Agent vs. FSBO: NAR generational trends report shows record highs and lows

They say some things never change. And despite the intertwined world we live in, made flat by the internet's ability to increasingly cut out intermediaries and facilitate direct connections, consumers' desire to work with a real estate agent appears to be one of them. According to the National Association of Realtors' (NAR) 2017 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report, this applies to both sides of the transaction, across generations. Specifically, 88 percent of buyers and 89 percent of sellers (matching 2015 and 2016's historic high) reported working with a real estate agent or broker, research drawn from mid-2015 through 2016 shows. Of the sellers who worked with an agent, 83 percent of sellers worked with an agent who provided "a broad range of services and management of most aspects of the home," while 9 percent "provided a limited set of services as requested by the seller," and 8 percent "listed the home on the MLS and performed few if any additional servic...