We’re facing a dilemma here:

With the impending changes in buyer representation, there's talk about some agents taking zero BAC listings—charging a fee but listing it as zero.

Now, think about it: Buyers looking at these listings may opt to go unrepresented, thinking they can handle it all. So, as a listing agent, taking these listings, the question arises:

What do you do when an unrepresented buyer wants you to facilitate the sale without the BAC?

Considering the surge of unrepresented buyers, it's time to discuss this with sellers. You may still charge your standard listing fee but need to charge a bit more for dealing with an unrepresented buyer.

Why?

Because you're essentially doing double the work for potentially half the pay.

You're handling everything from financing and inspections to appraisals and negotiations.

You've got to communicate this to sellers. Due to changes in the market, unrepresented buyers...

There are some significant changes happening in the real estate industry:

If you've been following the Zillow lawsuit, you might know that recently, two major players, Realogy (which includes Coldwell Banker, Century 21, and Sotheby's) and RE/MAX, settled this lawsuit. While other companies and the National Association of REALTORS are still part of this ongoing lawsuit, these two giants settled for substantial amounts—Realogy for 85 million and RE/MAX for over 55 million.

But what's more crucial is what they agreed to within the settlement itself, not just the financial aspect:

They've agreed to give sellers the option to not pay buyer agent commissions (BAC) when listing their homes. This means that when a property is listed on the MLS, sellers can choose to set the buyer agent commission to zero.

Imagine this scenario:

In your market, a significant portion of sellers start opting not to pay a buyer agent...