The SF bay area is ripe for disruption and is being disrupted. Buyer's agents here don't have to really put any work together - I know from experience having worked with a couple realtors. Most homes sell here completely free of contingencies (loan, inspection, appraisal), thus once you as the buyer commit, you commit.
Sellers here don't tend to be sentimental. Just because you attach a nicely written letter with a photo of your family and your dog doesn't mean the seller will turn down an extra $20k.
Thus, a buyers agent really won't be able to negotiate a better deal for you than you can get for yourself. It's highest bid wins, and buyers' agents will always tell you to bid more so you have a better chance to win the house (something obviously self-evident).
Also in the bay area, especially the south bay, housing prices are at the $1.5 - 2.5m range. Tell me how whatever service for the buyer can possibly worth $45k - $75k for putting together an offer for maximum amount with no contingencies. Realtors are entrenched but there's a reason why these real estate startups are proliferating.
Let me quickly summarize every thread about twitter:
1) "Twitter in the old days was great. They are ruining everything now!"
2) "Twitter has 0 revenue! How can they be worth so much? It deserves to die." "Actually, they have 0 <i>profit</i>" "Oops! Point still stands!"
3) "But what do all the employees even DO all day?"
4) "I stopped caring about Twitter when they closed off their API"
5) "The world needs Twitter!" "No it doesn't!"
Sellers here don't tend to be sentimental. Just because you attach a nicely written letter with a photo of your family and your dog doesn't mean the seller will turn down an extra $20k.
Thus, a buyers agent really won't be able to negotiate a better deal for you than you can get for yourself. It's highest bid wins, and buyers' agents will always tell you to bid more so you have a better chance to win the house (something obviously self-evident).
Also in the bay area, especially the south bay, housing prices are at the $1.5 - 2.5m range. Tell me how whatever service for the buyer can possibly worth $45k - $75k for putting together an offer for maximum amount with no contingencies. Realtors are entrenched but there's a reason why these real estate startups are proliferating.