PC,
There are and have been plenty of other ways of doing business. They havent taken hold because they arent profitable. Take a guy like SD Realtor. Based upon his business model (1%) and the volume he’s doing, he’s generating at the top of end of what I estimated a good realtor nets. He charges 1% but makes it up on volume. He pays all of his own expenses and has no broker to share anything with. All expenses are his own and all liability is his. One $100,000 judgement against him that is not his fault in any way but for which he is held liable and he is wiped out. If you are the second $100,000 judgement against him, you are likely SOL. He takes a big risk and probably works very hard for his money. I have no doubt that he does a good job for his clients. His bottomline is no better than a mid level engineer’s salary (which i believe he is), his expenses are much higher and he works more hours. nights and weekends. Do you envy his position?