[URSpider94]

In some states, a buyer must be represented by a Realtor. If the buyer has no representation, then generally what happens is that the seller's Realtor nominally represents the buyer as well (dual agency). If you were to try to negotiate to not pay the commission, then your Realtor would probably refuse to represent the buyer, and they might not be able to close.

[dragonwriter]

The requirement is almost certainly for a real estate agent licensed by the state, not a Realtor®, which is a registered trademark of a particular trade association for it's members.

[URSpider94]

Yes, you are absolutely right, and I'm aware of the trademarking of the Realtor name - that's an interesting story in its own right, and a very interesting approach to regulatory capture. I was just looking for statistics to find out how many people are licensed real estate professionals but not Realtors, but I couldn't find the number -- I'm betting not many. Since we are picking nits -- many states have a different licenses -- agents vs. brokers -- but both can be Realtors. Here's a good link for people who aren't in the know: https://www.frameworkhomeownership.org/blog/broker-vs-agent?...