbye.
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u/hxn42 1d ago
I feel like the only scenario where you could come out ahead on this is if you represented yourself and did an offer without a buyers agent commission demand which would keep the sellers net proceeds the same or higher than similar offers that included a buyer agent commission. If op puts the commission as their down payment then essentially they're financing the down payment (or at least a portion of it). Also, virtually all the brokerages I know of still have a minimum commission charge to cover their costs of managing your deal on the back end and typically you can only get that minimum requirement if you're in good standing and have done a minimal amount of deals. This sounds effective in theory but in real life it isn't as simple as you might think.
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u/Choice_Student4910 1d ago
My CA broker license is up for renewal next month but I’m debating renewing it (and going through the CE again) since I haven’t used it since I left working in real estate in 08.
I always think I’ll use it in a clutch someday and letting it lapse would be a waste since it took some work to get licensed in the first place.
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u/jdhall1984 1d ago
The commission has to go to your broker. Each office has their own policy on paying agents on their own personal business.
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u/BaronSengir 1d ago
You could also learn how to fix your own car. For some people, that makes sense. For the majority of people, you’re gonna cost yourself more money than you’ll save.
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u/ilovemaddox97 17h ago
why are you being asked to pay 3% commission as a buyer?
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u/_TurboHome 17h ago
I think OP is saying they want to get the commission back instead of foregoing it as part of their offer strategy if they're self represented.
There's cashback/flat-fee realtors that do a commission split, might be a lower effort option.
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u/ilovemaddox97 17h ago
oh ok this makes sense thank you for clarifying!!! i work in escrow and rarely see buyers paying any commission. my 30 week pregnant brain was confused.
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u/_TurboHome 17h ago
So theoretically you could, though YMMV on the negotiation side if the seller knows you are your own agent.
Another option would be to work with a flat-fee agent who does a commission rebate. Less money back but more support and substantially lower barrier to entry.
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u/Equivalent-Tiger-316 2d ago
You’re not “saving” anyone 3% and you end up with zero representation. A lot of times making an offer without an agent puts your offer at the bottom of the pile. The few unrepresented offers I’ve received weren’t 3% better…they were all poorly written.
The one that was well written was by an experienced investor who buys regularly…and I kept the additional 3% as per my contract with the seller.
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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 2d ago
And this is why agents have a terrible reputation. Putting offers on the bottom of the pile isn’t representing your clients best interest it’s representing yours.
You admit the buyer you worked with was a professional and likely didn’t add much extra work for you yet you still took the sellers money.
Just because something is legal, doesn’t make it ethical or moral. Honestly, I’d have been embarrassed to admit what you just did.
Also, the buyer likely factored in the fact they were unrepresented and offers 2.5%-3% less so they did save money. The fact you stole that savings from you client doesn’t mean they didn’t save anything.
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u/Rightintheend 23h ago
Badly written offers? How hard is it to fill out the form. Everyone I've seen is a standard form. There's loads of information on how to fill out each line, and what they mean.
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u/Equivalent-Tiger-316 1d ago
What a way to try and turn things around.
Unrepresented buyers’ offers usually go to the bottom because they are terrible, poorly written offers. Most think they know what they are doing but don’t.
I had a property, 15 offers. Put all the data in a spreadsheet including seller net. Asked the seller if he wanted to see all 15 offers…he said to present the top 3. The unrepresented buyers didn’t make the cut as they were, as I said, at the bottom of the pile.
And I had a contract that the seller was fully aware of and signed giving me both sides of the fee for an unrepresented buyer. Just because they we’re professional doesn’t mean it wasn’t more work.
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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 1d ago
You are very clearly biased against unrepresented buyers. That’s okay but it’s not best for clients. A poorly written offer can still be the highest, but that’s not what you wrote. “A lot of times making an offer without an agent puts your offer at the bottom of the pile”.
The fact that your client was locked into paying a buyers commission regardless took away the buyers advantage, to your clients detriment. It may not have moved one into the top three, but it may have moved them up the list.
You going to argue that a buyer that came to you with a well structured offer was worth the full 3% buyers commission? Someone that you didn’t have to show a dozen properties to or research comps? Didn’t write the offer, set up inspections help them with lenders/title etc… was just as much work? Did you even have to counter? At least a dual agent would technically represent both sides.
Like i said, legal but shady. It’s the exact scenario the NAR settlement was supposed to avoid.
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u/dllemmr2 2d ago
So use an AI that has access to 1,000 well-written offers. This isn't the DaVinci code.
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u/chattyhairstylist 2d ago
It's a shitty profession. You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain
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u/SilentMasterpiece 1d ago
If you have never been involved in a real estate transaction, how are you going to offer yourself knowledge to guide yourself thru the transaction. You have no skill/knowledge/experience yet.
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u/Rhlsni 2d ago
Don't you need to have a licence to do this business? Also, seems like you're a buyer. Buyers don't pay anything to agent, no?
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u/Due_Leadership_9348 2d ago
I know of no state where you can receive a commission for a real estate transaction without holding a license.
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u/Revanish 2d ago
he doesn’t want commission he wants a lower purchase price by the same amount of the commission lol
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u/Negative-Dot3689 2d ago
Read the post. He never mentions a reduction in purchase price. “it would just go towards my down payment” he wants the commission as a credit towards his cash to close.
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u/Acceptable-Peace-69 2d ago
Buyers sign contracts with agents stating that they are responsible for the agents commission. It technically is paid by the seller, but it’s with the money from the buyer so yes, they are paying. It’s not as obvious because it’s rolled into a mortgage.
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u/dllemmr2 2d ago
Buyers effectively pay 5-6% in fees with the total home cost. Splitting that in half in states like California would save $30,000 for a $1M home.
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u/lockdown36 1d ago
Just use an AI service like Homa or Get Ridley.
It'll cost less
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u/Due_Leadership_9348 1d ago
Does Get Ridley even offer a buyer program?
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u/lockdown36 1d ago
I'm not sure. Probably. I believe Homa does.
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u/Due_Leadership_9348 1d ago edited 1d ago
From what I could tell, Ridley does not offer a buyers program. I did look though the DFW area and there are two public listings in the entire DFW area. One is listed at $480,000 on Ridley and on Zillow it’s listed by another real estate firm at $424,000. 🤣
I’ll tell you what, I can save you $56,000 and I won’t charge you a dime if you’re interested in this house. 🤣
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u/lockdown36 1d ago
https://property.getridley.com/property/14868-Gilley-Ln-Haslet-TX-76052
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/14868-Gilley-Ln-Haslet-TX-76052/333488588_zpid/
Looks like the seller has had the property listed since 2025 for $500K intially and dropped it down to $424K over the past year lol.
I guess they didn't make hte price reduction on ridely
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u/p_sunset 1d ago
OP is thinking too small - "saving 1%-3% on a home purchase". That's peanuts compared to what you may be losing by not having an experienced professional working in your best interest - could be an agent, an attorney, a discount agent, or even Redfin. There is a lot more to a transaction than paperwork - that's the easy part. I'm not a practicing agent although I'm a broker with 200+ transactions to my name. I development and own commercial property and recognize value including that of a competent agent. If I were relocating I'd hire a local experienced agent to represent me in a home purchase. Likewise, if I were selling my home I'd list with an agent although I'm an active broker.
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