This is countered by the fact that they have limited hours of life to live.
Buyers and sellers are not paying agents to maximize and minimize prices. They are paying real estate agents to increase the odds of having a transaction clear, with the buyer receiving property they want, and the seller receiving a price they want.
For an agent, trying to maximize price is only worth it up to a certain number of hours of work, after which time it is far better for a real estate agent to maximize number of transactions. An additional 2% of say $50k is only $1k of extra pay, whereas an additional 2% of a $500k sale is $10k.
Buyers and sellers are not paying agents to maximize and minimize prices. They are paying real estate agents to increase the odds of having a transaction clear, with the buyer receiving property they want, and the seller receiving a price they want.
For an agent, trying to maximize price is only worth it up to a certain number of hours of work, after which time it is far better for a real estate agent to maximize number of transactions. An additional 2% of say $50k is only $1k of extra pay, whereas an additional 2% of a $500k sale is $10k.