JES,
I know you would like to pay $500 for advisory services but no one will be able to offer them and earn a living for that. Who is going to take the liability of advising someone on a huge transaction for $500? One lawsuit (which are very common) and they would be wiped out. It’s easy to think this is simple but it isnt. The profits you think we enjoy just dont exist. A few at the top make big bucks as they do in most industries but you grossly underestimate the real costs of doing business in RE brokerage.
I do agree there are too many realtors and 50% should disappear IMHO.