Cash Buyers vs. Traditional Agents: How to Choose the Best Way to Sell Your Home

Traditional real estate transactions long dominated the home-selling process. For decades, owners simply accepted that high agent costs, multiple home showings, and drawn-out negotiations were part of selling a property. Fortunately, today’s sellers have options and can sell their homes in the way that works best for them — not their buyer or agent.

The stress of selling a home has more sellers moving beyond traditional Realtors and considering alternatives such as cash buyers, who make a quick cash offer to buy your property as-is. 

The number of homeowners who believe real estate agents are inherently necessary to the sales process dropped 10% in 2025. About 63% of sellers believe this now, versus 73% in 2024.

High real estate agent commissions also have some sellers looking for a cheaper, faster, and simpler option, even if it means a lower sale price. Roughly 1 in 3 sellers (36%) would accept a below-market offer on their property to save on commission fees. Interestingly, 62% of these sellers would cut 5% or more off the sale price, despite listing agent fees averaging 2.74%.

This indicates that too few sellers truly understand how selling a home works. They choose what matters most — speed, simplicity, or profit — then select the sales method that delivers. However, they risk leaving money on the table.

Recent polls by Clever Real Estate show negativity and mistrust toward both real estate agents and cash buyers, two of the most popular ways of selling. Although each method has pros and cons, understanding how sellers generally feel about these options can help you select the best one for you.

The Best Way to Sell Depends on What Matters to Sellers

Depending on their situation, sellers typically prioritize the sale price, the time it takes to sell, the effort involved, and the support they need. Which factors are most important can determine whether they work with a realtor or sell to a cash buyer. More than half (52%) of sellers have considered using a method other than an agent.

All things considered, 57% of sellers want to get the best price for their home, even if it takes more time and work. That’s more than 2x the number of people willing to lower the price or put in the extra effort to sell fast (24%). One in five sellers (20%) want to do the least amount of work and would accept an extended sale time and a lower final price.

Sellers generally rank real estate agents and cash buyers at opposite ends of the spectrum. And yet, satisfaction for both groups is high: 83% of sellers would recommend using an agent, while 65% of those who sold to cash buyers would do so again.

Positive Cash Buyer Traits	Percentage	Negative Cash Buyer Traits	Percentage
Best overall way to sell	5%	Worst overall way to sell	38%
Most profitable way to sell	7%	Least profitable way to sell	44%
Least expensive way to sell	14%	Most expensive way to sell	9%
Easiest way to sell	22%	Hardest way to sell	5%
Fastest way to sell	38%	Slowest way to sell	4%

Transactions with cash buyers are by far the fastest, with 65% of these sellers reporting that their home sold within a month. About 31% say their home sold without ever going on the market. By contrast, only 52% of those who sold with an agent and 53% who sold FSBO say they sold within a month.

Positive Real Estate Agent Traits	Percentage	Negative Real Estate Agent Traits	Percentage
Best overall way to sell	67%	Worst overall way to sell	5%
Most profitable way to sell	31%	Least profitable way to sell	25%
Least expensive way to sell	9%	Most expensive way to sell	69%
Easiest way to sell	58%	Hardest way to sell	6%
Fastest way to sell	40%	Slowest way to sell	13%

In addition, 54% of sellers who used cash buyer companies took on no additional expenses such as repairs, professional cleaning, home staging, or professional photography. These incidentals can add up to $10,000 to the cost of selling a home, which is about $54,616.

Most Homeowners Have Worries Regardless of How They Sell 

No matter which sales method they choose, nearly 9 in 10 homeowners (88%) say they have fears about selling their homes. Notably, about 13% of homeowners say nothing could make them feel more confident about selling.

When it comes to selling their homes, owners are most concerned about:

• Unexpected costs (41%)
• Not getting enough money for their home (36%)
• Handling repairs from inspections (36%)
• Market conditions changing unexpectedly (35%)
• Dealing with difficult buyers or negotiations (33%)
• Having to lower their asking price (33%)
• Dealing with lowball offers from buyers (30%)
• Losing money due to agent commissions or fees (29%)
• Balancing buying and selling at the same time (28%)
• Not being able to sell the home quickly enough (25%)
• Managing legal or paperwork issues (25%)
• Managing the emotional stress of selling (25%)

About 73% of recent sellers say using a real estate agent is the best way to sell, with the same amount believing that hiring a realtor can cause a home to sell for market value or higher. However, just 70% of sellers say they trust agents, and they have several significant worries about working with them.

Sellers’ biggest worries about hiring a real estate agent are:

• Agent will charge too high of a commission rate (38%)
• Agent won’t put enough time into the home sale (33%)
• Agent will pressure seller into decisions they’re not comfortable with (32%)
• Agent will care more about their profit than the seller’s best interests (31%)
• Agent won't communicate often enough (28%)

Sellers also have little confidence when it comes to a cash buyer or a for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) deal. A majority (84%) of homeowners selling without an agent have concerns about the process.

Sellers’ biggest concerns about working without a realtor:

• Buyers will try to take advantage of them (35%)
• Completing paperwork and legal requirements (28%)
• Lack of support and guidance through their home sale (28%)
• Making a costly mistake during the process (26%)
• Fear of scams or frauds (26%)

43% of Sellers Would Recommend Cash Buyers 

Nearly 1 in 4 homeowners (23%) who didn’t use an agent sold to a cash home buyer or investor. And 43% would recommend selling to a cash buyer company to a friend or family member.

Of sellers who choose to sell without a real estate agent, 30% do so because the commission is too expensive. Cash buyers, by contrast, typically come with no additional fees for sellers. They offer homeowners a straightforward and streamlined sales process in which they make a quick cash offer for the property as-is and often cover closing costs.

A cash buyer can also solve some other issues sellers have with realtors, such as wanting more control over the home-selling process. Almost half of homeowners surveyed (47%) say they chose alternatives because they don’t trust real estate agents or have had a bad experience with one.

Reasons sellers don’t use real estate agents:

• They want to save on commission (30%)
• They think it would be quicker than a traditional sale (29%)
• The house is at risk of foreclosure (29%)
• The home is in bad condition (28%)
• It is convenient (27%)
• They prefer to handle showings/negotiations themselves (27%)
• They need money fast (26%)
• They had a bad experience with their last real estate agent (24%)
• They don’t trust real estate agents (23%) 

Cash Buyer Pros 

Cash buyers tend to attract a specific type of seller — typically, those who seek a stress-free experience without the hassle of home showings and a lengthy sales period. These sellers want to sell quickly without making any repairs or concessions.

Avoiding repairs could be an important benefit, as 36% of sellers say their home had problems when they sold it. Issues ranged from cosmetic damage to foundation and electrical problems. Cash buyers often purchase a property as-is and make the repairs themselves, factoring the costs into the offer amount.

Sellers who used cash buyer companies prioritized this in a sale:

• Getting the highest sale price (40%)
• Having a hassle-free process (25%)
• Selling as quickly as possible (15%)
• Minimizing selling costs (13%)
• Having professional support (8%)

Another advantage of cash buyers is that sellers don’t have to pay realtor commission fees. This could offer sellers significant savings, as the current average real estate commission for the listing agent is 2.74%. For instance, if your home is valued at $300,000, you could save $8,220 by using a cash buyer instead of an agent.

And although 51% of sellers who sold without an agent say they didn’t receive their desired profit, a slightly larger percentage (57%) were still satisfied with their home’s selling price.

Cash buyer transactions can be quick, too. About 24% of owners who didn’t use a realtor sold their home in less than a week — more than twice as many as those who did use an agent (11%). 

Cash Buyer Cons

Despite the benefits of cash buyer companies, 66% of homeowners believe selling to a cash buyer could lead to a sale price below the property’s true market value. This aligns with trends, as Clever found that cash buyers often pay a median of 67.5% of a home’s after-repair value (ARV). For instance, if your property’s ARV is $300,000, a cash buyer would likely offer around $202,000.

This could explain why 38% of sellers who didn’t use an agent believe their home would have sold for more if they had. It may also be a source of regret — although only 16% of recent sellers say they regret the method they used to sell their home, those who sold to a cash buyer are almost twice as likely to report this as those who used a realtor (27% vs. 14%).

Top regrets among sellers who didn’t use an agent are:

• They wish they received more offers (24%)
• The buyer got the better end of the deal (24%)
• They struggled to time their sale with a new home purchase (23%)
• They should have waited to list their home (22%)
• The house took longer to sell than expected (22%)
• They received less than the asking price (21%)
• They should have made more repairs (21%)
• They had one or more offers fall through (21%)
• It took more work than expected (19%)
• They waited too long to list their home (19%)
• They should have negotiated more (18%)
• They made more concessions than they felt comfortable with (18%)
• They couldn’t attract enough buyers (13%)

Another downside is 53% of unrepresented sellers say buyers didn’t trust them because they didn’t have an agent. This mistrust, combined with the lower offer, could be why 61% of sellers call cash buyers a scam. 

Sellers are also largely on their own with this selling method. A third (33%) say the selling process was more difficult than expected, and half (50%) say they felt overwhelmed. 

91% of Sellers Expect to Use a Realtor, but Skepticism About Their Practices Remains 

Almost all sellers (90%) believe having a real estate agent in the home-selling process is important, and more than three-quarters (76%) who used an agent feel the services they received were worth the money.

A good realtor can handle every step of the sale for you, from setting a list price and marketing the home to scheduling showings and negotiating offers. This could be why 83% of sellers recommend working with an agent. Moreover, about 73% of homeowners think hiring an agent can help you sell a house for market value or higher.

Despite these positive ratings, skepticism remains about real estate agents and their practices. One turnoff for sellers is paying the listing agent’s commission fee, with 38% saying an agent’s services don’t justify their commission cost.

Many sellers have negative impressions about realtors:

• 75% believe agents give preferential treatment to certain clients.
• 74% think agents steer people toward specific properties for the agents’ benefit.
• 64% think real estate agents value profits over their clients’ best interests.
• 64% believe there must be a catch when an agent advertises below-average commission rates.
• 55% believe real estate agents contribute to inflated housing prices.
• 53% of sellers don’t believe the commission system is fair to them.
• 38% don’t think agents provide enough value to justify their commission fees.
• 34% of sellers believe the standards for becoming a realtor are too low.

Still, 54% of sellers who didn’t use a real estate agent wish they had, and 47% were unhappy with the alternative way they sold their home.   

Real Estate Agent Pros 

Of sellers who used a realtor, 81% were satisfied with the price of their home. This makes sense, as the dollars don’t lie. Despite having to pay commission, sellers working with agents earned a profit of $207,500 — $79,000 more than the $128,500 that sellers who didn’t hire an agent made.

Agent fees have gotten less expensive thanks to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) settlement in 2024. This move eliminated the requirement that sellers pay buyer agent fees, about 2.58% of the home’s sale price. Now, sellers can negotiate this with the buyer. The change has about half of the sellers (50%) who didn’t use an agent reconsidering this for their next sale.

Overall, sellers who used realtors report generally positive results. They were more satisfied, earned more money, and were likelier to recommend the agent’s services. Most sellers (75%) report being happy about using a real estate agent to sell their home.

Sellers’ overall satisfaction with a real estate agent:

• The seller was satisfied with the home’s selling price (81%).
• The agent’s services were worth the commission (76%).
• Using a real estate agent is the best way to sell (73%).
• Hiring an agent can cause a home to sell for at or above market value (73%).
• The property sold for the seller’s desired profit (69%).

Real Estate Agent Cons

Paying the realtor’s commission fee appears to be the sticking point for homeowners who choose an alternative selling method. Depending on the home's sale price, sellers could pay tens of thousands of dollars in agent fees. Plus, if your agent negotiates for you to cover the buyer’s agent fees, the commission you owe could double.

There’s also a general distrust of real estate agents, with sellers worried the agent will care more about their own best interest than the seller’s (31%). Most homeowners (85%) fear their realtor will pressure them into accepting a lowball offer on their property.

Most common seller complaints about their agents include:

• Their agent botched negotiations (49%).
• Their agent was only looking to make a sale instead of caring about their client’s best interest (45%).
• Their agent pressured them into making decisions they weren’t comfortable with (43%).
• Their agent made mistakes with their listing (43%).
• Their agent ignored them (42%).
• Their agent annoyed them (41%).
• Their agent failed them (35%).

A Majority of Home Sellers Prefer a Tech-Savvy Realtor

When choosing a real estate agent, many sellers want one who embraces the future rather than being stuck in the past. About 3 in 5 (59%) say they’d prefer working with an agent who primarily uses innovative technology and marketing strategies over traditional home-selling methods.

Some sellers see artificial intelligence (AI) as a good option for getting the best price for their home — including 1 in 8 millennials (13%) who even think AI could outperform a traditional agent.

Which selling method do sellers think will fetch the best price for their home?

• A human agent (79%)
• For sale by owner (12%)
• Artificial intelligence (9%)

Nearly 7 in 10 (69%) homeowners don’t believe current AI technology could outperform a traditional realtor. And yet, 49% would consider selling their property with an AI platform that can find the most qualified buyers in their area. Of this group, 67% say it’s crucial to consider commission rates when choosing an agent.

This could indicate that sellers will accept a lower overall level of service if they can pay less in agent fees and gain on-demand property information. Notably, 65% of sellers would use a digital marketplace that combines real estate agent services with mortgage financing options.

About Clever Offers

Clever Offers is a platform that empowers sellers who need to sell quickly or for cash to compare their options and make informed decisions. Clever Offers’ free service connects sellers with vetted cash buyers and top local realtors, allowing them to evaluate traditional cash offers alongside options such as cash offers with a second payment upon resale, listing on the MLS for as little as 7 days, and standard open-market listings. 

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