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Do the selling and buying agents each deserve a legally-mandated 3% for that, or should market pressures be allowed to determine the price through competition?

And you've worked on a commission basis for how long? First, by law commissions (at least in our state) are negotiable. Market pressure from discount brokers has reduced the average commission over the past few years.

The agents portion of the earnings varies by indivual ageement with the employing broker, and probably averages out to a 50/50 split.

One company used to bill itself as the two percent commission company, but if you wanted MLS (cooperative marketing)exposure the rate was over 4%. Now they promote a 3% program with MLS participation, but there's a catch. They offer out 1% to the co-broker. The typical payout in our market is 2.5%, so agents avoid showing their listings unless there are no options, or show them last. Needless to say, a high percentage of their listings expire unsold.

Compare a Realtor at 6% to an attorney on contingency at 33% plus expenses. If either fails to perform there is no paycheck. Should we limit lawyers' charges too?

Bottom line is, most agents earn their pay by doing better for the client than theclient can do for himself.

And you've worked on a commission basis for how long?

I haven't. That's not the point. Nor is the specific commission an agent receives. If a realty agent can get a 33% commission for him or herself, than by all means, go for it. I'm not asking for realator's fees to be limited.

My problem is that the realator's associations are trying to get laws passed to mandate a specific commission, rather than letting the free market decide what those commissions should be.

Bottom line is, most agents earn their pay by doing better for the client than theclient can do for himself.

Here's a true story for you. I owned a rental property (a row home) that was going to start needing repairs soon. With prices up, I decided to sell. Someone two doors down, living in an identical home, also decided to sell. They used a realtor. I sold myself. I sold mine a month before he did. We both had bidding wars on our properties and he ended up getting $10,000 more as a selling price than I did. Truth be told, his house was in slightly better condition, so it didn't surprise me one bit.

But by avoiding commissions, I got $11,000 more than he did at closing. Of which, I owed $800 to a real estate attorney. In this market, I really think you have to be incompetent, unpresent, crazy, or lazy not to sell your own properties yourself.