Are you considering selling your home in Los Angeles without using a regular real estate agent? You’re in good company—and yes, it’s absolutely doable.
Although we sometimes collaborate with agents if it benefits you, avoiding the middleman can help you keep more money in your pocket and allows you to take charge of your sale.
Why Skip the Agent in Los Angeles?
When you sell your house with a real estate agent in CA, you’re likely to pay about 5-6% of the selling price in commissions. This can add up to a lot of money. Sometimes, agents earn their fees—but not always.
Actually, a big part of that commission—often half—goes to the agent representing the buyer. So, you’re funding the person who is trying to negotiate against you.
Sounds unfair, right? It is, but that’s the norm in many Los Angeles home sales.
This is why many sellers consider selling their homes without a listing agent—keeping more cash for themselves.
Doesn’t make much sense, does it?
Why should you pay for someone on the other side of the deal?
Honestly, it doesn’t add up – but it’s just how things are usually done.
You can turn this to your advantage in a few ways.
First, when looking at similar home sales, remember to factor in the commissions paid. If homes similar to yours sold for prices that included those fees, that’s something to think about.
Don’t underprice your home – keep in mind that a clever buyer might expect a discount too. If you’re handling the work of one agent, you can save that cash.
Sometimes in Los Angeles, buyers without an agent may forget to negotiate the buyer’s agent commission out of the price, so don’t remind them if you don’t plan on paying it. Just be ready for it to come up during talks.
You might think about offering 2.5% to buyer’s agents who bring their clients to check out your home. Yes, it’s a lot of money. If you’re pricing your home to include that commission, you can always negotiate a better deal for a buyer who comes without an agent.
However, if you don’t make room for the buyer’s agent commission, you could miss out on many buyers in Los Angeles.
Over 90% of transactions happen through the MLS – that’s the Multiple Listing Service. It’s the key database that all the brokers in Los Angeles use to find details for their clients on homes, condos, land, and investment properties for sale, along with information on sold prices.
In the past, you had to pay a full commission to list your property on the MLS. Now in Los Angeles, a few brokers will let you pay a fee just to list your home on the MLS. Often, you can spend a few hundred dollars and only pay a commission if the sale goes through.
Compared to the cost of a newspaper ad, using the MLS is a cost-effective way to market your home to a larger audience.
All the major real estate search websites like Realtor.com, Zillow, Yahoo Homes, and others pull data from the MLS. It’s likely that when you submit your listing in Los Angeles to the MLS, details about your property will appear on most major sites within a few days.
Each of those sites offers advertising options. They have packages that let you pay to highlight your listing, put it at the top of search results, and other features that might or might not attract a buyer.
Advertising can be risky. Sometimes open houses in Los Angeles CA are an excellent way to sell a home, while at other times they can be a waste of your time. The same goes for newspaper ads, Craigslist listings, or fancy signs – sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t.
Selling on Your Own Takes Effort, You Have to Market It Well.
Agents charge high fees partly because they spend money upfront on advertising, photos, yard signs, and reaching out to potential buyers.
When you choose to sell your home yourself, that work falls on you. Be ready to:
Take great quality photos
Write engaging property descriptions
Respond to questions promptly
Show the home to interested buyers
Handle negotiations and paperwork
If you’re ready for it, you can definitely sell without an agent and keep the savings.
Want to Skip the Hassle Entirely? You Can Also Sell Your House to Investors Like Us for CASH
You can always choose to sell your house directly to a local cash buyer like us.
We buy homes in Los Angeles
in any condition—no agent fees, no repairs, and no waiting. We provide fair cash offers and can close in as little as 3–5 days.
Whether your home needs a lot of work, you’re in a rush, or you just want an easy sale, we’re here to assist.
We buy, improve, rent, and resell homes throughout CA, and we’re always on the lookout for new opportunities in Los Angeles.
We close quickly and pay cash in as little as just 3-5 days. Call us now at 7144945322 or fill out the short form over here.