The cost of not using a listing agent

Home sellers who used a listing agent made an average of $34,000 more on the sale of their home than those who did not. That’s one of the central findings by Clever Real Estate in their survey of 1,000 Americans who have sold a home since 2022. Here are some of the other fascinating takeaways:
  • 89% of homeowners have regrets about their home sale
  • The most common regrets cited in the survey:
    • 30% said they sold too quickly
    • 29% said they missed their old home
    • 28% said they regretted not selling for enough money
  • Among the sellers who didn’t have a listing agent:
    • 54% said they regretted not using an agent
    • 46% said they made legal mistakes during their home sale
    • 43% said buyers didn’t trust them
Our take
There is so much in this report that we didn’t have space to cover it. It offers tremendous insight into the minds of sellers. But among all the stats in this report, the first one we discussed is truly the headliner. Home sellers who didn’t use a listing agent cost themselves $34,000! If that isn’t a selling point for using a listing agent, we don’t know what is! If you know anybody who is on the fence about using an agent and considering DIY-ing it, tell them what they could be costing themselves.