Our second (seller) agent was a godsend. She managed to get a <24 turnaround hour repair after I fell through the ceiling in the kitchen to keep our inspection on sale on track. (Someone neglected to nail down a beam in the attic…)
Our third agent (buyer) saved the day, we woke up January 1 and our dream home went off market and we’d booked a trip for January 2 to visit the home 5 hours away. He tracked down the original owners and arranged for us to visit the now off market house, ultimately getting the owners to sell after they decided to throw in the towel. He also handled all the insanity while we prepared our move from afar.
If you’re a cash-investment buyer I’m sure a marketplace with minimal legal fees is the ticket. If you’re a random family stressed to death by the ordeal, I don’t necessarily mind paying the fee.
There is already a marketplace for private sellers: https://www.forsalebyowner.com
If your time is worth $0 then sure, maybe FISBO or your private marketplace will work for you but I think you’re discounting the work involved, the value a good agent provides, and how beneficial it is to have a non-emotional party between you and the seller/buyer.
2. Look for "flat-fee" realtor services. They will legally be your realtor, post on MLS, but you have to do the legwork.
Both of these have service fees, but hundreds of dollars, not thousands/tens of thousands.
I was buying a home in a desired neighborhood. My agent would call days after the property came on the market. I set up notifications on Redfin and was getting instant notifications. I would call him and request we see a home.
As someone knowledgeable about construction the shit agents say is often wrong. It’s in their interest to sell you the home.
Need a marketplace for private sellers. Someone comes out to take pics at fixed cost and maybe does the description. Lawyer helps will all the legal crap. And the seller is 6% richer.