2025 Data: What Does a Real Estate Agent Do? Sellers Speak Out on Their Needs

Agents Important but No Longer as Important | Reasons for Skipping Agents | Seller Skepticism of Real Estate Agents | Why Home Sellers Are Stressed | Unrealistic Seller Expectations | Methodology | FAQs

For homebuyers, sellers, and those in the real estate industry, 2024 was a tumultuous year. 

Mortgage rates at times soared to over 7% and at other times dropped to around 6%, ending the year roughly where they started. At the same time, home prices held steady, even as the amount of available housing inventory finally began creeping back toward pre-COVID levels. 

Meanwhile, real estate agents spent 2024 preparing for and adapting to the new reality of the industry following the landmark settlement in the National Association of Realtors (NAR) lawsuit. Listing agents are no longer allowed to advertise a set commission for buyer’s agents, and buyers are now responsible for negotiating their own agent’s compensation. 

Combined with changes in the economy and high-profile advances in technology such as AI, many would-be home sellers are being forced to reconsider what they’re looking for from a real estate agent, how they expect agents to sell their home, and, perhaps most importantly, what commission rate they’re willing to pay. 

That’s why Anytime Estimate surveyed 1,000 American homeowners who plan to sell their properties in the next 12 months, seeking answers to these critical issues as well as to learn more about their feelings and expectations about their upcoming home sale. 

Although 63% of home sellers think real estate agents are inherently necessary for their upcoming transaction, that’s down 10 points from 2024. Meanwhile, over half of sellers (52%) have considered using sales methods other than a real estate agent. 

Read on to learn more about how American home sellers answer the vital question: What does a real estate agent do?

Agents Still Vital to Most Sellers — But Less So Than Last Year

There’s some encouraging – but not uniformly positive – news for real estate agents in 2025. An overwhelming 90% of home sellers believe it’s important to have a real estate agent in the home-selling process. 

Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of sellers (63%) call agents inherently necessary to the process. However, that’s down 10 percentage points from last year. That’s still dwarfed by the 91% who plan to use one in their upcoming home sale, showing that even those who don’t necessarily see agents as a vital part of the process will likely use one anyway out of convenience, tradition, or other factors. 

As always, a seller’s bottom line is a huge factor in deciding to use agents. About 82% believe a real estate agent will help them get a higher sales price than they would on their own.  

In addition, fewer than half of sellers would feel comfortable negotiating with a home buyer (48%) or finding and filling out necessary paperwork (42%) without an agent.

Overall, agents are the third most-trusted profession among those surveyed. Respondents gave real estate agents an average of 4.4 on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is the most trustworthy and 10 is the least trustworthy. Only mortgage lenders (4.3) and police officers (3.5) are more trusted. Millennials trust real estate agents more than any other profession surveyed. 

Still, it’s notable that just 70% of sellers say they trust real estate agents, representing a 21-point gap of those who are skeptical of agents but plan to hire one anyway. That’s also 11 points less trust than in 2024 (81%). 

Half Call Commission Fees Costly, but Two-Thirds See Them as Fair 

Agents are so important to sellers that roughly a third (33%) would even accept seller’s commission rates of over 5% before deciding to use an alternative method, such as For Sale by Owner (FSBO) or iBuyer. That’s almost double the current rates, which average 2.74% for listing agents and are negotiable. 

Overall, typical sellers pay around 5.32% of a home’s price in commissions, including to the buyer’s agent. Around two-thirds (66%) believe that’s a fair amount, even if 52% still see it as costly. 

Most sellers (86%), however, would be willing to pay more than typical commission rates — if they feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. This includes situations where their home sells for a higher price (47%) or sells faster (42%). 

Over a third would also pay above-average rates if their agent had strong negotiating skills (39%), a proven track record of success (35%), or guaranteed their home would sell within a designated amount of time (34%).

However, a notable number are highly sensitive to commission costs. About 1 in 7 (14%) say there’s nothing that would justify a higher-than-average commission rate. 

Roughly 1 in 3 sellers (36%) would even be willing to accept a less-than-market-rate offer on their property to save on commission costs. This is a particularly eyebrow-raising decision, as 62% of this group would take an offer 5% or more below market value to try to save on commission, which averages just 2.74% for seller’s agents. 

Sellers Look for Pricing, Marketing, Paperwork Help From Their Agents

With so many sellers seeing agents as an important part of their sale, it’s vital for agents to understand precisely what they’re seeking from the relationship. 

Sellers see the most important role of a real estate agent as pricing the home correctly. It scored an average of 2.4 when respondents were asked to rank a variety of duties from most important (1) to least important (5). Marketing the home and handling paperwork and legal requirements were tied for second (2.9). 

The top characteristics that sellers are looking for shouldn't surprise agents: 

• Experience in the local market (69%)
• Knowledge of current market conditions (64%)
• Communication and availability (63%)
• Commission rates (62%)
• Track record of successful sales (62%)
• Negotiation skills (58%)
• Personality fit and compatibility (53%)

Despite how critical sellers view this partnership, an overwhelming 89% only plan to interview three or fewer real estate agents before hiring one. 

Many Sellers Willing to Overlook Serious Agent Red Flags

Eagerness to hire an agent also seems to translate into a willingness to ignore some potential issues. 

A majority would still consider working with an agent without experience selling similar properties (58%) or who had a lack of experience in the local market (53%). More than half (51%) don’t consider a refusal to provide references to be a deal breaker, and 44% say the same about negative reviews or testimonials.

Almost half are OK with inappropriate comments or jokes (45%) or finding out their agent had a violent criminal record (44%), and almost 1 in 3 (30%) wouldn’t even fire an agent they learned stole from clients. 

Friends and Family Still the Top Resource for Finding Realtors

Even as the real estate market evolves, certain things, like how people find agents, don’t seem to change. 

Sellers plan to find their agents through:

• Referrals from friends or family (58%)
• A personal relationship with the agent (49%)
• Online reviews (40%)
• Real estate platforms such as Zillow, Redfin, or Clever Real Estate (37%)
• Traditional web search (35%)

In total, about 59% will use some sort of online method to find their agent. Fewer than 1 in 5 (18%) plan to find their agent through traditional advertising like TV or print ads or signs. 

Nearly three-quarters of sellers (73%) want to meet with their real estate agent in person when first hiring them, more than 5x the number who want their first encounter to be by phone (14%). Millennials are least likely to want an in-person meeting, with just 57% saying so compared to about 36% who’d prefer a phone or video call. 

However, once a seller hires an agent, 70% prefer methods other than a face-to-face meeting for follow-up communication, primarily phone calls (39%). 

Among those planning to use a real estate agent, 75% expect to hear from their agent multiple times a week once their home hits the market, with over 1 in 6 (17%) expecting an update every single day. 

Although many home sellers plan to make their agents work for their commission, an eye-popping 33% of those who expect multiple updates from their agents every week don’t believe agents are inherently necessary to the home-selling process.  

Real estate professionals should be aware that there’s a market for both premium services and discount offerings. Although 54% of sellers say they would pay a higher commission rate to a real estate agent who has a strong track record, 52% would also be willing to hire an agent with less than 1 year of experience to save on fees, while 65% would consider a discount agent for the same reason.

>> Use this calculator to see how much you'd pay a real estate agent in commission costs.

A Majority of Home Sellers Would Consider Selling With AI

A noteworthy number of home sellers are looking to the future in their home sales, with 59% saying they’d rather have an agent who mainly focuses on innovative technology and marketing strategies instead of traditional home-selling methods. 

Even with consumer-facing versions of the technology in their relative infancy, 1 in 11 home sellers (9%) already believe that using AI to sell their home would fetch the best price, as opposed to selling with a human agent (79%) or selling on their own (12%). This includes more than 1 in 8 millennials (13%). 

Almost half of sellers (49%) would consider selling their home using an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that finds the most qualified buyers in their area. That’s despite the fact that 69% don’t believe that current AI technology could outperform a traditional human real estate agent. 

This may be a sign that sellers are willing to accept a lower level of service overall in exchange for the likelihood of lower commission costs and on-demand property information. Of those who think AI technology couldn't outperform a real estate agent but would consider using it, 67% said that commission rates are very important when choosing a real estate agent.

Meanwhile, almost two-thirds of sellers (65%) would use a digital marketplace that combines real estate agent services with mortgage financing options.

Commission Costs Motivate Majority of Sellers Not Using Agents

There’s no doubt that using a real estate agent is still the standard for most sales. Still, more than half of sellers (52%) admit they’ve considered using alternative methods, such as a for sale by owner (FSBO) transaction.

Among those who don’t plan to use agents, around a third (35%) will attempt a FSBO sale, with another 22% selling to a cash buyer company such as We Buy Ugly Houses or MarketPro.

Overall, 58% of non-agent sellers say they’re doing it because commission is too expensive. However, this rises to 79% among those planning a FSBO transaction. 

More than a third of sellers without agents (37%) are looking for more control over their sale, with 41% saying they feel confident pricing and negotiating on their own. Almost a quarter (24%) believe technology and online platforms make agents unnecessary. 

However, roughly 1 in 4 won’t use an agent because they either don’t trust them (28%) or have had a bad experience with one in the past (22%).  

Almost three-quarters of sellers who don’t plan to use an agent (71%) have concerns about that decision. Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) say their top concern is dealing with unexpected issues during the home-selling process, while 10% each are most concerned about appropriately marketing their home or making mistakes when filling out legal documents. 

Skeptical Sellers See Low Standards, Unfair Treatment, and a Focus on Profit From Many Agents

Even if almost all sellers plan to use agents, there are still concerns lurking beneath the surface. More than 1 in 3 sellers (34%) believe the standards for becoming a Realtor are too low, while 38% don't think agents provide enough value to justify their commission fees. 

About 2 in 3 sellers (64%) think there must be a catch when a real estate agent advertises below-average commission rates, with the same amount (64%) saying they think real estate agents value profits over their clients' best interests.

Even more sellers are concerned about where they fit into their real estate agent’s overall business. Three-quarters (75%) believe agents give preferential treatment to certain clients, and 74% think they steer people toward specific properties for the agent’s own benefit, such as higher commissions or to help sell listings of their own. 

It’s more than just worrying about being personally scammed, too. Over half of sellers (55%) think real estate agents contribute to inflated housing prices by encouraging bidding wars or setting unrealistic prices.

97% of Home Sellers Are Stressed About the Sale Process

Sellers are fairly optimistic overall about the housing market in 2025, with two-thirds (67%) saying they believe it’s a good time to sell a house. Still, roughly the same number (64%) wish they sold when the market was more seller-friendly, like it was in mid- to late 2022. 

The median nationwide home price peaked in the fourth quarter of 2022 at $442,600, declining to $419,200 as of the same period in 2024. At the same time, the national median days on market for homes reached a low of just 30 days in April and May 2022, compared to 66 in February 2025.

Despite this modest pullback, just over half of sellers (51%) think the real estate market is in a bubble. However, only 1 in 5 (20%) foresee a crash in the year ahead.

Nevertheless, between market uncertainty and personal factors, 97% say they’re stressed about their upcoming home sale. The most common sources of stress are: 

• Physically moving out of their home (46%)
• Not getting good offers (45%)
• Pricing the home correctly (41%)
• Making necessary repairs or renovations (40%)
• Keeping the house clean and presentable during the sale (36%)
• Timing the sale with a home purchase (32%)
• Managing the costs of selling (30%)
• Dealing with unexpected delays (30%)

One thing that doesn’t seem to stress future sellers is the prospect of finding an agent. Fewer than 1 in 4 (22%) worry about this, the second-lowest among all choices. 

Unrealistic Expectations Common Among Would-Be Sellers

Sellers’ agents aren’t just battling against a turbulent market and assertive buyers — they’re also often fighting their clients’ own expectations. 

Home sellers most commonly expect their agents to find potential buyers via online advertising (76%), open houses (72%), and the agent’s own website (71%). 

However, not all groups of buyers view this task similarly. For example, more than 2x as many millennials think their agents should use virtual tours than boomers, 44% vs. 21%. On the other hand, significantly more boomers expect their agents to find buyers using “for sale” signs (72%) or traditional TV or newspaper advertising (39%) than millennials (58% and 25%, respectively).

The vast majority of home sellers (88%) expect to accept an offer after 10 or fewer showings, including 61% who expect to lock down their offer with fewer than five. That makes it even more impressive that half of them (50%) expect to receive four or more offers for their home.

Although both will vary widely depending on the particulars of the home and local market, it generally takes 10 to 25 showings to sell a typical home, resulting in an average of 2.6 offers. 

Even after the massive NAR commission overhaul in 2024 eliminated the requirement that sellers compensate buyers’ agents, 53% of sellers still don’t believe the commission system is fair to them. Only 27% plan to pay the buyer’s agent’s commission, a still-common arrangement that was customary for nearly every transaction this time last year. Barely a third (37%) would be willing to pay it even if their would-be buyer insisted on it.

Sellers also expect a relatively speedy transaction. Nearly three-quarters (71%) expect the process to take three months or less from listing to closing. 

First-time sellers are the most wary of the time it might take to sell. They make up more than half (51%) of those who believe it will take more than three months from listing to closing. Meanwhile, more than 2x as many sellers who don’t plan to use an agent think their home will sell in under a month (12%) than those who are using agents (5%). 

Methodology

Clever Real Estate conducted a survey of 1,000 American adults who plan to sell their home in the next 12 months, asking them questions about the real estate market and real estate agents. The survey was conducted from January 31 to February 4, 2025. 

About Anytime Estimate

Stay on top of your money, around the clock. Since 2009, Anytime Estimate's straightforward calculators and expert articles have simplified mortgages, refinancing, and other real estate costs — fast. In 2021, Anytime Estimate was acquired by Clever Real Estate, a free agent-matching service that has helped consumers save more than $180 million on real estate fees. Research by Anytime Estimate's Data Center has been cited by The New York Times, CNBC, MarketWatch, NPR, Apartment Therapy, Yahoo Finance, Black Enterprise, and more.

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