I sold my house with a Help U Sell agent. They were fabulous, and I sold my house within 2 months. I saved $12,000 in commissions over the ReMax agent that I interviewed.

Both agents had E&O insurance, put me on the MLS, and did all the standard marketing. My husband and I were very happy with the work done by Pam McCormick and Gordon Kane at Help U Sell in Poway. People knowledgeable about real estate understand that a “discount broker” vs. a high fee broker is the difference between buying your Charmin at Ralph’s vs. at Costco: the same product, but the higher volume company offers a lower price. The discount broker works on volume. The only difference in service is that Open Houses are hosted by the seller.

I find the back handed compliments very peculiar as well. For some reason, many overpriced realtors, aka “full service” realtors, are immensely threatened by the discount realtors.

I look at it this way: if the 3% guys are really better, they wouldn’t be so threatened by the 1% guys. The defensiveness and backhanded compliments tell me more about the viability of the 3% guys than anything else. With the Justice Department getting involved, the internet, and the proliferation of 1% competitors, the 3% model is soon going the way of the buggy whip.