"Why would a buyer's agent be a good faith representative in negotiations if it was in their personal interest that the sale price be higher?" Because, for the

"Why would a buyer's agent be a good faith representative in negotiations if it was in their personal interest that the sale price be higher?" Because, for the good ones, their professional reputation and license are on the line. You won't stay in business long if you get a reputation for screwing your customers over. Look for an agent with an ABR designation if you are really worried about this. "it's 6% everywhere... there is no price competition" Wrong. There is no rule that says 6% is mandatory. 5.5% and 5% are very common now. Some homes take a lot of work to sell and find. "They also actively try to control entrance into the profession to make sure everyone tows the line." Also wrong. There are a plethora of agents in the profession. That there are licensing exams to ensure agents have a requisite level of knowledge about the law, contracts, financing, fair housing laws, etc. and continuing education requirements does not mean they are controlling the entrance into the profession anymore than doctors, lawyers, or accountants do. It means they have serious professional standards because you are screwing around with property, titles, and people's homes. Agents do a lot more than simply list things in MLS and the newspaper. There is a lot of networking behind the scenes that can sell a house quick that FSBO and Redfin are not keyed into. Once you get to negotiations and the closing process, an agent really earns their money by coordinating the necessary inspections, title/legal functions, financing functions, etc. It is naive and risky to think that most of these things can be automated simply.