That’s why I said it raises questions, rather than just saying it was less.
I got my license originally because agents I dealt with were terrible and not worth the money being paid. So I get the general concept of trying to save money and being fed up with realtors.
I only do deals for friends or friends of friends if I’m not busy with management consulting. Having been in the business for several years now, I learned many little actions and non-actions make a huge difference in how much money actually ends up in the pocket of a seller or how much a buyer has to pay. Or what quagmire of legal trouble one can find themselves in due to a incompetent rep.
It doesn’t mean that 3% on a million dollar home is fair. It just means you have to be careful to not hire someone who ends up costing you money. It’s just like hiring a lawyer or accountant. You can go really cheap, and find yourself in trouble.
The labor market in most industries are relatively efficient in terms of pay vs competency, notwithstanding major industry discontinuities like AI, etc.
I have no idea if Pato maxed out. He may have done fine. Just like someone hiring a cheap accountant. They may do fine.
What raised the question for me was .5%. At 1 or 2 %, quality realtors will often do that. Heck I agree to attractive rates for a lot for people.