The Mayor is on the line.

Can you imagine sitting home one evening nice and comfortable watching TV when the phone rings.

"Hello, this is the Mayor calling.  I just wanted to let you know that we'll be hiring about triple the people needed to run the town from now on.  They won't be very productive and your taxes will more than double.  But these are really nice people and they're friends of mine...so be a sport and go along with it, OK."

Would you say Yes?

Probably not.  But what I just presented was a snapshot of the real estate business.  There are more than a million real estate agents in the United States but a need for only about 300,000.  The rest are unproductive hangers on that brokers hire to bring in a few deals a year at most (and the productive agents wind up losing business.) The worst thing is that it is supported by a bloated commission system based on percentages - where sellers pay more and more for basically the same services as the value of their house goes up.  NUTS!

Would you tell the Mayor to raise your taxes to pay for unnecessary workers - I doubt it.  But when your agent asks you to pay percentage commissions that's exactly what they are doing.  Don't be fooled.  Be a wise consumer.  STOP PAYING PERCENTAGE BASED COMMISSIONS!!