An "Open House" flag is seen in front of a home for sale in Alhambra, California on January 18, 2024.The process of buying a home has seemingly never been simpler: Find a property on a listings website like Zillow, Redfin or Trulia; reach out to the listing agent; tour the property; and make an offer.
But therein lies a common misconception, experts interviewed by NBC News said. Although a homeowner who puts their property up for sale must hire professionals to market their home, they usually fold that cost into the final price paid by the buyer. Alternatively, a homebuyer could decide not to hire a broker and instead put their search costs toward a real estate lawyer, appraiser or someone else with knowledge of the housing market, experts say.
But now, with home price growth leveling off, the playing field is leveling out too, putting more buyers in the driver's seat, experts say. But in most cases, there was little difference in the amount being offered for those commissions in a given market — usually about 3%.