The 5 Biggest Complaints About Realtors, and How I Answer Each One

Sources: Zillow Research, "Sellers: Results from the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2024" (October 1, 2024; about 9,500 responses from more than 6,200 recent sellers, April to July 2024); the National Association of REALTORS® 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers highlights (November 2025); the Utah Association of REALTORS® NAR settlement FAQ (practice changes effective August 17, 2024); the association's Exclusive Right to Sell Listing Agreement (revised November 5, 2024) and its Cancellation and Termination form (revised January 2, 2026). Page last updated September 28, 2026.

Most people who sell still hire an agent. In NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 91% of sellers sold with one, and only 5% sold it themselves. So these complaints aren't about whether you need help. They're about how the help is priced and how you're treated after you sign. Here are five that show up in the surveys and in the questions homeowners ask, and what I do about each one.

1. Why do realtors charge so much?

What the numbers say: in Zillow's 2024 survey of recent sellers, 73% of those who used an agent said the commission was fair for the service, 20% said it was too high and 7% said too low. About half, 51%, negotiated for a lower commission. Of the sellers who didn't try, 26% said they didn't know they could.

The standard Utah listing agreement settles that last part. In its own capital letters, it says brokerage fees are fully negotiable and not set by law. A percentage fee also grows with your price. In my view, a bigger price means a bigger fee, not more work.

How I answer it: my fee is the plan you pick, Essentials 1%, Full Service 1.99% or Showcase 2.49% of the sale price, plus a $495 transaction fee at closing. Those are the whole numbers. There's no separate marketing, admin or cancellation fee on any plan. The fee follows the work: on Essentials you show the home to buyers who come without an agent, and on Full Service and Showcase, Simple Choice Real Estate does.

2. Can I fire my realtor?

What the contract says: the standard Utah listing agreement runs to an end date and has no cancel clause. If you take your home off the market during the listing without the listing company's written consent, the whole fee can come due right away. Getting out early takes a separate cancellation form that the broker signs too, with a line for what you pay. So when an agent stops returning calls, the homeowner isn't really firing anyone. They're negotiating their way out.

How I answer it: I think that's backwards. You're never locked in. Cancel anytime. No lock-in on any plan. If I am not doing the job, you are not stuck with me. There's no cancellation fee on any plan. I go through the whole form, section by section, in my guide to the Utah listing agreement.

If you're listed with another agent today, this isn't a pitch to switch. Read your own agreement's end date and cancellation terms, and talk to your agent's principal broker. If you think an agent broke the law, the Utah Division of Real Estate takes complaints: file a complaint with the Utah Division of Real Estate.

3. Why did my realtor stop responding?

What the numbers say: in the same Zillow survey, 80% of sellers who used an agent said a responsive first impression was very or extremely important, tied with trustworthy at the top of the list.

How I answer it: you deal with me from the first call to closing. I do the pricing, the contract and the negotiation myself, with my brokerage behind me. Every plan includes a 24/7 showing service. On Showcase, weekly market updates by call, text or email are part of the plan. And if I'm not doing the job, you aren't stuck with me. That's what cancel anytime is for.

4. How much will I actually walk away with?

What the numbers say: selling costs more than the commission. In Zillow's 2024 survey, most sellers agreed in the offer they accepted to pay some (43%) or all (24%) of the closing costs.

How I answer it: with your quote you get a net sheet that shows what you keep, before you sign anything. My side is the plan rate plus the $495 transaction fee. The buyer agent commission, and anything a buyer asks you to pay, is decided offer by offer, and you can say no or counter. If you want to see how the math works first, read what you actually net when you sell.

5. Do I still have to pay the buyer's agent?

What changed: since August 17, 2024, a REALTOR® working with a buyer needs a signed written agreement before showing a home, offers of compensation can't be posted on the MLS, and compensation stays negotiable, per the Utah Association of REALTORS® settlement FAQ. In Utah's buyer-broker agreement, it's the buyer who agrees to pay their own agent.

How I answer it: buyer agent commission? Negotiable. You decide it with each offer. It's a separate line on every plan, and nothing is offered until you say so. You can read the blank Utah buyer-broker agreement and see the fee section for yourself.

How do you pick an agent without ending up with these complaints?

Shop around. The Zillow survey found the typical seller contacted just one agent, and 59% of sellers who used an agent talked to only one. Of the sellers who negotiated their fee, 55% had contacted more than one agent, compared with 26% of those who didn't negotiate.

So talk to more than one agent. Ask each one for the listing agreement before the appointment, and compare what's in writing: the fee, the end date, the cancellation terms and the protection period. If you'd like me to be one of the agents you talk to, it starts with a free CMA for your home, and you can see every plan on the Smart Seller Program page first.