Only 5% of Home Sellers Skipped the Agent Last Year. Here's the Real Math on "Saving the Commission" in Chicagoland.
By Jason Rosenberg, The Rosenberg Group at Infiniti Properties
Every fall, the same thought crosses a lot of Chicagoland homeowners' minds:
"Why pay an agent? I'll put a sign in the yard, post it online, and keep the commission."
It's a fair question. A commission is real money. On a $400,000 home, every 1% is $4,000. Nobody likes handing that over.
But here's what most sellers miss: the choice isn't "pay a full commission" or "pay nothing." There's a third option. You can hire a full-service agent who simply charges a lower commission. That's exactly how I work, and I'll show you what it means in real dollars below.
First, let's look honestly at selling it yourself. No scare tactics. Here's what the numbers say, what it actually involves in Illinois, and why a low-commission agent might get you the best of both worlds.
First, the big number: almost nobody does it anymore
According to the National Association of REALTORS® 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, only 5% of homes sold "for sale by owner" (FSBO) in the past year. That's the lowest share ever recorded. Back in 1985, it was as high as 21%.
Meanwhile, a record 91% of sellers used an agent.
That doesn't mean selling it yourself is wrong. It means most people tried the math and decided it wasn't worth it. Let's see why.
The price gap (and why it's not the whole story)
NAR's survey found:
How the home sold | Median sale price |
Sold by owner (FSBO) | $360,000 |
Sold with an agent | $425,000 |
Difference | $65,000 (about 18%) |
That looks like a knockout. But to be fair, it isn't a perfect apples-to-apples comparison. FSBO homes are often different homes. Many are smaller or less expensive to begin with, and a big chunk get sold to a friend, relative, or neighbor, often at a "friendly" price.
In fact, a well-known study by economists at Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin looked at Madison, Wisconsin, and found that homes sold through agents did not get a higher price than similar homes sold by owners on a local FSBO website. That study is older (published in 2009) and covers one city, but it's a real data point and worth knowing.
The honest takeaway: the research disagrees on how much an agent adds to the price. What it agrees on is where FSBO sellers say they struggle.
Where sellers who go it alone say they get stuck
NAR's survey asked FSBO sellers what was hardest. The top answers:
Getting the price right. Price too high and the home sits. Price too low and you leave money on the table.
Getting the home ready to sell. Repairs, cleaning, staging, photos.
Selling on their timeline. Especially hard if you're already buying your next place.
Two more numbers stand out:
40% of FSBO sellers didn't actively market their home at all.
About 1 in 5 eventually hired an agent anyway.
Quick reality check on pricing: many people set a price using a website estimate. Zillow itself says half of its estimates on homes not for sale miss by 7% or more. On a typical Chicago home, that's tens of thousands of dollars in either direction. Here's the full breakdown.
What selling it yourself actually involves in Illinois
Here's the part most "just list it yourself" articles skip. Illinois has its own rules, and Chicago and many suburbs add more. If you sell without an agent, this is your to-do list:
Paperwork you're responsible for
Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Report. Required for most 1 to 4 unit homes. You must disclose known problems like leaks, flooding, foundation issues, and more.
Radon disclosure. Illinois law requires sellers to give buyers radon information and disclose any known radon test results.
Lead-based paint disclosure. Required by federal law for homes built before 1978. That's a big share of Chicagoland.
A real estate attorney. In the Chicago area, both sides almost always use one. You'll pay for yours either way.
Local requirements that catch people off guard
City and village rules. More than 70 Chicagoland towns have their own pre-sale inspection or certificate requirements, and some won't let you transfer the home until it's done.
Transfer taxes. State, county, and many cities charge them. Chicago's is among the highest. You pay these with or without an agent.
Water bill certification in Chicago. The city has to confirm the water account is paid before the sale can close.
The marketing
Getting on the MLS. Most buyers find homes through sites like Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com, and those mostly pull from the local MLS (here, that's MRED). Homeowners can't list there directly.
Photos and showings. You'll handle scheduling, screening strangers, and being available on weekends.
Negotiating with the buyer's agent. Since the 2024 industry settlement, buyers often have their own agent and may ask you to help cover that agent's fee. That's negotiable, but you'll need to decide how to handle it.
Why this matters more right now
Mortgage rates have climbed this fall. Freddie Mac's 30-year average hit 7.28% on October 1, up from 6.34% a year ago.
Here's what that does to a buyer on a $400,000 home with 20% down:
Rate | Monthly principal and interest |
6.34% (a year ago) | About $1,989 |
7.28% (now) | About $2,189 |
Difference | About $200 more per month |
When payments go up, some buyers drop out and others get pickier. Fall is also normally a slower season. When fewer buyers are looking, pricing and marketing matter more, not less. That's true whether you sell yourself or with an agent.
The fair case for both sides
Selling it yourself can make sense if:
You already have a buyer (a relative, friend, neighbor, or tenant).
You're comfortable with paperwork, negotiating, and hosting showings.
You have flexible timing and aren't racing to buy your next home.
You're in a very hot pocket where homes sell in days.
Using an agent may make more sense if:
You want the widest possible pool of buyers.
You're unsure what the home is really worth.
You're buying and selling at the same time.
You don't want to deal with inspections, repair requests, and appraisal problems on your own.
Neither choice is "right" for everyone. It depends on your home, your timing, and how much of the work you want to take on.
The smarter middle ground: full service at a low commission
Most sellers who think about going FSBO aren't trying to do all the work. They just don't want to overpay. That's a completely fair goal.
So here's my answer: I charge a low listing commission, well below what many sellers expect to pay, and you still get full service. Not a stripped-down discount package. The whole thing.
Here's why even a small difference in commission matters so much:
Home sale price | What every 1 percentage point of commission costs you |
$300,000 | $3,000 |
$400,000 | $4,000 |
$500,000 | $5,000 |
$600,000 | $6,000 |
$800,000 | $8,000 |
That's money that stays in your pocket for your next down payment, your move, or your savings. With my lower rate, you keep a big chunk of what you'd hoped to save by going FSBO, without doing it all alone.
Ask me for my exact rate. Most sellers are surprised by how much lower it is. Call or text 312.882.9797 and I'll show you the dollar savings on your specific home.
And if you find the buyer yourself? You pay nothing.
On top of the low commission, I offer a Zero Commission Clause:
If you find your own buyer, you pay me no commission at all.
Your cousin, your neighbor, your coworker, someone who knocks on the door. If they buy it, my fee is zero.
So you can tell everyone you know that your home is for sale, just like a FSBO seller would. Here's everything you get:
A low commission if I bring the buyer
Zero commission if you bring the buyer
Professional photography
3D Matterport tours so buyers can walk through online
Full MLS exposure on Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and more
Full online marketing
Pricing based on real recent sales, not a website guess
Help with disclosures, local requirements, and negotiations
Cancel anytime. No long contract. No lock-in.
That's full service at a lower commission, with the "find your own buyer" upside built in. Lower cost doesn't mean less effort. It means you keep more of your money.
I've been doing this for 25 years, with over $100 million in sales, and I'm ranked in the top 5% of the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. I work in Chicago and all across the Chicagoland suburbs, from the North Shore to the south suburbs, from DuPage to Will County.
Find out what your home is worth, and how much you'd keep
Before you decide anything, get real numbers. I'll put together a free, no-pressure report showing:
What your home is likely to sell for, based on actual recent sales near you, not an algorithm
How much you'd save with my low commission, in real dollars on your home
Call or text me at 312.882.9797, or reach out through jasonrosenbergrealestate.com.
Whether you sell it yourself, with me, or somewhere in between, you'll walk away knowing your numbers.
Jason RosenbergThe Rosenberg Group at Infiniti PropertiesFull-Service Real Estate. Lower Commission. Better Results.
Sources
National Association of REALTORS®, "FSBOs Reach All-Time Low as More Sellers Rely on Agents," 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. nar.realtor
NAR 2024 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers coverage (FSBO challenges, share sold to someone the seller knew).
Hendel, Nevo and Ortalo-Magné, "The Relative Performance of Real Estate Marketing Platforms: MLS versus FSBOMadison.com," American Economic Review 99(5), 2009. Summary: Kellogg Insight
Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week of October 1, 2026 (30-year fixed 7.28%; 6.34% a year earlier).
Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Act (765 ILCS 77).
Illinois Radon Awareness Act (420 ILCS 46).
U.S. EPA / HUD Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Rule (pre-1978 housing).
Illinois REALTORS® point-of-sale inspection and transfer tax resources.
Payment examples calculated on a $320,000 loan (a $400,000 home with 20% down), 30-year fixed, principal and interest only. Taxes, insurance and HOA dues not included.
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