One of the first decisions every home buyer faces is whether to use a real estate agent at all. Agents will tell you the seller pays their commission — and technically, that's true. But the full picture is more nuanced, and the right answer depends on how much time, knowledge, and risk tolerance you have.
Here's an honest, step-by-step breakdown of where an agent genuinely adds value and where going solo is a reasonable option.
The Financial Math First
Before getting into the details, it's worth understanding what an agent actually costs you in practice.
Before the 2024 NAR settlement, sellers who signed with a listing agent typically agreed to pay a total commission of 5–6%, which the listing brokerage would split with the buyer's brokerage. Buyers had no real say in how much the buyer's agent received.
That changed with the NAR settlement. Now, buyer's agent compensation is negotiated separately and included directly in the purchase contract. If the seller accepts your offer, they're agreeing to pay your agent whatever amount is specified there — typically 2–3%.
Here's what that means in real numbers on a $500,000 home: by not using a buyer's agent, you're saving the seller $10,000–$15,000. That means you can offer $485,000–$490,000 and your offer is just as attractive to the seller as a full $500,000 offer with a buyer's agent fee attached. For you, the difference is roughly $3,000 less at closing (on a 20% down payment) plus about $76 less per month on your mortgage at a 6.5% rate.
That's real money — but as you'll see below, there are real trade-offs at every step.
Finding a House
With an agent, your agent sets up a customized MLS search with criteria that go well beyond what Zillow and other consumer sites offer. You get automatic alerts the moment a matching listing hits the market, and showings are scheduled at your convenience using a Supra key — an app that unlocks the electronic lockboxes on virtually every listed home.
One important caveat: since the NAR settlement, agents must have buyers sign an agency agreement before any showings. That agreement specifies the commission you agree to pay. If you sign for 3% and the seller only offers 2%, you are legally responsible for the 1% difference out of pocket. Ask any agent upfront whether they'll accept whatever the seller agrees to pay.
Without an agent, you can browse Zillow and attend open houses freely. To arrange a private showing, call the listing agent directly and be upfront that you're unrepresented — some will accommodate you, but many will only show the home through a buyer's agent.
| With Agent | Without Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | Market knowledge, easy scheduling, access to MLS data beyond Zillow | Potential savings of a few thousand dollars |
| Cons | Must sign agency agreement specifying a commission you may owe out of pocket | Much harder to arrange private showings; some listing agents won't cooperate |
Making an Offer
With an agent, they'll run a CMA (comparative market analysis) — a look at what similar homes have recently sold for — to help you land on the right offer price. They'll then walk you through every term of the purchase contract in detail: price, earnest money, contingencies, deadlines, and any requests you want to make of the seller.
Without an agent, you'll determine your own offer price and terms. For the contract itself, you can purchase the correct state purchase agreement at eforms.com (around $55). Remember to subtract 2–3% from your offer price to account for the absence of a buyer's agent fee.
For pricing help, Redfin's home value estimator is one of the most accurate free tools available, with a median error rate of around 2% for homes that are actively listed. Zillow's Zestimate is similarly useful and covers a broader range of off-market properties.
That said, use these tools with real caution:
- Error rates jump significantly for off-market homes — both Redfin and Zillow report median errors of 7–8% for properties not currently listed. On a $500,000 home, that's a $35,000–$40,000 swing.
- Algorithms can't account for condition or updates — a recently renovated kitchen, new roof, or deferred maintenance won't be reflected in an automated estimate.
- Rapidly shifting markets make data stale fast — in Utah's volatile market, comparables from even three to six months ago may not reflect current conditions. Automated tools are slow to catch turning points.
- Unique or rural properties are especially unreliable — the less similar homes have sold nearby and recently, the less meaningful the estimate.
The bottom line: online CMA tools are a reasonable starting point for a ballpark range, but treat any single estimate as one data point rather than a definitive number. Cross-check across multiple tools, and if the stakes are high, consider paying a licensed appraiser for a formal opinion of value before submitting your offer.
This is where the stakes get real. Without access to the latest MLS sales data — the same data agents use to pull the most recent, most comparable transactions — you're pricing in the dark. Offer too low and you lose the home entirely, even if you would have happily paid more. Offer too high and you could overpay by thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. An agent running a proper CMA has access to closed sales from the past few weeks, filtered by square footage, lot size, condition, and neighborhood — a level of precision that no consumer-facing website comes close to matching.
The biggest risk without an agent isn't the paperwork — it's not knowing what you don't know. A purchase contract is legally binding, and errors can cost you thousands or require you to buy a home you no longer want.
| With Agent | Without Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | CMA-backed pricing, full contract walkthrough, expert negotiation on counteroffers | Save a few thousand dollars |
| Cons | Agent fees | You bear full responsibility for every term; mistakes can be very expensive |
Due Diligence
With an agent, they'll coordinate the inspection, meet the inspector at the property, and walk through the findings with you. They'll know which additional tests to order — sewer scope, radon, meth, termite — for a given property, and will handle negotiations for repairs or monetary credits from the seller.
Without an agent, you'll find your own inspector and coordinate scheduling through the listing agent. The risk isn't just logistics — it's not knowing which inspections to order, or how to negotiate effectively after the fact.
| With Agent | Without Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | Trusted inspector network, knows what to look for, handles repair negotiations | Save on agent fees |
| Cons | Agent fees | All coordination falls on you; knowledge gaps can lead to costly surprises |
Financing and Appraisal
With an agent, they keep everyone on track — you, the lender, and the sellers — to ensure you meet your financing and appraisal deadline. If the appraisal comes in below the purchase price (say, $480,000 instead of $500,000), your agent helps you negotiate a price reduction with the seller. Without that negotiation, your lender will only loan based on the appraised value, leaving you to cover the shortfall in cash — which on a 20% loan could mean coming up with 23.2% down instead.
Without an agent, you'll need to stay in close communication with your lender yourself. Missing the financing and appraisal deadline is serious — in some cases, sellers can pursue legal action to force you to complete the purchase.
| With Agent | Without Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | Keeps lender and deal on track; navigates appraisal gaps through negotiation | Save on agent fees |
| Cons | Agent fees | Must manage all lender communication and deadline compliance yourself; appraisal shortfalls can require significant additional cash |
Settlement
With an agent, they verify that agreed-upon repairs have been completed before closing, conduct a final walkthrough to confirm the home's condition matches what it was when you made your offer, and review the final closing documents from the lender.
Without an agent, all of the above falls to you. A title and escrow officer can guide you through the transactional mechanics but cannot advise you on the terms of the deal.
| With Agent | Without Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | Verifies repairs, does final walkthrough, reviews closing docs | Save on agent fees |
| Cons | Agent fees | All verification and review falls on you |
So, Should You Use an Agent?
Going without an agent is possible — and for a sharp, detail-oriented buyer with the time to manage the process, it can save real money. But the savings are smaller than most people expect, and the risks at every step are real.
A good agent pays for themselves through negotiation alone — on pricing, repairs, appraisal gaps, and the dozens of small decisions that come up in a transaction. The key word is good. A mediocre agent who lets things slide, miscommunicates, or doesn't know your market isn't worth the commission.
That's the problem SLC Agent Match solves. We match you with agents who have verified track records in your specific price range and area — agents who earn their commission rather than just collecting it.