How can you get a better deal with your real estate agent? Have you ever thought about hiring a real estate agent on a per-hour basis?  This is a common question in real estate and not something you come across much in Arizona real estate. In Arizona real estate, you can not issue someone a check at closing like you may be able to in other states. The money and commission have to go back through escrow and title companies.

As good of an idea as that might be, I think the current trend will be what we are seeing now. The majority of agents negotiating a listing fee of _% and splitting that with the buyer’s agent.

Also, people will continue to use these Ibuyer companies but they still pay a premium for their convenience. Ibuyer companies end up charging more in real estate fees than the average listing agent. They also hit you with additional fees for repairs that get removed from their initial offer.

Some companies and agents will continue to try the flat fee approach or reduce a commission to attract a client but the majority will stay as the current market is IMO. The level of service for most of the flat fee agents or companies is on a tier. For the top tier service offered by these companies, typically a seller would be paying the same as hiring an agent who doesn’t offer you a flat fee/tier level service. 

Read more at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/business/real-estate-fee-for-service.html