Most people assume buying a home without an agent means showing up at open houses alone and hoping nobody notices. After the National Association of Realtors settled its class action lawsuit in 2024, that assumption doesn’t hold up anymore. I bought a home from out of state over a FaceTime walkthrough — no buyer’s agent, no extra commission. Here’s what happened.
How the Commission Rules Changed
Before the settlement, sellers paid a 6% commission split evenly between their agent and the buyer’s agent. If you didn’t use an agent, you got nothing — so why skip one when it cost you nothing?
The settlement flipped that incentive. Now buyers sign a written agreement with their agent upfront, committing to pay the commission themselves unless someone else covers it. Sellers typically lowered their side to 3% and expect buyers to arrange another 3% for their own agent.
On paper, nothing changed: 6% total, split two ways. In practice, Redfin reported that average buyer’s agent commissions have actually risen slightly since the new rules took effect. The real shift is this — if you go without an agent, you can offer a lower price and it still looks good to the seller.
What a Buyer’s Agent Actually Does
Before deciding to skip one, it helps to know what you’d be doing yourself. A buyer’s agent fills six roles:
Personal Shopper
This used to matter when only agents had access to listings. These days I find every home through my own saved searches on Zillow and Redfin before my agent ever sees them. The Internet replaced this role a while ago.
Education
An agent explains earnest money, contingencies, title insurance, the ALTA settlement statement (the closing disclosure document that breaks down every dollar at transfer), and so on. You can learn all of these yourself — AI makes it even easier now.
Resource Referrals
Lenders, inspectors, contractors — agents know people. But they’re just referrals, not discounts. An agent’s go-to inspector is chosen for speed and reliability, not necessarily the lowest price or thorniest eye. When you go solo, line up your own contacts ahead of time through Google Reviews or word of mouth.
Quality and Value Opinion
Agents will tell you whether a home is “good” or if your offer is fair. But their economic interest aligns with the deal happening — not with it being cheap for you. A trained appraiser costs $400 for a desktop appraisal (no site visit required) and gives a much more neutral take on value than someone who gets paid only when you say yes.
Negotiator
One time my agent told me the seller’s counteroffer was “a really generous offer.” It wasn’t. The seller had come back $30,000 above my original offer. When I walked away, they returned at $25,000 below it. Following her advice would have cost me $55,000. Agents want deals to move forward — that’s their job.
Door Opener
If a home has no open house, the buyer’s agent schedules showings and gets access codes. Without one, you work through the seller’s agent directly. It’s extra work for them, so be prepared to prove you’re serious.
Why Sellers Still Pay Buyer Agent Commissions
A buyer’s agent brings qualified buyers — pre-approved, within budget. And here’s something worth noting: in industry terms, the buyer’s agent is officially called the Selling Agent. They’re helping the seller sell. That’s why sellers agree to pay that commission.
When you go without one, show your proof of funds or pre-approval upfront. And offer to let the listing agent represent both sides — many give a dual-agency discount. In my area, that means 4% total instead of 6%, which saves the seller 2%. The prospect of earning an extra 1% alone motivates the listing agent to actually show you the home.
How It Played Out for Me
My husband and I narrowed our search to specific neighborhoods, floor plans, and room layouts. We set up custom Redfin alerts on a hand-drawn map area and checked the local MLS — which stands for Multiple Listing Service, the database agents use to share property details — for deeper info like square footage breakdown by floor.
We only asked to see homes that met every single requirement. For those, we cross-checked the listing price against the county’s property tax assessment using the APN (Assessor’s Parcel Number) from Redfin. It was a quick sanity check in case pricing seemed inflated.
The right home came on a Monday while we were traveling out of state. I texted the listing agent immediately, included proof of funds, and asked for a showing the next Monday. She offered a FaceTime walkthrough on Tuesday instead — which worked perfectly.
I ordered a desktop appraisal that same day. It came back higher than the listing price but lower than the county’s assessed value. I knew the seller had priced to attract bidding.
I made an offer at the appraised value with a stipulation: the seller credits 2% of the purchase price to me at closing. This made my offer directly comparable to competing bids that would ask for 3% buyer’s agent commission. I attached proof of funds and sent it off.
The seller accepted on Friday, after four days from listing to contract — before we even toured the home in person.
The Numbers
Here’s how my offer compared to the next highest bid (indexed to a $500,000 purchase price so the math is clear):
- Purchase Price: I offered $505,000 vs. their $500,000 (+$5,000)
- Seller’s Agent Commission (4% vs. 3%): $20,200 vs. $15,000 (+$5,200 for me)
- Buyer’s Agent Commission: $0 for me vs. $15,000 (-$15,000)
- Closing Credit to Buyer (2%): $10,100 for me vs. $0 (+$10,100)
- Seller’s Net Proceeds: $474,700 vs. $470,000 (+$4,700)
- My Pre-Offer Appraisal: $400
- All-In Cost to Me: $495,300 vs. their $500,000 (-$4,700)
The competing buyer lost because they were carrying that 3% buyer’s agent commission. That headroom let me split the savings three ways: the seller got more, the listing agent earned more, and I paid less.
Worth It?
Verdict: Worth it for prepared buyers. If you’re comfortable researching online, lining up your own inspector and lender, and making offers based on data rather than gut feeling — going without a buyer’s agent can save thousands. The NAR settlement made this option real in a way it wasn’t before.
If you prefer someone to handle the logistics and emotional labor of house hunting, a buyer’s agent still makes sense. Just know you’re paying for convenience, not necessarily a better price.
FAQ
Do I have to pay my buyer’s agent directly now? Yes — under the NAR settlement rules, you sign a written agreement committing to pay your agent’s commission unless the seller covers it.
Can I still negotiate with sellers without an agent? Absolutely. Work through the listing agent directly and offer to let them represent both sides for a dual-agency discount.
Is a desktop appraisal enough before making an offer? For many buyers, yes. A $400 desktop appraisal uses recent comparable sales without requiring a site visit — good enough to guide your offer price.
A note from Dana: I’ve always been the type to read the fine print before clicking “add to cart.” Buying a home is just a bigger cart. Skipping that buyer’s agent commission felt like finding a coupon I didn’t know existed — and putting it straight into my pocket.